RESUMO
Resumen: Opera medicinalia fue el primer libro de medicina en América. Fue escrito por el Dr. Francisco Bravo e impreso por Pedro Ocharte en la capital novohispana en 1570. La obra está constituida por cuatro libros que cubren temas de interés de esa época, como el tabardillo (tifo), el tratamiento de la pleuresía, los días decretorios y el último dedicado exclusivamente a la zarzaparrilla, en éste se diferencia la variante americana prevalente en México (Smilax medica) de la Europea (Smilax aspera). Incluye interesantes ilustraciones de las que destacan capitulares eróticas, imágenes de las dos especies de zarzaparrilla y un diagrama rudimentario de la vena ácigos. Opera medicinalia fue uno de los más importantes libros de medicina de la Nueva España en el siglo XVI, que fue escrito y dirigido para médicos latinistas. De los tres originales que han sobrevivido a nuestros días, uno se encuentra en la biblioteca José María Lafragua de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla. El objetivo de este trabajo es dar a conocer a todos los interesados esta joya bibliográfica, describir sus características y honrar la memoria del Dr. Francisco Bravo.
Abstract: Opera medicinalia was the first medical text printed in America, specifically in the capital of New Spain. It was written by Dr. Francisco Bravo and printed by Pedro Ocharte in 1570. The book is composed of four treatises, covering medical topics such as tabardillo (tifo), pleuresy treatment, decretory days and medical herbs focused in sasparilla root (Smilax medica), which was prevalent in Mexico differentiating it from its European variant (Smilax aspera). It includes erotic capitular letters, sasparilla illustrations and a rudimentary diagram of the human acygoz vein. It was one of the most important medicine books in Mexico in the 16th century, written and directed for Latinist physicians. Of the three existing originals, one is currently in the library Jose Maria Lafragua of the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla. The aim of this paper is to describe Opera medicinalia and to recognize to its author, Francisco Bravo.
RESUMO
Smilax domingensis Willd., Smilacaceae, known as zarzaparrilla, is a climbing shrub from Tropical America. The rhizome is popularly used in medicine as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and tonic. Since 1983 studies are being conducted in Guatemala for validation of the ethnobotanical uses, particularly in vitro demonstration of antimicrobial activity, using wild material, with high variability and some taxonomic problems. This article reports the taxonomic determination, cultivation of drug material, evaluation of use by in vitro and in vivo pharmacological assays, and phytochemical characterization. Extracts from cultivated material was evaluated by antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and immunomodulatory models, confirming the antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities. Phytochemistry was done in the crude drug and extracts. Quality control parameters are described (micrographic drawings and phytochemical characteristics). Evidence is presented that cultivated rhizome has antimicrobial and immunomodulatory activities, validating the popular use and helping the industrial development of phytopharmaceutical products.