An ethnopharmacological and historical analysis of “Dictamnus”, a European traditional herbal medicine

Ethnopharmacological relevance and background: “Dictamnus” was a popular name for a group of medicinal herbaceous plant species of the Rutaceae and Lamiaceae, which since the 4th century have been used for gynaecological problems and other illnesses BCE and still appear in numerous ethnobotanical records. Aims: This research has as four overarching aims: Determining the historical evolution of medical preparations labelled “Dictamnus” and the different factors affecting this long-standing herbal tradition. Deciphering and differentiating those medicinal uses of “Dictamnus” which strictly correspond to Dictamnus (Rutaceae), from those of Origanum dictamnus and other Lamiaceae species. Quantitatively assessing the dependence from herbal books, and pharmaceutical tradition, of modern Dictamnus ethnobotanical records. Determining whether differences between Western and Eastern Europe exist with regards to the Dictamnus albus uses in ethnopharmacology and ethnomedicine. Methods: An exhaustive review of herbals, classical pharmacopoeias, ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological literature was conducted. Systematic analysis of uses reported which were standardized according to International Classification of Diseases – 10 and multivariate analysis using factorial, hierarchical and neighbour joining methods was undertaken. Results and discussion: The popular concept “Dictamnus” includes Origanum dictamnus L., Ballota pseudodictamnus (L.) Benth. and B. acetabulosa (L.) Benth. (Lamiaceae), as well as Dictamnus albus L. and D. hispanicus Webb ex Willk. (Rutaceae), with 86 different types of uses. Between 1000 and 1700 CE numerous complex preparations with “Dictamnus” were used in the treatment of 35 different pathologies. On biogeographical grounds the widespread D. albus is a far more likely prototypical “Dictamnus” than the Cretan endemic Origanum dictamnus. However both form integral parts of the “Dictamnus” complex. Evidence exists for a sufficiently long and coherent tradition for D. albus and D. hispanicus, use to treat 47 different categories of diseases. Conclusions: This approach is a model for understanding the cultural history of plants and their role as resources for health care. “Dictamnus” shows how transmission of traditional knowledge about materia medica, over 26 centuries, represents remarkable levels of development and innovation. All this lead us to call attention to D. albus and D. hispanicus which are highly promising as potential herbal drug leads. The next steps of research should be to systematically analyse phytochemical, pharmacological and clinical evidence and to develop safety, pharmacology and toxicology profiles of the traditional preparations.

El liberalismo social del Presidente Clinton. La cooperación como política pública

Bill Clinton recuperó la tradición de liberalismo social que, desde una perspectiva de transversalidad, conformaba su diseño de una Presidencia donde confluían la acción y la respuesta, en forma de política pública, de las demandas sociales. La Administración Clinton hizo de la democracia como un activo social de necesaria incorporación a la idea compartida de Buen Gobierno y servicio público. En este artículo se estudian diversos ámbitos de aplicación del liberalismo social implementado por el Presidente Clinton. Las políticas públicas constituyeron el centro de su acción de Gobierno, mediante la implementación de una elasticidad que abarcaba la atención al ciudadano y la defensa de su dignidad como miembro activo del demos. El despliegue de lo social como parte del patrimonio moral de la democracia.

Vaccinology: The name, the concept, the adjectives

The visibility of the term vaccinology has become more pronounced in the 21st century in defining a scientific field that has absorbed aspects from different scientific domains until finally acquiring an identity of its own. As a result, vaccinology brings together a long tradition of researchers who have operated within a linear paradigm and incorporates new generations of scientists who have forged an exciting and diverse network of knowledge within this field. The term vaccinology, which initially appeared in isolation at the time of Jenner and once again with the emergence of the Pasteurian model, acquired further prominence thanks to the efforts of the vaccinologists who chronicled the production of vaccines in the last third of the 20th century. The term has since become truly consolidated, with the appearance of new adjectives during this century. This study provides a historical perspective for the frequency of use and evolution of this increasingly widespread term.

Pocas, pero contundentes palabras en la obra de Mendes da Rocha

La extensa producción arquitectónica de Mendes da Rocha resulta difícil de clasificar bajo el reduccionismo de los ‘ismos’ porque supone una revisión crítica y de síntesis de una modernidad replanteada. Se abordan tres aproximaciones al conjunto de su obra. Primera: la nueva tradición moderna de la arquitectura brasileña atendiendo a la implicación urbana de sus obras y a la escala de intervención (objeto, contexto, territorio). Segunda: la simbiosis entre arte y técnica desde una poética que tiende a la reducción de los elementos y a la simbolización de arquetipos. Tercera: la relativa al modo en que el maestro se enfrenta a las obras de intervención en el patrimonio recurriendo a una estética de la pobreza. Pocas, pero contundentes palabras: sencillez y humildad como atributos de la rotundidad.

Significación de los relatos de ‘ağā’ib dentro de la riḥla de Ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ

La obra de Ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ concita en su interior diversos géneros, y en especial el género riḫla. Sin embargo, como toda obra árabe medieval, posee características de otros géneros, como el geográfico, el autobiográfico y, en el caso del presente estudio, reúne relatos de ‘ağā’ib o ‘maravillas”. El artículo muestra ejemplos de cómo el unicum titulado Niṣāb al-ajbār wa-taḏkirat al-ajyār recoge la tradición de la literatura de maravillas o de ‘ağā’ib de la literatura árabe clásica.