DRA. CELICIA worked with medicine plants of the sertão - Seridó of the northeast for many years. A translation into English concerning these plants and their properties is forthcoming. Interested parties may request certain samples of plants and/or their derivatives.

RPPN SERNATIVO - The "Caatinga" extends over areas of the states of the Brazilian Northeast and is characterized by the xerophitic vegetation typical of a semi-arid climate. The soils that are fertile, due to the nature of their original materials and the low level of rainfall, experience minor runoff (Anon. 1995). Various fruit species and medicinal plants have their centers of genetic diversity in this region, and the use of local folk medicines is common. Several important aromatic species are reported for this region (Craveiro et al. 1994), such as Lippia spp. and Vanillosmopsis arborea.

RPPN MATA ESTRELA - The Atlantic Forest extends over nearly the whole Brazilian coastline, and is one of the most endangered ecosystems of the world, with less than 10% of the original vegetation remaining. The climate is predominantly hot and tropical, and precipitation ranges from 1,000 to 1,750 mm. The land is composed of hills and coastal plains, accompanied by a mountain range (Anon. 1995). Several important medicinal species are found in this region, such as Mikania glomerata, Bauhinia forficata, Psychotria ipecacuanha, and Ocotea odorifera.

Plantas Medicinais

  Cecília Medeiros (Bióloga)

Decidir trabalhar com plantas medicinais é ingressar em um universo muito vasto e variado. Ao nos aproximar das pessoas para aprender e buscar informações, pomo-nos em contato com a riqueza e diversidade da cultura popular - nossos sentidos passam a ocupar um lugar fundamental no reconhecimento das plantas. Devemos aprender a ver, ouvir, sentir e degustar. Isto nos exige abrir a mente, deixar de lado estruturas de pensamentos lineares onde só sabe uma verdade. O trabalho implica várias atividades simultâneas:

1 - Capacitação própria.
2 - Resgate do conhecimento sobre os temas:

· Conhecimento popular
· Conhecimento científico 
· Sistematização.
· Difusão


Em primeiro lugar devemos ter em mente e bem claro que uma fonte fundamental de conhecimento é o povo, sobretudo o povo do interior. Também é fundamental tomar consciência que este conhecimento deve ser resgatado e difundido pois se não correremos o risco de perdê-lo. Qual a metodologia apropriada para recolher a informação que o povo tem? A que nos permita comunicar melhor com ele. Para nós a melhor foi a brincadeira, a festa (leilão, bingos, São João etc.). Logo nas primeiras conversas descobrimos:


- Nosso modo de perguntar não deve condicionar a resposta.

- Nossa estrutura e lógica de pensamento não era a mesma que a das pessoas entrevistadas, portanto devíamos  abrir nosso esquema e aprender.

- O uso que as pessoas fazem das plantas será totalmente integrado à sua vida cotidiana.

- O mágico, o místico, o sobrenatural, formam parte da cultura nordestina e aparece profundamente ligados ao cuidado da saúde ao uso de muitas plantas. em mentes rígidas e fechadas a metade da informação se perde.


Outra via para se resgatar o conhecimento popular é a caminhada (passeio, excursão).  É importante permitir  que durante os passeios os participantes possam evocar seus conhecimentos e difundi-los.  Isto pode ser  facilitado durante as coletas.  O fundamental é criar um clima adequado de respeito  pelo outro  e pelo que diz.  O pesquisador  não é o que sabe tudo, é quem coordena a atividade, leva seu conhecimento e facilita aos participantes levar os seus.

Você poderá fazer pedidos de alguns itens

Paricá – Rapé descongestionante nasal, sem fumo, a base de Anadenanthera e Torresca. Também age como coadjuvante nas depressões. .......... Preço: Potinho c/ 50g - US$ 5,00 (OBS Prices no longer valid!)  

Jucá – cicatrização de feridas, contusões, úlceras, feita a base de Caesalpima  Ferrea. Uso Interno: 1 colher (café)em meio copo d’água. Uso Externo: pulverizar com 01 pitada de pó ou banho Preço: potinho c/ 50g - US$ 5,00 (OBS Prices no longer valid!)

Rosa de Jericó (Selagínela Convoluta)– Objeto de meditação; poderoso talismã, se colocada em um pouco d’água desabrocha. Preço: potinho c/ 50g - US$ 5,00 (OBS Prices no longer valid!) 

Juazeiro (Zizyphus) – usada como dentrificio, anticaspa e doenças do couro cabeludo. Preço: potinho c/ 50g - US$ 5,00 (OBS Prices no longer valid!)

MUDAS DE PLANTAS  

Hortelã da folha larga (Plectronthus Amboinicus) - propriedades tônicas, calmantes, antiespasmódicas, acalma dores de cabeça. Preço: potinho c/ 50g - US$ 5,00 (OBS Prices no longer valid!) 

Cactus

Cardeiro (Cereus Crisostele)

Facheiro (Cereus Scamosus)

Coroa de Frade (Melocactus)

Xique-Xique (Pilosocereus) 

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PRIORITY SPECIES

A few germplasm collections of medicinal and aromatic plants have been established in Brazil (Table 2). The following species, listed alphabetically, have been recognized as priority for germplasm conservation.

Table 2. List of medicinal and aromatic species with high priority for germplasm collection and conservation in Brazil. Caatinga and Mata Atlantíco ...

Species

Common name

Habit

Active substance/pharmacological action

Region

Conservation form

Bauhinia forficata L.

Pata de Vaca

Tree

Diabetes

Atlantic forest

Cold chamber

Croton zehntneri Pax et Hoff.

