ABSTRACT
A total of 40 plant extracts traditionally used by the Alteños Indians, a native community living between the Andean block and the tropical valleys of Bolivia, were screened for antimalarial activity in vitro on Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistant (Indo) strain, and in vivo on rodent malaria Plasmodium vinckei petteri. Eleven extracts displayed good or moderate activity in vivo, and ten extracts good or very good antimalarial activity in vitro. Results of the screening are discussed here, in relation with the traditional use of plants.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/pharmacology , Indians, South American , Plants, Medicinal/chemistry , Bolivia , Humans , Medicine, TraditionalABSTRACT
Coca-Erythroxylum coca Lamarck var. coca-remains one of the most common plants of the folk medicine of Bolivia used as a general stimulant. Aymara and Quechua natives prefer to chew the sweeter coca leaves from the Yungas (tropical mountain forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes) rather than those from the Chapare lowlands. The contents in cocaine and minor constituents of leaf samples cultivated in these regions does not rationalize this choice.
Subject(s)
Coca/chemistry , Plants, Medicinal , Bolivia , Coca/anatomy & histology , Cocaine/analogs & derivatives , Cocaine/analysis , Cocaine/chemistry , Ecosystem , Humans , Medicine, Traditional , Phytotherapy , StereoisomerismABSTRACT
La coca es una de las plantas de cultivo más antiguo de los pueblos de Sur américa, constituyendo uno de los más importantes de Bolivia. Una parte de la producción es consumida tradicionalmente por los campesinos (principalmente bajo la forma del acullicu) alrededor de 10.000 toneladas sobre las 60.000 a 80.000 toneladas producidas anualmente en el país (Carter y Mamani, 1986). Las preguntas que habitualmente se hace la población boliviana sobre las cualidades de la hoja de coca son las siguientes: ¿Existen distintas variedades de coca cultivadas en Bolivia? ¿La hoja de coca en su estado natural, tiene o no cocaína? ¿Cuántos compuestos diferentes están presentes en la hoja de coca? ¿Cuál es el compuesto responsable de sus propiedades medicinales? (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Coca/chemistry , Ethnobotany , Bolivia , ChromatographyABSTRACT
Two Bolivian Aspidosperma species were investigated. The seed and stem bark of Aspidosperma macrocarpon Mart. contain six known alkaloids: (-)-vincadifformine, ervinceine, kopsanone, kopsinine, kopsanol in the seed, and kopsanone, kopsinine, kopsanol, 18-epikopsanol in the stem bark. The stem bark of Aspidosperma pyrifolium Mart. contains eleven known alkaloids: (-)-vincadifformine, O-demethylpalosine, haplocine, N-formylaspidospermidine, vallesine, demethoxyaspidospermine, palosine, (-)-aspidospermine, aspidospermidine, akuammicine, tubotaiwine, beside the two new bases dehydroxyhaplocidine and 10-methoxyaspidospermidine.
