Silvia Akerreta

First comprehensive contribution to medical ethnobotany of Western Pyrenees

BackgroundAn ethnobotanical and medical study was carried out in the Navarre Pyrenees, an area known both for its high biological diversity and its cultural significance.As well as the compilation of an ethnopharmacological catalogue, a quantitative ethnobotanical comparison has been carried out in relation to the outcomes from other studies about the Pyrenees. A review of all drugs used in the area has also been carried out, through a study of the monographs published by the institutions and organizations responsible for the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants (WHO, ESCOP, and the E Commission of the German Department of Health) in order to ascertain the extent to which the Navarre Pyrenees ethnopharmacology has been officially evaluated.MethodsFieldwork was carried out over two years, from November 2004 to December 2006. During that time we interviewed 88 local people in 40 villages. Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews and the data was analyzed using quantitave indexes: Ethnobotonicity Index, Shannon-Wieners Diversity, Equitability and The Informant Consensus Factor. The official review has been performed using the official monographs published by the WHO, ESCOP and the E Commission of the German Department of Health.ResultsThe ethnobotanical and medical catalogue of the Navarre Pyrenees Area comprises 92 species, of which 39 have been mentioned by at least three interviewees. The quantitative ethnobotany results show lower values than those found in other studies about the Pyrenees; and 57.6% of the Pyrenees medical ethnobotany described does not figure in documents published by the above mentioned institutions.ConclusionThe results show a reduction in the ethnobotanical and medical knowledge in the area of study, when compared to other studies carried out in the Pyrenees. Nevertheless, the use of several species that may be regarded as possible sources for pharmacological studies is reported here such as the bark of Sambucus nigra, the roots of Fragaria vesca, or the leaves of Scrophularia nodosa. These species are not currently approved by the WHO, ESCOP and the E Commission of the German Department of Health, institutions that, apart from encouraging the greater use of plants for medicinal purposes, may help in the design of development plans for these rural areas by validating their traditional medicine.

Analyzing factors that influence the folk use and phytonomy of 18 medicinal plants in Navarra.

BackgroundThis article analyzes whether the distribution or area of use of 18 medicinal plants is influenced by ecological and cultural factors which might account for their traditional use and/or phytonymy in Navarra.This discussion may be helpful for comparative studies, touching as it does on other ethnopharmacological issues: a) which cultural and ecological factors affect the selection of medicinal plants; b) substitutions of medicinal plants in popular medicine; c) the relation between local nomenclature and uses. To analyze these questions, this paper presents an example of a species used for digestive disorders (tea and camomile: Jasonia glutinosa, J. tuberosa, Sideritis hyssopifolia, Bidens aurea, Chamaemelum nobile, Santolina chamaecyparissus...), high blood pressure (Rhamnus alaternus, Olea europaea...) or skin diseases (Hylotelephium maximum, H. telephium, Anagallis arvensis, A. foemina).MethodsFieldwork began on January 2004 and continued until December 2006. During that time we interviewed 505 informants in 218 locations in Navarra. Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews, and we subsequently made maps using Arc-View 8.0 program to determine the area of use of each taxon. Each map was then compared with the bioclimatic and linguistic map of Navarra, using the soil and ethnographic data for the region, and with other ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies carried out in Europe.ResultsThe results clearly show that ecological and cultural factors influence the selection of medicinal plants in this region. Climate and substrate are the most important ecological factors that influence the distribution and abundance of plants, which are the biological factors that affect medicinal plant selection.ConclusionThe study of edaphological and climatological factors, on the one hand, and culture, on the other, can help us to understand why a plant is replaced by another one for the same purposes, either in the same or in a different area. In many cases, the cultural factor means that the use of a species is more widespread than its ecological distribution. This may also explain the presence of synonyms and polysemies which are useful for discussing ethnopharmacological data.

