Sale of medicinal herbs in pharmacies and herbal stores in Hurlingham district, Buenos Aires, Argentina (original) (raw)

Changing markets – Medicinal plants in the markets of La Paz and El Alto, Bolivia

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Given the importance of local markets as a source of medicinal plants for both healers and the population, literature on market flows and the value of the plant material traded is rather scarce. This stands in contrast to wealth of available information for other components of Bo-livian ethnobotany. The present study attempts to remedy this situation by providing a detailed inventory of medicinal plant markets in the La Paz-El Alto metropolitan area, hypothesizing that both species composition, and medicinal applications, have changed considerably over time. Alto in order to elucidate more details on plant usage and provenance. The results of the present study were then compared to previous inventories of medicinal plants in La Paz and El Alto studies to elucidate changes over time and impact of interview techniques. Results: In this study we encountered 163 plant species belonging to 127 genera and 58 families. In addition, 17 species could not be identified. This species richness is considerably higher than that reported in previous studies (2005, 129 species of 55 families; 2015, 94 identified species). While the overall distribution of illness categories is in line with older reports the number of species used per application, as well as the applications per species, were much higher in the present study. Overall, informant consensus was relatively low, which might be explained by the large number of new species that have entered the local pharmacopoeia in the last decade, although some species might simply have been missed by previous studies. In course of the present study it became apparent that even well known species might often be replaced by other apparently similar but botanically unrelated species due to environmental and market forces Conclusions: The present study indicated that, while the floristic composition of markets in the La Paz metropolitan area remained relatively constant over the last decade, with this inventory adding about 20% of species to previous studies, the number of indications for which certain species were used increased tremendously, and that profound differences exist even between markets in close proximity. The dramatic increase in previously not used species used per indication might pose serious risks for consumers. We found serious problems due to species replacements. Even plants that have a well established vernacular name, and are easily recognizable botanically, can be replaced by other species that can pose a serious health risk. Vendor education and stringent identification of the material sold in public markets are clearly needed.

Trade and Quality Control of Medicinal Plants in Brazil

International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2016

The use of medicinal plants is influenced by the cultural legacy of popular knowledge of plants with therapeutic purposes, resulting from the ethnic mix of the population, with a strong Indian, European, African, and Asian influence. Other factors, such as difficulties in access the regular health services associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, and easy access to medicinal plants, and/or herbal products have contributed to consolidate herbal medicine as a widely resource used by the population. However, these products, derived from plants do not always possess the sufficient safeguards for their use and have not been proved for their therapeutic safety or quality. Thus, it emphasizes the need for studies on the marketing of medicinal plants, and to evaluate the quality of these products in order to conduct pharmacovigilance, ensure safe and effective use, especially by contributing to the full development of Phytotherapy.

Local Markets and Medicinal Plant Commerce: A Review with Emphasis on Brazil

Economic Botany, 2010

Local Markets and Medicinal Plant Commerce: A Review with Emphasis on Brazil. Local markets unite, concentrate, maintain, and diffuse empirical knowledge about plant and animal resources and therefore help guarantee the resilience and maintenance of folk knowledge concerning useful species. A critical review is presented here that focuses on the importance of these local markets, emphasizing the diversity of medicinal products offered, the different approaches to this subject, and the evolution of the research approaches taken in studying the medicinal plant products sold. To this end, the scientific literature was examined for research on these markets so as to provide a panoramic view of the different approaches taken, the diversity of plants being sold, the methodological procedures employed in collecting research information, and the specific nature of the studies. From our point of view, it is necessary to intensify the ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological investigation of these markets, especially with comparable methods and techniques. Mercados locais e o comércio de plantas medicinais: Uma revisão com ênfase no Brasil. Os mercados tradicionais são importantes por reunir, concentrar, manter e difundir o saber empírico sobre a diversidade de recursos tanto da fauna como da flora, sendo fontes imprescindíveis para a resiliência e manutenção do conhecimento acerca dessas espécies medicinais. Essa proposta de revisão crítica enfocou a importância desses centros de compras, ressaltando a diversidade de produtos ofertados, os diferentes enfoques das pesquisas realizadas e a evolução das abordagens ao estudar os produtos vegetais comercializados nos mercados. Dessa forma, realizou-se uma busca em periódicos para evidenciar o desenvolvimento das pesquisas com mercados intencionando-se uma visão panorâmica das diferentes abordagens utilizadas. Sobre isso, foram abordados: a diversidade vegetal comercializada, as partes vegetais mais encontradas nos mercados, bem como os procedimentos metodológicos para coleta de informações e a natureza desses estudos. A partir das análises realizadas, recomendações foram sugeridas para futuras pesquisas em mercados tradicionais: a realização de inventários locais sobre espécies úteis associado a comparações com informações já existentes.

Collection, Storage and Market of Medicinal Plants: A Case in Peru

Alternative Medicine - Update, 2021

There are few studies on the collection and market of medicinal plants in South America and particularly in Peru. Through a review of secondary sources, information is gathered on the use and market of medicinal plants, and information is provided on the collection, collection and market of medicinal plants in the department of Cajamarca, focused on a chain of value of fresh plants (57 species) and another of dry plants (37 species), which mainly supply coastal markets. It is also reported on the collection in the first months of the COVID19 pandemic. The species come mainly from the Quechua region (2300 to 3500 masl), 51% are wild and the others are cultivated or weeds. Its main threats are mining, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, burning of natural vegetation, and over-harvesting. The monetary value of these plants is approximately US $ 804,333.64/year. In the first months of COVI19, the demand for eucalyptus, matico, chamomile and husk increased, mainly, and prices rose by mo...