Natural products research in Brazil

ABSTRACT

Natural products chemistry, at the end of the 20th century, arrived at a crossroads and it is high time that alternative options to progress be discussed. Should we consider macromolecules or micromolecules, search for novel bioactive compounds by ethnomedical or chemosystematic approaches, use natural products for educational purposes or the production of pharmaceuticals, study plants from a particular or a holistic point of view? The latter alternative leads, via the interplay of metabolism, morphology and ecogeography, to the mechanisms of evolutionary ecology. Mapping and quantification of biodiversity yields fundamental data for the interpretation of natural phenomena, the most important contribution of science toward the survival of mankind.