Ethnoveterinary knowledge in Navarra (Iberian Peninsula)

AIM OF THE STUDY To collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnoveterinary knowledge about medicinal plants in a northern Iberian region (Navarra, 10,421 km(2), 620,377 inhabitants). METHODOLOGY Field work was conducted between 2003 and 2007, using semi-structured questionnaire and participant observation as well as transects walks in wild herbal plant collection areas. We performed semi-structured interviews with 667 informants (mean age 72; 55.47% women, 44.53% men) in 265 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories. RESULTS Out of 287 species reported to be used in the health field (human and veterinary medicine), 36 are linked to veterinary medicine. 69.4% of these species are new or rarely reported in veterinarian uses. The most frequently used plants were Malva sylvestris, Juglans regia and Verbena officinalis. All different plant parts were used; aerial part was exploited more frequently than other plant parts. Most remedies listed used a single ingredient, typically soaked in water. The route of administration was primarily oral followed by topical applications. These remedies are mostly for cows, calves, sheep, pigs and horses, but cover almost all domestic animal species. The main ailments treated are digestive troubles, wounds and dermatological problems, and respiratory affections. CONCLUSIONS The folk knowledge about medicinal plant use is still alive in the studied region, and a number of scarcely reported plant uses has been detected, some of them with promising phytotherapeutical applications.

Pharmaceutical ethnobotany in Northern Navarra (Iberian Peninsula).

AIM OF THE STUDY This paper provides significant ethnobotanical information on pharmaceutical plant uses in Northern Navarra from an area known both for its high biological diversity and its cultural significance, suggesting the survival of uses lost elsewhere. Collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinal plants in Northern Navarra (Iberian Peninsula) with 4243 km(2) and 71,069 inhabitants. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed semi-structured interviews with 253 informants (mean age 69; 61% women, 39% men) in 120 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories. RESULTS The informants reported data on 174 medicinal plants belonging to 63 botanical families. This work is focused on human medicinal plant uses, which represent 98% of the pharmaceutical uses (1725 use reports). The species with the highest number of cites are Chamaemelum nobile, Sambucus nigra and Verbena officinalis, with a long tradition of use in The Mountain (Navarra). All different plant parts are used; aerial part is exploited more frequently than other plant parts. Most of the listed remedies use a single ingredient, typically soaked in water. Usually, the administration is primarily oral followed by topical applications. CONCLUSIONS The main ailments treated are digestive troubles, wounds and dermatological problems, and respiratory affections. Informants reported 24 new or scarcely cited uses for 23 medicinal plants. For 35% of the species (8) we have not found bibliographical references in the scientific literature and 48% (11) have only one to three references.

Screening of Spanish Medicinal Plants for Antioxidant and Antifungal Activities

Abstract Dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous extracts obtained from 16 Spanish medicinal plants were screened for their antioxidant and antifungal activities. The radical scavenging capacity was evaluated by the DPPH method using a rapid screening by TLC and a spectrophotometric assay. Polar extracts obtained from Jasonia glutinosa L. (Lamiaceae), Tanacetum parthenium (L.) Schultz (Lamiaceae), Equisetum telmateia Ehrh. (Equisetaceae), Verbena officinalis L. (Verbenaceae), and Lythrum salicaria L. (Lythraceae) showed high antioxidant properties. Among them, the methanol extract of Lythrum salicaria showed the strongest antiradical capacity with an IC50 value similar to the positive control ascorbic acid. On the contrary, the best antifungal properties against Rhizopus stolonifer were produced by ethyl acetate or dichloromethane extracts from Anthemis arvensis L. subsp. arvensis (Asteraceae), Tanacetum parthenium, Santolina chamaecyparissus L. subsp. squarrosa Nyman (Asteraceae), Anagallis arvensis L. (Primulaceae) and the methanol extract of Anagallis foemina Miller (Primulaceae). The dichloromethane extract of Anthemis arvensis subsp. arvensis was the best inhibitor of fungus growth.

Pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the Middle Navarra (Iberian Peninsula).

