Estudo etnofarmacológico sobre Lafoensia replicata Pohl. no leste do Maranhão, Brasil: uma promissora espécie para bioprospecção / Ethno-pharmacological study about Lafoensia replicata Pohl. in East Maranhão, Brazil: a promising species for bioprospection

Esta pesquisa objetivou realizar estudo sobre os usos terapêuticos da mangabeira (Lafoensia replicata Pohl.), uma importante planta do cerrado nordestino. Foram realizadas 32 entrevistas com informantes da comunidade Manga, Barão de Grajaú, interior do Maranhão. Os entrevistados, 18 mulheres e 14 homens, informaram oito usos diferentes para a planta. Quanto ao número de indicações de uso, não houve diferenças significativas entre os gêneros: oito indicações descritas pelas mulheres e sete pelos homens. Com relação a distinções no conhecimento entre as classes de idade propostas para análise, também não houve distinções estatísticas. A parte mais indicada como usada foram as cascas do caule. Todos os informantes indicaram consensualmente que o remédio preparado a partir da planta deve ser administrado por via oral, e mais da metade dos informantes mencionou que a planta não apresenta restrições ao consumo (53%). Contudo, 17 entrevistados afirmaram que o tratamento é contraindicado durante a gravidez e, ainda, cinco pessoas não recomendaram o uso para crianças. Diante de tudo isso, não foi possível, com as informações etnofarmacológicas deste estudo, alicerçar a literatura especializada, já que há insuficiência de pesquisas com a espécie estudada. Há alguns estudos enfocando usos e atividades de L. pacari A. St.-Hil. Dessa forma, esse estudo recomenda também L. replicata Pohl. como uma potencial espécie terapêutica.(AU)

This work aimed at carrying out a study on the local therapeutic uses of mangabeira (Lafoensia replicata Pohl.), an important plant in the northeastern cerrado. 32 interviews were conducted with informants from the community Manga, Barão do Grajaú, Maranhão. Respondents, 18 women and 14 men, reported eight different uses for the plant. Regarding the number of instructions for use, there were no significant differences between genders, eight nominations described by women and seven by men. Regarding the distinctions of knowledge among the age group proposed for the analysis, there were no statistical differences. The plant part 208 SOBRINHO, F. C. B. et al. Estudo etnofarmacológico sobre Lafoensia replicata Pohl. no leste do Maranhão, Brasil... most indicated for use was the stem bark. All informants indicated consensually that the medicine prepared from the plant should be administered orally and over half of the respondents mentioned that the plant had no restrictions on consumption (53%). However, 17 respondents said that the treatment is contraindicated during pregnancy, and even five people did not recommend the use on children. It was not possible to substantiate the ethno-pharmacological information in this study with the literature since there is insufficient research on this species. There is some research focusing on uses and activities of Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil, therefore, this study also recommends L. replicata Pohl. as a potential therapeutic species.(AU)

A new technique for testing distribution of knowledge and to estimate sampling sufficiency in ethnobiology studies.

BACKGROUND: We propose a new quantitative measure that enables the researcher to make decisions and test hypotheses about the distribution of knowledge in a community and estimate the richness and sharing of information among informants. In our study, this measure has two levels of analysis: intracultural and intrafamily. METHODS: Using data collected in northeastern Brazil, we evaluated how these new estimators of richness and sharing behave for different categories of use. RESULTS: We observed trends in the distribution of the characteristics of informants. We were also able to evaluate how outliers interfere with these analyses and how other analyses may be conducted using these indices, such as determining the distance between the knowledge of a community and that of experts, as well as exhibiting the importance of these individuals' communal information of biological resources. One of the primary applications of these indices is to supply the researcher with an objective tool to evaluate the scope and behavior of the collected data.

Natural products from ethnodirected studies: revisiting the ethnobiology of the zombie poison.

Wade Davis's study of Haitian "zombification" in the 1980s was a landmark in ethnobiological research. His research was an attempt to trace the origins of reports of "undead" Haitians, focusing on the preparation of the zombification poison. Starting with this influential ethnopharmacological research, this study examines advances in the pharmacology of natural products, focusing especially on those of animal-derived products. Ethnopharmacological, pharmacological, and chemical aspects are considered. We also update information on the animal species that reportedly constitute the zombie poison. Several components of the zombie powder are not unique to Haiti and are used as remedies in traditional medicine worldwide. This paper emphasizes the medicinal potential of products from zootherapy. These biological products are promising sources for the development of new drugs.

Intracultural variation in the knowledge of medicinal plants in an urban-rural community in the atlantic forest from northeastern Brazil.

This study assessed the intracultural knowledge of the use of medicinal plants in an urban-rural community in an Atlantic forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. We examined the importance of native and exotic species and the effects of gender and age on that knowledge. We also compared data obtained from different groups of informants (local experts and general community). We conducted 194 interviews between June 2007 and January 2008, using the freelist technique and semistructured forms to collect ethnobotanical data. Information obtained from the community was compared with that from six local experts who participated in a survey in 2003. From a total of 209 ethnospecies, exotic and herbaceous plants presented higher richness. With respect to the number of citations, women and older informants were shown to know a higher number of medicinal plants. Comparing knowledge of local experts with that of the general community, we noted that experts know a similar wealth of plant families and therapeutic indications, but the community knows a greater species richness. These results indicate that local experts may provide useful information for studies that search for a quick diagnosis of the knowledge of a given community.

Pressure indicators of wood resource use in an Atlantic forest area, northeastern Brazil.

Wood resources are often used to support the needs of the local population. In order to protect biodiversity and resources, conservation strategies need to consider what types of wood use have the strongest impacts on forested areas. This study aimed to identify the use categories that put higher pressure on an Atlantic forest region located in the municipality of Igarassu in Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. To conduct the study, we measured the volume of all wood products in 62 surveyed residences and registered the average replacement time for such products. The fuelwood category was most important locally and accounted for 92% of annual wood consumption. However, the construction category harvests more destructively and concentrates on the consumption of a few wood species. Therefore we recommend the fuelwood category to be the main focus of conservation effforts. In addition, the most important species for construction purposes (e.g., Eschweilera ovata (Cambess.) Miers, Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F. Macbr. and Pogonophora schomburgkiana Miers ex Benth) should also be considered as a priority for conservation.

Medicinal plants of the caatinga (semi-arid) vegetation of NE Brazil: a quantitative approach.

The caatinga (semi-arid vegetation) is a Brazilian biome with a significant but poorly studied biodiversity closely associated with a diverse cultural heritage. The present work focused on analyzing published information available concerning medicinal plants used by traditional communities. We sought to contribute to future phytochemical and pharmacological investigations by documenting the therapeutic uses of native caatinga plants within the aims of modern ethnopharmacological research. Twenty-one published works cited a total of 389 plant species used by indigenous and rural communities in northeastern Brazil for medicinal purposes. The relative importance index (RI) of each species in these inventories was calculated, and information concerning the plant's local status (spontaneous or cultivated), distribution, and habit was recorded. Of the 275 spontaneous (non-cultivated) species cited, 15.3% were endemic to the caatinga. A statistical relationship was verified between the relative importance of the species and their endemic status (p<0.05). Herbaceous plants were more numerous (169) than trees (90) or shrubs and sub-shrubs (130) at a statistically significant level (p<0.05). A survey of published information on the phytochemical and pharmacological status of the plants demonstrating the highest RI supported the veracity of their attributed folk uses.