Cunha

Shrub

Anetol, eugenol

Caatinga

Field collection

Datura insignis B. Rodr.

Toe

Shrub

Escopolamina

Amazon forest

Cold chamber

Lippia spp.

Alecrim pimenta

Shrub

Source of volatile oils, anti-microbial

Caatinga

Field collection

Mikania glomerata Spreng.

Guaco

Herb

Bronchitis, coughs

Atlantic forest

Field collection

Ocotea odorifera (Vell.) Rohwer

Canela Sassafraz

Tree

Safrol, metileugenol

Atlantic forest

In situ

Operculina macrocarpa (L.) Farwel

Batata de Purga

Herb

Purgative

Caatinga

Cold chamber

Psychotria ipecacuanha(Brot.) Stokes

Ipecac

Herb

Emetin, cefaline

Amazon and Atlantic forest

Cold chamber, in situ

Vanillosmopsis arborea (Aguiar) Ducke

Candeia

Shrub

Bisabolol

Caatinga

In situ, field collection

sychotria ipecacuanha (Brot.) Stokes, Rubiaceae (Ipecac)

Psychotria ipecacuanha (Brot.)Stokes [= Cephaelis ipecacuanha (Brot.) A.Rich.] is a shrub, whose medicinal value relates to the production of emetine in the roots. Ipecac is found in the humid forests of Central America, Colombia, southern part of the Amazon Forest in the States of Rondônia, Mato Grosso, and Atlantic forest, in the States of Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro (Skorupa and Assis 1998).

Ipecac as a powerful emetic, is used in gastrointestinal diseases, diarrhea, and intermitent fevers. It is employed as an expectorant, in bronchitis, broncopneumonia, asthma and mumps, and also as a vasoconstrictor. In 1959, dihydroxi-emetine, an emetine analogue, was presented as an amoebicide due to its reduced toxic effect on cardiac muscle (Lewis and Elvin-Lewis 1977).

The global production of ipecac averages 100 t a year, originated mainly from Nicarágua, Brazil and India (Husain 1991). Considering the economic and medicinal values of ipecac, the deforestation of the areas of occurrence and the extrativist nature of its production, in 1988, Cenargen has began a program for the recollecting and conservation of the genetic variability of this species. From 1988 to 1991, five collecting expeditions were undertaken, covering the States of Rondonia, Mato Grosso, Pernambuco, Bahia, Espirito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, and a total of 86 accessions were collected (Skorupa and Assis 1998) and now maintained in field germplasm banks at Embrapa—Ocidental Amazon, Belém, Para, and at Florestas Rio doce, Linhares, Espirito Santo. Recently, other germplasm collections was established at the University of North Fluminense, which contains 10 accessions originated from the Atlantic Forest area (states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo).

Solanum mauritianum Scop., Solanaceae (Cuvitinga)

The steroidal alkaloids of the Solanaceae are compounds of considerable pharmaceutical interest as starting materials for the synthesis of steroid compounds such as anticontraceptive steroids and corticosteroids. The world demand for steroid precursors continues to increase while some of the traditional sources of steroidal raw material, such as yams (Dioscorea spp.) of Mexico and Central America, are becoming rapidly depleted (Roddick 1986). Solasodine is a chemical analog of diosgenin, and may be a substitute for this drug.

There are around 1,100 species of Solanum in South America, and S. mauritianum is among the species with the highest solasodine content (Vieira and Carvalho 1993). Solanum mauritianum is a subtropical shrub which grow all over southern Brazil. The solasodine content of S. mauritianum was evaluated in green fruits of natural populations growing on two different soils. High contents of solasodine were found in both population of S. mauritianum (from 2% to 3.5% of total dry weight) (Vieira 1989). Germplasm collections are needed to continue the study of genetic and environmental variation of solasodine, and to provide foundation study for future development programs.

Exotic Species

Although the major focus of germplasm conservation is on native species, several exotic, introduced and adapted species have been widely used and cultivated in Brazil. Many of them, such as lemongrass [Cymbopogon citratus (D.C.) Stapf.] and aloe (Aloe spp.), are cultivated in backyard gardens. Others, such as picão-preto (Bidens pilosum L.), mastruço (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.), and mentrasto (Ageratum conyzoides L.), whose adaptation through the years, has allowed a spontaneous wide distribution throughout the country, have had their use well disseminated (Dias 1995). In southern Brazil, due to favorable cultural and environmental conditions, several exotic species are cultivated in large areas. These include chamomile (Matricaria recutita), calendula (Calendula officinalis), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Duboisia sp., and Japanese mint (Mentha arvensis), all of which are deserving of collection and preservation due to the use of their natural products and the agricultural-based industries that produce these crops. The germplasm collection of exotic species also needs to be expanded to provide genetic resource for species adapted in Brazil. Although Brazil is not their genetic center of origin, different chemotypes have been naturalized (Mattos, pers. commun. 1994) and need to be conserved. One example is Coleus barbatus, which was introduced from Africa, and is clonally propagated in Brazil. However, several volatile oils chemotypes are found in Brazil for this species, probably due to different introductions from Africa in the past.

DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF KNOWN BRAZILIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS (in Portuguese)

PROPOSAL FOR RPPN SERNATIVO; ACARI, AND RPPN MATA ESTRELA: To expand the studies and labortory of Dra. Cecilia Medeiros on the fazenda, as well as implant a community 'horta' in the munipality of Acari. Besides providing an important function and promoting the studies of medicinal plants in the area, the facility will also be an important educational and tourist attraction for RPPN Sernativo.

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