Bioknowledgy of the Ecuadorian Flora. Some medicinal plants and their uses. E-Book
Omar Vacas Cruz
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- Herausgeber: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
- Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
Medicinal plants in Ecuador add up to 3118 species, 75% being native, of these, 80 were investigated by the PUCE-KRIBB project, finally 30 species were collected in this publication for being the most promising. We hope that this book contributes to new research on active ingredients that at some point will be used for the preparation of phytopharmaceuticals, for the benefit of society in general.
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Presentation
Introduction
Study area
Content by Disease/Symptom or Effect/Usefulness
Book’s structure
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Bibliography
Presentation
The Korea Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnology (KRIBB) maintains a permanent collaboration with the School of Biological Sciences of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE) since 2016. The objective of this cooperation is to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity through the generation of new knowledge and its responsible use.
With these premises the project “Exploration of biological resources from Ecuador in the framework of international collaborative research” is developed. The main goal is to deepen the knowledge of some useful plant species, contemplating activities that allow the identification of bioactive capacities of these plants.
The project comprises two stages: the first one ended with the printed publication of this book – now presented in digital version – which includes the collection of information on some useful plants that grow in the forests surrounding the Yasuni Scientific Station, located within the Yasuni National Park. Some data on the ancestral uses found in the literature are also included. The second stage consists in exploring the possible uses of the extracts of these plants that are now known to have bioactive properties. A selection of these species is presented in this work. The aim is to discover new bioactive properties and new uses in the future. This process, although nothing simple, will surely take some years to produce results that can be transferred in such a way that they are useful for society. It is clear that the “ancestral knowledge” is respected throughout this process, as well as national and international regulations that apply to these cases.
This book presents information on 30 of the 80 species investigated and, as mentioned above, forms a basis for other explorations related to the uses of plants and their applications for the benefit of society in general.
Introduction
The use of medicinal plants to treat human ailments is a practice that began thousands of years ago and although it is not clear when it started, it surely began with the first humans noticing the habits of animals and, through a process of trial and error, they would have come to understand the effects of plants on humans. In the 16th century, during the Renaissance, great scientific, commercial and medical interest in plants emerged. This was not only as a result of the will to recover the “lost” drugs used in ancient Greek and Roman medicine, but also due to the explorations in the New World.
With the emergence of science, research and the need to know, a crucial element as far as medicinal plants are concerned, are the so-called “ancestral knowledge”. Since It has established the basis for initiating formal investigations that finally, in some cases, have led to the artificial synthesis of molecules used in medicine. Examples of this are acetylsalicylic acid and quinine. Such ancestral information, or wisdom of a culture, usually merges ancient and modern knowledge. It is an eclectic mix of anecdotes, tradition, magic, worldview, myth, and sometimes some objective information. This knowledge has been transmitted, almost exclusively, orally from one generation to another and few are the cases in which it has been documented. For example, the works compiled by the Greek physicians Teofrasto de Ereso (372–288 a.C.) and Dioscorides (40–90 AD) that included information on the tradition of plant use, or what which could be called the “medical folklore.”
In the territory that Ecuador now occupies, the arrival of the Incas, the Spanish conquest and the arrival of the Africans not only caused a syncretism in matters of religion, music and culture, but also led to the development of a particular practice of natural medicine. Thus, until now, medicinal plants play a prominent role in some therapeutic systems, which differ from each other by their theoretical principles, their conception of general action, the way of preparation of medicines, and the quality of the remedy.
Among the most important schools are: phytotherapy, homeopathy, anthroposophic medicine, Bach flower therapy, Kneipp therapy (phytobalneology), aromatherapy, Ayurveda (Hindu medicine), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Kampo medicine (Japan).
Today there is a renewed interest in medicinal plants and the rescue of their uses throughout the planet, due to the great growth of what has been called “alternative medicine” and traditional medicine, as well as the choice of many people lead a lifestyle that privileges the natural and traditional uses of the plants in general. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 28% of plant species have a medical application and 80% of the world’s population depends on medicines made from natural substances.
