Medicinal plants in pregnancy and lactation: perception of the health risk and practical educational group in Araraquara, São Paulo State, Brazil

The use of medicinal plants among pregnant women and lactating is a common practice in diverse countries. However, many medicinal plants are contraindicated during pregnancy and lactating, due to various adverse effects, such as teratogenic, embryotoxic and abortive effects, exposing these women, their fetus and babies to health unknown risks. Thus, the purpose of this commentary, was to analyze the perception about the use of medicinal plants by pregnant women and lactating registered in the "baby on board" NGO, Araraquara, São Paulo state, Brazil, between 2010 at 2013. The group was constituted by 48 women, between the first and last trimester of pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding. Information was collected during group meetings by oral interview, using a questionnaire, as script. The nature of the study was a qualitative analysis. The results were based on reports about the use of medicinal plants by pregnant women during group meetings: use, indication of use, knowledge about risks. All participants received written and oral information about the study and they gave a written informed consent. The use of medicinal plants is a reality among pregnant and lactating women of the "baby on board" NGO. They reported that they feel that "natural" products are not harmful for their health. The primary information sources for the majority of women about medicinal plants during pregnancy are family, neighbors and herbalists. The plants most cited (in popular name in Brazil) were: senna, chamomile, boldo, lemon balm, lemon grass. They were used mainly for: nausea, heartburn, indigestion, flatulence, intestinal and abdominal pain, anxiety, intestinal constipation and low milk production. The pregnant and lactating women lacked knowledge about the health risks of the use of medicinal plants and herbal medicines in pregnancy and lactation. They also reported difficulties in clarifying some questions about the use of medicinal plants with their doctors. The results of the present study showed that educative actions about the rational use of medicinal plants in pregnancy and breastfeeding could be part of the operating protocols to promote the maternal and child health programs in Araraquara. Thus, our results also suggest the importance of creating institutionalized places, to the implementation of continued education programs about rational use of medicinal plants in pregnancy and lactation. These targeted programs are not only for health professionals, but also for community members, pregnant women and breastfeeding. Our results pointed out the importance of guidance of doctors and healthcare professionals on the scientific studies about medicinal plants and herbal medicines and the risk/benefit of using herbs during pregnancy. Finally, it is noted the importance of the health professionals to inform women of childbearing on risks to their health, as well as on possibilities of utilization of herbs during fertile period, giving special attention to the potential risk of self-medication.

Infecções parasitárias na gravidez: prevalência e auto medicação com plantas medicinais na região de Araraquara -São Paulo - Brasil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento de metodologia para implementação de eficiência energética em sistemas auxiliares de uma planta industrial siderúrgica semi-integrada

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Glifosato e manganês na cultura da soja transgênica: fisiologia e nutrição de planta, características agronômicas e análise econômica

Pós-graduação em Agronomia - FEIS

Características de dossel e produção de milho submetido a arranjos espaciais de planta e adubação nitrogenada em plantio direto

Pós-graduação em Agronomia (Ciência do Solo) - FCAV

Qualidade das silagens de sorgo e de planta inteira de soja na terminação de cordeiros em confinamento

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FMVZ

Desenvolvimento de métodos cromatográficos para a padronização do extrato de Eugenia speciosa Cambess

The use of medicinal plants is common in many Brazil's ethnic groups, because the diversity of plant species in the country is large. But the utilization of these plants as standardized herbal doesn't occur with de same frequency, due the lack of studies related to these therapies, classified as alternatives. Due to the high cost of some synthetic medicines for the treatment of chronic diseases, phytotherapy is a low-cost alternative and efficient, since the phytomedication has proven scientific studies and its production meets strict criteria for manufacturing and quality control to ensure its safety and efficacy. Among the medicinal species used for the treatment of chronic diseases, such as pain and inflammation, is Eugenia speciosa Cambess, popularly known as the bush laranjinha. Against this context, this paper held preliminary studies and developed the chromatographic profile of the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of E. speciosa by High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to photodiode array detector (CLAE-DAD). Preliminary qualitative results and the chromatographic profile have identified some metabolites classes present and some constituent as: homogentisic acid, homorientina, isovitexin and quercetrin

