Michael J. Balick

The value of undiscovered pharmaceuticals in tropical forests

Previous estimates of the potential value of higher plants in tropical forests for Pharmaceuticals are too high because analysts mistakenly used gross revenues to value drugs instead of net revenues. Correcting this error, we estimate each new drug is worth an average

Screening of the topical anti-inflammatory activity of some Central American plants.

94 million to a private drug company and

Oligarchic forests of economic plants in amazonia: utilization and conservation of an important tropical resource.

449 million to society as a whole. Given recent experience searching for new drugs, we estimate that the higher plants in the world’s tropical forests contain about 375 potential pharmaceuticals of which 48 (about one in eight) have already been discovered. Multiplying these values by the number of potential new drugs suggests that a complete collection and screening of all tropical plant species should be worth about

Medicinal plants used by Latino healers for women's health conditions in New York City

3–4 billion to a private pharmaceutical company and as much as

Ethnobotanical literature survey of medicinal plants in the Dominican Republic used for women's health conditions.

147 billion to society as a whole.

Screening of anti-bacterial activity of medicinal plants from Belize (Central America).

Hexane, chloroform and methanol extracts of seven herbal drugs used in the folk medicine of Central America against skin disorders (Aristolochia trilobata leaves and bark, Bursera simaruba bark, Hamelia patens leaves, Piper amalago leaves, and Syngonium podophyllum leaves and bark) were evaluated for their topical anti-inflammatory activity against the Croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice. Most of the extracts induced a dose-dependent oedema reduction. The chloroform extract of almost all the drugs exhibited interesting activities with ID(50) values ranging between 108 and 498 micro g/cm(2), comparable to that of indomethacin (93 micro g/cm(2)). Therefore, the tested plants are promising sources of principles with high anti-inflammatory activity.

Globalization and Loss of Plant Knowledge: Challenging the Paradigm

Tropical forests dominated by only one or two tree species occupy tens of millions of hectares in Ammonia In many cases, the dominant species produce fruits, seeds, or oils of economic importance. Oligarchic (Gr. oligo = few, archic = dominated or ruled by) forests of six economic species, i. e., Euterpe oleracea, Grias peruviana, Jessenia bataua, Mauritia flexuosa, Myrciaria dubia, and Orbignya phalerata, were studied in Brazil and Peru Natural populations of these species contain from 100 to 3,000 conspecific adult trees/ha and produce up to 11.1 metric tons of fruit/hd/yr. These plant populations are utilized and occasionally managed, by rural inhabitants in the region. Periodic fruit harvests, if properly controlled have only a minimal impact on forest structure and function, yet can generate substantial economic returns Market-oriented extraction of the fruits produced by oligarchic forests appears to represent a promising alternative for reconciling the development and conservation of Amazonian forests.

The importance of botellas and other plant mixtures in Dominican traditional medicine.

This paper examines the use of medicinal plants by Latino healers in New York City to treat various women’s illnesses. Eight Latino healers collaborated on the study through consultations with female patients who had one of the following conditions as diagnosed by biomedically trained physicians: uterine fibroids, hot flashes, menorrhagia, or endometriosis. The study identified a total of 67 plant species prescribed by the healers in the form of mixtures or as individual plants. Voucher specimens were collected from local botánicas and identified by specialists at The New York Botanical Garden. Studies of immigrant traditional healers and the plants they use in an urban setting can provide interesting ethnobotanical data and information to assist in diagnosing conditions and contributing to treatment of patients from Latino as well as non-Latino communities.ResumenEste documento examina el uso de plantas medicinales por curanderos Latinos en la ciudad de Nueva York en el tratamiento de varias enfermedades en mujeres. Ocho curanderos Latinos colaboraron en el estudio a través de consultas con pacientes mujeres que tenían una de las siguentes condiciones de salud diagnosticadas por médicos: fibroma del útero, incrementos de temperatura repentinos, menorrea o endometriosis. El estudio identificó un total de 67 especies de plantas presentas por los curanderos ya sea en mezclas o individualmente. Muestras de los especímenes fueron colectadas en botánicas locales e identificadas por especialistas en El Jardín Botánico de Nueva York. Estudios de curanderos tradicionales inmigrantes y sus plantas en un área urbana pueden proveer datos etnobotánicos interesantes e información que asista en el diagnóstico del estado de salud y contribuya al tratamiento de pacientes tanto de comunidades Latinos, como no Latinos.

Screening of the topical anti-inflammatory activity of the bark of Acacia cornigera Willdenow, Byrsonima crassifolia Kunth, Sweetia panamensis Yakovlev and the leaves of Sphagneticola trilobata Hitchcock.

This ethnobotanical literature survey is part of an on-going study in New York City investigating Dominican and Chinese healing systems and the herbal treatments used for the following womens conditions: uterine fibroids (benign tumors of uterine smooth muscle); menorrhagia (excessive uterine bleeding); endometriosis (growth of endometrial tissue outside of the uterus); and hot flashes (sudden brief sensations of heat commonly experienced during menopause). The objectives of this survey were: (1) to search literature on medicinal plants used in the Dominican Republic and identify those used for the above listed conditions and their symptoms; (2) to compare the use between herbal treatments reported in the literature with those prescribed by Dominican healers in New York City; and (3) to evaluate the extent to which healers may have changed their use of plants in order to adapt to availability in the New York City environment. A total of 87 plant species were reported in the Dominican literature for these conditions and symptoms. Nineteen species overlapped from the literature survey and the fieldwork with Dominican healers in New York City, representing 29% (n=65) of the plants prescribed by healers in New York City. This study offers a model to investigate changes in plant use as people migrate to urban centers where they are surrounded by diverse cultures, healing systems, and new environments.

Ethnobotany in the search for vasoactive herbal medicines

Twenty-one extracts from seven herbal drugs, Aristolochia trilobata (Aristolochiaceae) leaves and bark, Bursera simaruba (Burseraceae) bark, Guazuma ulmifolia (Sterculiaceae) bark, Hamelia patens (Rubiaceae) leaves and Syngonium podophyllum (Araceae) leaves and bark, used in traditional medicine of Belize (Central America) as deep and superficial wound healers, were evaluated for their anti-bacterial properties. Activity was tested against standard strains of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212. Almost all the extracts were able to inhibit the growth of one or more of the bacterial strains, except that of Enterococcus faecalis. For the first time an anti-microbial activity is reported for Aristolochia trilobata as well as for Syngonium podophyllum. The hexane extracts of Aristolochia trilobata leaves and bark were the most active extracts against Staphylococcus aureus (MIC=0.31 and 0.625mg/ml, respectively).