Estudio etnobotánico del uso de las plantas medicinales en la comunidad indígena Pijao en Natagaima, Colombia / Ethnobotanical study of the use of medicinal plants in the indigenous Pijao community in Natagaima, Colombia

Semi-structured interviews (80) were applied in order to document the medicinal plants used by the Pijao indigenous community in Natagaima, Colombia. As a result, a total of 110 species distributed in 54 families were registered, Asteraceae and Fabaceae (9% each) being the most important families. Regarding the parts of the plant, the most used structure was leaves (46.7%), the main form of preparation was infusion (32%), and the most used way of administration was oral (77.8%). The value of use of the species by informants (VUis), therelative importance of medicinal species (IRE) and the index of cultural value of medicinal species (IVUs) were determined. The most important species according to their value of use were: Tamarindus indicaL., Psidium guajavaL., Menthax piperitaL., Moringa oleiferaLam. The most reported ailments were gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain and diarrhea, general aches, headache, fever, swollen liver, and respiratory problems.

Entrevistas semiestructuradas (80) fueron aplicadas con el fin de documentar las plantas medicinales utilizadas por la comunidad indígena Pijao en Natagaima, Colombia. Como resultado seregistraron un total de 110 especies distribuidas en 54 familias, siendo Asteráceas y Fabáceas (9% cada una) las más importantes. El órgano más utilizado fueron las hojas (46.7%). La forma de preparación principal fue la infusión (32%), y la vía de administración más utilizada fue la oral (77.8%). Se determinó el valor de uso de la especie por informante (VUis), importancia relativa de especies medicinales (IRE) y el índice de valor cultural de especies medicinales (IVUs). Las especies más importantes según el valor de uso fueron: Tamarindus indicaL., Psidium guajavaL., Menthax piperitaL. Moringa oleifera Lam. Las afecciones mayormente registradas fueron los problemas gastrointestinales, tales como dolor de estómago y diarrea; dolores corporales generales, dolor de cabeza, fiebre, hígado inflamado y problemas respiratorios.

An Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico.

An ethnobotanical study was performed to collect information on the use of medicinal plants in Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico. The area has a high number of endemic species, and the social importance of the medicinal plants in the community is essential for public health and the conservation of traditional knowledge. This study identified the medicinal plants currently used, registered traditional knowledge, and documented the patterns of ailments treated in the indigenous communities of Totonacas. A total of 101 medicinal plants belonging to 51 families were described by 85 local informants. Asteraceae was the family with the highest number of plant species identified by these informants. Plant parts are used to treat several ailments, including venomous bites, gastro-intestinal disorders, infectious diseases and other disorders. Informants reported that the most common plant part used was the leaf tissue (55%), and they also took the herbal remedies orally (72%), and decoctions (38%) as well as infusions (29%) were the forms used to prepare these natural remedies. This study provides documentation of medicinal plants used in the Veracruz area of Mexico. Mexican people are still dependent upon medicinal plants, and in order to avoid their loss, certain measures of conservation for medicinal plants are needed.

Development of solar drying model for selected Cambodian fish species.

A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6 °C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg · h(-1). Based on coefficient of determination (R(2)), chi-square (χ(2)) test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE), the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing.

Cichlid fishes in the Angolan headwaters region: molecular evidence of the ichthyofaunal contact between the Cuanza and Okavango-Zambezi systems.

The headwaters of five large African river basins flow through the Bié Plateau in Angola and still remain faunistically largely unexplored. We investigated fish fauna from the Cuanza and Okavango-Zambezi river systems from central Angola. We reconstructed molecular phylogenies of the most common cichlid species from the region, Tilapia sparrmanii and Serranochromis macrocephalus, using both mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We found evidence for ichthyofaunal contact and gene flow between the Cuanza and Okavango-Zambezi watersheds in the Bié Plateau in central Angola. Waterfalls and rapids also appeared to restrict genetic exchange among populations within the Cuanza basin. Further, we found that the Angolan Serranochromis cichlid fishes represent a monophyletic lineage with respect to other haplochromines, including the serranochromines from the Congo and Zambezi rivers. This study represents an important initial step in a biodiversity survey of this extremely poorly explored region, as well as giving further understanding to species distributions and gene flow both between and within river basins.

Prevalence and use of herbal products in the Czech Republic: over-the-counter survey among adult pharmacies clients.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse which species of herbs are preferred by Czech adult respondents, the most important predictors influencing their use, and information sources used. METHOD: Data were collected face-to-face via an interviewer-administrated structured questionnaire from convenience sample of adults from metropolis, as well as peri-urban and rural areas, from February to June 2007. RESULTS: There is a high prevalence (56.6%) of herbal product (HPs) use as well as herb-drug co-medication without frequent physician consultation. Literature is the main source of herbal product information, followed by mass media (20%) and family tradition (12%). In comparison to other countries, differences in urban-rural perspectives were observed regarding information sources as well as preferences of local herb species. Mentha × piperita (18.4%), Melissa officinalis (12.4%), Plantago lanceolata (12.2%), Tilia cordata (11.8%) and Matricaria recutita (10.7%) are the most preferred herb species for herbal products preparation. Gender, educational status and age are significant factors that influence the number of herb species used. Head or chest colds, stomach or intestinal illnesses and immunity and regeneration support are the most common ailments treated by herbal products according to our respondents. CONCLUSION: High utilisation of herbal products was confirmed and the most important predictors of use were identified. Further research is needed to validate and/or replicate our results. Our survey may provide a basis for pharmacists, physicians, healthcare providers as well as for policy makers to effectively manage increasing prevalence of herbal products among the Czech population.