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE This paper provides significant ethnobotanical information on pharmaceutical plant uses in the Middle Navarra (Iberian Peninsula). Collect, analyze and evaluate the ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinal plants in this area with 3622.2 km(2) and 404,634 inhabitants. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed semi-structured interviews with 276 informants (mean age 72; 46% women, 54% men) in 111 locations, identified the plant reported and analyzed the results, comparing them with those from other territories. RESULTS The informants reported data on 198 medicinal plants belonging to 60 botanical families. This work is focused on human medicinal plant uses, which represent 98% of the pharmaceutical uses (1401 use reports). The species with the highest number of cites are Santolina chamaecyparissus ssp. squarrosa, Jasonia glutinosa and Chamaemelum nobile with a long tradition of use in Navarra. All different plant parts are used; aerial part is exploited more frequently than other plant parts. Most of the listed remedies use a single ingredient, typically soaked in water. The most common mode of administration is oral, while the second most common is topical. CONCLUSIONS The main ailments treated are digestive troubles, wounds and dermatological problems, and respiratory affections. Informants reported 80 new or scarcely cited uses for 14 medicinal plants. For 36% of the species (5) we have not found bibliographical references in the scientific literature and 64% (9) have only one to three references.

Medicinal plants used for dermatological affections in Navarra and their pharmacological validation

AIM OF THE STUDY This paper provides significant ethnopharmacological information on plant used in dermatological affections in Navarra. MATERIAL AND METHODS Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews with 667 informants (mean age 72; 55.47% women, 44.53% men) in 265 locations. In order to confirm the pharmacological validation of the uses reports, the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP), German Commission E, World Health Organization (WHO), European Medicines Agency (EMA), European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) and Real Farmacopea Española (RFE) monographs have been revised. A literature review has been carried out with the plants without monograph and high frequency citations, using a new tool of the University of Navarra, UNIKA. RESULTS A total of 982 pharmaceutical uses are reported from the informants, belonging to 91 plants and 42 families, mainly represented by Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Crassulaceae. The most frequently used parts of the plants are aerial parts followed by leaves and inflorescences. Seventeen out of 91 plants (19%) and 148 of 982 popular uses (15%), have already been pharmacologically validated. CONCLUSIONS The authors propose seven species for their validation (Allium cepa, Sambucus nigra, Hylotelephium maximum, Chelidonium majus, Ficus carica, Allium sativum and Anagallis arvensis).

Pharmacological properties of Anagallis arvensis L. (“scarlet pimpernel”) and Anagallis foemina Mill. (“blue pimpernel”) traditionally used as wound healing remedies in Navarra (Spain)

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Anagallis arvensis and Anagallis foemina are traditionally used in Navarra (Spain) for dermatological purposes regarding wound healing properties. In some cases they are also used to threat internal infections although they are known to be toxic at high doses. AIM OF STUDY Due to lack of studies, we decided to evaluate the potential of the plants as wound healing remedies measuring antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties using in vitro procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Antimicrobial effects were studied against four bacteria and one fungus. Anti-inflammatory properties were measured in terms of COX-1 and -2 inhibition as well as superoxide radical scavenging capacity. RESULTS Both species exerted antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. The methanolic extract obtained from Anagallis arvensis seemed to produce the highest inhibition in Candida albicans (MIC=0.31 mg/ml). Inhibition of COX-1 and -2 was also stronger for methanolic extracts whereas aqueous were revealed as better free radical scavengers. CONCLUSIONS The study reveals that both species possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities related to their ethnomedicinal uses.

Antioxidant activity and phenylpropanoids of Phlomis lychnitis L.: a traditional herbal tea.

Phlomis lychnitis L. (Lamiaceae) is consumed as a traditional herbal tea in Spain. The antioxidant-protective effects as well as its phytoconstituents have never been established. The ability of the methanolic extract to protect cells from oxidative stress was evaluated in rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12) using hydrogen peroxide as toxic agent. The viability of PC12 cells pre-treated with the methanolic extract of Phlomis lychnitis, determined by the MTT and LDH assays, was significantly improved at the highest dose (p < 0.01). The antioxidant activity was confirmed evaluating the capacity of the plant to scavenge ABTS, DPPH, O2·− radicals and to inhibit XO. Bioassay guided fractionation led to antioxidant compounds. Qualitative HPLC/DAD/ESI/MS analysis reported phenylpropanoids, verbascoside being the major antioxidant constituent.