Plants from Solanaceae family with possible anxiolytic effect reported on 19th century's Brazilian medical journal

ABSTRACT

In the beginning of the 19th century, the first Brazilian scientific knowledge journal on medicinal plants the Gazetas Médicas was launch reporting Brazilian medicinal plants belonging to several botanical families. The aim of this study was research the Solanaceae species that were described as anxiolytics in the 19th century's Brazilian Medical Gazettes and to make a revision about these species in literature. A taxonomic update, together a careful research about ethnopharmacological, pharmacological and phytochemical, patent process and reports of phytomedicines, was carried out for these Solanaceae species. In this research were found thirteen plants, but the taxonomic update reduced this number to six species. Among them, Physalis angulata L. and Solanum nigrum L. were studied and showed depressor activity on central nervous system (CNS) as described in Gazetas Médicas. This research showed that Solanaceae species reported in this study has potential as anxiolytic drugs and should be investigated more deeply.