O gênero Eugenia: da química à farmacologia

Research on natural products is extremely important either for new compound discovery with possible pharmacology uses or for its impact on economy, which moves millions of dollars for year. Scientific studies related on utilization and characterization of bioactive substances are important due to the fact that many drugs currently used by the population were synthetized from isolated compounds of natural products. Among many medicinal species commonly used, there are that ones from the genus Eugenia, witch belongs to Myrtaceae family. Eugenia is one of the biggest genus from this family and has about 5000 species and Brazil has 400 of them, which are appreciated on gastronomy for its fruits, for example, pitanga (Eugenia uniflora), cherry (Eugenia involucrata), clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) and cagaita (Eugenia dysinterica). Phytochemical studies of plants from this genus report the presence of several secondary metabolites like flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, anthocyanins and more. Eugenia species have important pharmacology activity as antioxidant, hypothermic, antidiarrheal, antihypertensive, antimicrobial and fungicide. Thus, Eugenia is a genus which has species with potencial phytotherapic products

Processo de produção de composto orgânico derivado de resíduos industriais com aplicação no cultivo de alface

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Synergism of crude extracts and essential oils from medicinal plants with antimicrobial drugs

The emergence of resistant strains to conventional antimicrobial drugs has been constant as well as research aimed new alternatives of antibacterial agents. Therefore, considering that natural products have been an important potential source of new antimicrobial drugs, aim to verify the synergism by disk and time kill curve method between antimicrobials (extracts-Ext. and essential oils-EO) from four plant and eight antimicrobial drugs against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains from human specimens. The S. aures strains were highly susceptible with all plant antimicrobials (eg., 1.24 mg/ml with Vernonia polyanthes Ext. and 2.21 mg/ml with Eugenia uniflora EO for the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration-MIC). According disk method, the Bacharis dracunculifolia and V. polyanthes EO had synergism with all eight tested drugs while only Matricaria chamomilla Ext. showed synergism against S. aureus. The synergism was found with V. polyanthes and E. uniflora Ext. while M. chamomilla Ext. had antagonism against E. coli strains. By time kill curve, the bacterial growth inhibition was superior when drugs were tested alone and the synergism effect also was verified. The antagonism effect was detected only for E. coli strains and only with Ext. Results indicated the potential use of these products as coadjutants during treatment of infectious diseases.

Phenolic compounds influence seed dormancy of palicourea rigida h.b.k. (rubiaceae), a medicinal plant of the brazilian savannah

Palicourea rigida H.B.K. (Rubiaceae), a medicinal species commonly known as douradinha, has wide distribution across ecosystems in Central and South America. This species exhibits seed dormancy delaying germination until optimal conditions for seedling growth and development are in place. While dormancy ensures species survival, it also presents a technical problem for developing P. rigida’s plant production program. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate if secondary metabolites present in seeds influence the seed dormancy of P. rigida. Mature fruits were harvested from the native habitat, in the savanna region of the State of Minas Gerais during February 2009, 2010 and 2011. The content of phenolic compounds in the seed of P. rigida was measured, and the allelopathic effects were assessed using the germination of lettuces as model to detect phytotoxicity. The P. rigida seeds geminated at rates varying between 7% and 31% with a Seed Germination Index (SGI) of 0.09. Data suggest that the phenolic compounds present in the seeds may be responsible for seed dormancy.

Cultivation and bromatological analysis of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Curt.: Fr.) P. Karst cultivated in agricultural waste

The objective of the study was to evaluate the production of two strains of Ganoderma lucidum on agricultural waste and carry out bromatological analyses of the basidiomata obtained from the cultivation. The experiment was carried out at the Mushroom Module at the School of Agronomic Sciences of the São Paulo State University (FCA/UNESP - Botucatu, SP, Brazil) and two strains were used (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) which were cultivated on waste, oat straw, bean straw, brachiaria grass straw, Tifton grass straw and eucalyptus sawdust under two situations: with (20%) and without (0%) supplementation with wheat bran. All the waste was taken from dumps of agricultural activities in Botucatu-SP. Both treatments were carried out in 10 repetitions, totaling 200 packages. The mushrooms cultivation took 90 days. Next, the biological efficiency of the treatments and the bromatological analysis of the basidiomata were evaluated. The biological efficiency (BE) values (%) varied from 0.0 to 6.7%. In the mushroom bromatological analyses, the results ranged from 8.7 to 13.7%, from 2.0 to 6.7%, from 0.83 to 1.79% and from 38.8 to 54.5%, for total protein, ethereal extract, ash and crude fiber, respectively. Thus, we conclude that the substrates which presented the greater yield were the brachiaria straw, 20% in both strains tested (GLM-09/01 and GLM-10/02) and the bean straw, 20% in the strain GLM-10/02. The mushrooms showed high levels of ethereal extract, fibers and ashes and a low level of proteins.

Aproveitamento energético de uma planta de sulfatação

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Isolamento e caracterização de ciclotídeos da espécie Noisettia orchidiflora (Rudge) Ging.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)