Marcgrave and Piso's plants for sale: The presence of plant species and names from the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648) in contemporary Brazilian markets.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Parallelisms between current and historical medicinal practices as described in the seventeenth century treatise Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (HNB) provide us with an overview of traditional plant knowledge transformations. Local markets reflect the actual plant use in urban and rural surroundings, allowing us to trace cross-century similarities of ethnobotanical knowledge. AIMS OF THE STUDY: We aim to verify in how far the HNB, created in seventeenth-century northeastern Brazil, correlates with contemporary plant use in the country by comparing the plant knowledge therein with recent plant market surveys at national level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a literature review on ethnobotanical market surveys in Brazil. We used the retrieved data on plant composition and vernacular names, together with our own fieldwork from the Ver-o-Peso market in Belém, to compare each market repertoire with the useful species in the HNB. We analyzed similarities among markets and the HNB with a Detrended Correspondence Analysis and by creating Venn diagrams. We analyzed the methods of the different markets to check whether they influenced our results. RESULTS: Out of the 24 markets reviewed, the greatest similarities with the HNB are seen in northern Brazilian markets, both in plant composition and vernacular names, followed by the northeast. The least overlap is found with markets in the central west and Rio de Janeiro. Most of the shared vernacular names with the HNB belonged to languages of the Tupi linguistic family. CONCLUSION: The similarity patterns in floristic composition among Brazilian markets and the HNB indicate the current wider distribution and trade of the species that Marcgrave and Piso described in 1648 in the northeast. Migration of indigenous groups, environmental changes, globalized and homogenous plant trade, and different market survey methods played a role in these results. The HNB is a reference point in time that captures a moment of colonial cultural transformations.

Patterns of Dietary Supplement Use in Children with Down Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of dietary supplement use for children with Down syndrome, and to obtain additional descriptive data regarding the age of initial treatment, cost, perceived benefits, and disclosure of use to the pediatrician. STUDY DESIGN: An anonymous questionnaire in English and Spanish was created for parents of children under age 18 years with Down syndrome. Surveys were completed in our clinic, or accessed on a number of Down syndrome-related websites. RESULTS: A total of 1167 responses were completed and analyzed. Forty nine percent of responders currently/previously gave their child supplement(s). The average child received 3 supplements (ranging from 1-18). Although Nutrivene, curcumin, and green tea extract were most common, over 150 different products were reported. Supplementation began most often in infancy, generally between age 4 and 6 months. Average cost was $90.53/month. Overall, 87% of users noted improvement, mainly in speech, immunity, and attention; 17% reported side-effects, predominantly gastrointestinal disturbance. Lack of improvement and cost were the main reasons for discontinuation. Most parents learned of supplements through a parent group or friend. In almost 20%, the pediatrician was unaware of the supplement use. CONCLUSIONS: Almost one-half of parents surveyed administer or have administered supplement(s) to their children with Down syndrome. Many of the supplements have concerning ingredient profiles and are given to children too young to articulate potential ill effects. Providers need to be aware of these products and question families about their use.

Sistema Nacional de Inovação em Saúde: um estudo dos movimentos governamentais recentes na área de fitoterápicos / National System of Innovation in Health: a study of recent governmental movements in the area of phytotherapy

O presente trabalho faz um estudo descritivo do Sistema Nacional de Inovação (SNI) em saúde com foco nos movimentos governamentais recentes (a partir do ano 2006) relativos à promoção de inovação em Fitoterápicos e Fitofármacos. No âmbito do Governo Federal, a aprovação da Política Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos, por meio do Decreto Presidencial nº 5.813, de 22 de junho de 2006, se constitui em parte essencial das políticas públicas de saúde, dando fundamento à formulação posterior do Programa Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos. (2008) Tendo em vista os objetivos do presente trabalho, serão apresentadas questões teóricas além de uma breve retrospectiva histórica do SNI brasileiro e dos fitoterápicos e suas características recentes. O Panorama Internacional mostra a evolução no consumo aos Fitoterápicos em relação ao Brasil e as iniciativas governamentais tais como a Política Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos e o Programa Nacional de Plantas Medicinais e Fitoterápicos, apontam para uma possível correção no atraso tecnológico do país no setor saúde e a consolidação de um SNI com relação a inserção dos Fitoterápicos. As políticas do governo federal, nos anos recentes, evidenciaram experiências positivas como aumento na produção científica e capacitação de recursos humanos e a possibilidade de desenvolvimento do sistema de inovação na área de Fitoterápicos, tornando aparente a necessidade de interação entre pesquisa e desenvolvimento para inovação em novos produtos e estímulo da produção em escala industrial.(AU)

