An ethnobotanical study of anti-malarial plants among indigenous people on the upper Negro River in the Brazilian Amazon

In this article we present the plants used for the treatment of malaria and associated symptoms in Santa Isabel do Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon. The region has important biological and cultural diversities including more than twenty indigenous ethnic groups and a strong history in traditional medicine. The aims of this study are to survey information in the Baniwa, Baré, Desana, Piratapuia, Tariana, Tukano, Tuyuca, Yanomami ethnic communities and among caboclos (mixed-ethnicity) on: a) plant species used for the treatment of malaria and associated symptoms; b) dosage forms and c) distribution of these anti-malarial plants in the Amazon. Information was obtained through classical ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological methods from interviews with 146 informants in Santa Isabel municipality on the upper Negro River, Brazil. Fifty-five mainly native neotropical plant species from 34 families were in use. The detailed uses of these plants were documented. The result was 187 records (64.4%) of plants for the specific treatment of malaria, 51 records (17.5%) of plants used in the treatment of liver problems and 28 records (9.6%) of plants used in the control of fevers associated with malaria. Other uses described were blood fortification ('dar sangue'), headache and prophylaxis. Most of the therapeutic preparations were decoctions and infusions based on stem bark, root bark and leaves. These were administered by mouth. In some cases, remedies were prepared with up to three different plant species. Also, plants were used together with other ingredients such as insects, mammals, gunpowder and milk. This is the first study on the anti-malarial plants from this region of the Amazon. Aspidosperma spp. and Ampelozizyphus amazonicus Ducke were the most cited species in the communities surveyed. These species have experimental proof supporting their anti-malarial efficacy. The dosage of the therapeutic preparations depends on the kind of plant, quantity of plant material available, the patient's age (children and adults) and the local expert. The treatment time varies from a single dose to up to several weeks. Most anti-malarial plants are domesticated or grow spontaneously. They are grown in home gardens, open areas near the communities, clearings and secondary forests, and wild species grow in areas of seasonally flooded wetlands and terra firme (solid ground) forest, in some cases in locations that are hard to access. Traditional knowledge of plants was found to be falling into disuse presumably as a consequence of the local official health services that treat malaria in the communities using commercial drugs. Despite this, some species are used in the prevention of this disease and also in the recovery after using conventional anti-malarial drugs.

Empobrecimento e podzolização de solos lateríticos da bacia do Rio Negro e gênese dos podzóis na alta Bacia da Amazônia

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

Study on Chagas disease occurrence in the municipality of Monte Negro, State of Rondônia, Brazilian Amazon

Introduction: Studies on Chagas disease deal with the perspective of its occurrence in the Amazon region, which is directly correlated to the population growth and the spread of the bug biotope. The state of Rondônia has an immense source of vectors (Triatomine) and reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi. Environmental changes brought forth by the deforestation in the region may cause vector behavior changes and bring these vectors to a closer contact with humans, increasing the probability of vector infection. Methods: This study was carried out to check the occurrence of Chagas disease in the municipality of Monte Negro, Rondônia, Brazil, based on a random sampling of the farms and people wherein blood collection from the population and capturing triatomines were done. The blood samples were submitted to serologic tests to detect antibodies of the IgG class against T. cruzi. The triatomines that were collected had their digestive tract checked for the presence of trypanosomatidae with morphology resembling that of the T. cruzi. Results: The population examined was mostly from other states. From the 322 bugs examined on the microscope, 50% showed parasites with morphology compatible with T. cruzi. From the serology of 344 random samples of human blood, 1.2% was found positive, 6% showed inconclusive results, and 92.8% were negative. Conclusions: Monte Negro shows low prevalence of human infection by T. cruzi and none active vector transmission; however, preventive and surveying measures, which are not performed until now, shall be taken due to the abundance of vectors infected by trypanosomatidae.

A política externa estadunidense no atual quadro político sul-americano

The central thesis that we aim to survey in this paper is that the present South-American political scene has required of the American imperialism a strategical redesign, in the sense of the neutralization, weakening and, if it is possible, destruction of regional political experiences/tendencies not aligned to its foreign politics. Under the mask of the defense of democracy and beneath the argument that Latin American "market oriented politics" are at stake, due to questions that goes back from the "delin-quency" —in Mexico—, the global terrorism, the organized international crime up to the worldwide drug traffic, the global strategy of American imperialism then sets up the definition of a new doctrine of preventive war that justifies the utilization of hard power against any country, in the name of its own defense. At the heart of the question what —actually— is in the agenda is the defense (and reproduction) of the benefits of its multinationals corporations and financial capital, by means of the international sub-traction of profitable assets, such as financial, energetic, communicational and natural resources, in addition to the domination of local markets, beyond facilitating capital flee amongst others.

Compostos bioativos dos alimentos e atenção farmacêutica: uma revisão de literatura no quadro da osteoartrite

O Brasil tem passado por uma revolução demográfica importante e, com o crescente número de adultos e idosos, há também o aumento do aparecimento de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis relacionadas ao envelhecimento. Um exemplo é a osteoartrite, uma doença degenerativa, que acomete diferentes articulações do corpo e atinge com mais frequência a população acima de 50 anos de idade. O tratamento farmacológico da doença visa aliviar os sintomas de dor e inflamação com a administração de anti-inflamatórios e analgésicos que apresentam muitos efeitos adversos. Como alternativa para auxiliar o tratamento da osteoartrite, podem ser utilizados compostos bioativos dos alimentos, também chamados nutracêuticos. É reconhecido cientificamente que alguns compostos bioativos presentes nos alimentos possuem, além de sua capacidade nutricional, um papel importante para a prevenção e tratamento de alguns estados clínicos. Este estudo busca analisar, por meio de uma revisão bibliográfica, os benefícios de quatro nutracêuticos, quando utilizados no tratamento da osteoartrite. Dentre os nutracêuticos pesquisados, estão o ácido ascórbico, os insaponificáveis de abacate e soja, a vitamina D e o ômega 3, que auxiliam no tratamento do quadro inflamatório e na reparação da cartilagem danificada. Uma nova perspectiva no auxílio do tratamento da osteoartrite impõe ao farmacêutico adquirir um conhecimento interdisciplinar que possa contribuir para a orientação e informação de pacientes no exercício da atenção farmacêutica, a fim de sanar possíveis dúvidas dos pacientes sobre tais compostos e melhorar o aproveitamento do tratamento na melhoria de sua qualidade de vida.