The present study is a descriptive study of the National Innovation System (SNI) in health focused on the recent governmental movements (from year 2006) related to the promotion of innovation in Phytotherapeutics and Phytopharmaceuticals. Within the scope of the Federal Government, the approval of the National Policy of Medicinal and Phytotherapeutic Plants, through Presidential Decree nº. 5.813, of June 22, 2006, constitutes an essential part of public health policies, providing a basis for later formulation of the National Program of Medicinal and Phytotherapeutic Plants. (2008) In view of the objectives of the present work, there are also theoretical presentations besides a brief historical retrospective of the Brazilian SNI and the adjustments and their recent characteristics. The International Panorama shows an evolution without consumption to the countries in relation to Brazil and as governmental initiatives like the National Policy of Medicinal Plants and Phytotherapeutics and the National Program of Plants Medicines and Herbal Medicine, point to a possible correction in the technological backwardness of the country in the health sector And the consolidation of an SNI in relation to the insertion of Phytotherapeutics. The federal government's policies in recent years have shown positive experiences such as the increase in scientific production and the training of human resources and the possibility of developing the innovation system in the field of herbal medicines, becoming a need for interaction between research and development to Innovation in new products and stimulation of production on an industrial scale.(AU)

Aspectos sociais da fitoterapia / Social aspects of Phytotherapy

O presente trabalho aborda sobre o conceito e a utilização de plantas medicinais, as questões comuns do fluxo informativo, a aplicação de plantas medicinais na saúde pública e os aspectos sociais e econômicos do uso das plantas medicinais.

Potencial de aproveitamento medicinal de especies do sub-bosque dos bracatingais da regiao de Curitiba, PR / Potential of medicinal utilization of species of the sub-forest of the bracatingais of the region of Curitiba, PR

Os bracatingais cultivados segundo o sistema agroflorestal tradicional formam densas florestas plantadas na região metropolitana de Curitiba, com grande riqueza de espécies. A maior parte das espécies do sub-bosque, assim como a totalidade do estrato herbáceo, são rejeitadas durante a exploração da bracatinga, e eliminadas com a queima dos resíduos florestais. Este estudo avaliou o potencial de aproveitamento medicinal e econômico das espécies do sub-bosque dos bracatingais da Região Metropolitana de Curitiba (RMC), estado do Paraná. Foram escolhidas dez áreas com características geológicas representativas da região. A fitossociologia identificou as espécies de maior Índice de Valor de Importância (IVI). As espécies foram investigadas quanto ao uso popular, constituintes químicos e aplicação farmacológica. Realizaram-se estudos fitoquímicos de folhas, caule e raízes em quatro das dez espécies de maior IVI. A análise do mercado baseou-se na oferta e demanda de plantas medicinais na RMC. Este estudo mostrou que existem várias famílias e espécies com potencial de aproveitamento farmacológico e, que algumas destas espécies já são utilizadas na medicina tradicional pela população local e, também, têm sido comercializadas por empresas do setor localizadas na região. Apesar da potencialidade de mercado, ainda faltam ações, principalmente em pesquisa e farmacologia das espécies levantadas, divulgação, junto à classe médica, das plantas medicinais que ocorrem na região, bem como treinamentos, organização dos produtores e da produção regional.(AU)