Ethnopharmacological survey of Chazuta valley (Peruvian Amazon): a potential source for anti-inflammatory herbal drugs

Acculturation and the consequent loss of ethnomedical knowledge are particularly critical in the Peruvian Amazon, where 11 ethnic groups became extinct from 1950 [1]. In Chazuta valley dwells the major concentration (47.4% of its population) of San Martin Quechuas or Lamas Quechuas, one of the biggest indigenous groups of the Peruvian Amazon [2].

With the aim of recording the medicinal plants used in the Chazuta region, an ethnopharmacological field survey was performed in the area from October 2004 to August 2005. Through interviews with 140 adults, 326 plants were collected and identified, with 1076 medicinal uses reports. In the present work, results concerning the use of plants for inflammatory disorders are presented. These were the type of ailments most times treated: 335 use reports, which involved 126 plants. Most likely, the region's climate and rural lifestyle (Fig.1) make these disorders especially prevalent, the majority of which were recorded as unspecified rheumatism, broken bones and inguinal hernia. The plants (plant parts) most times cited were: Maytenus sp. (bark), Mansoa alliacea (root bark), Brunfelsia grandiflora (root bark), Tovomita aff. stylosa (bark), T. foldatsii (bark), Zygia longifolia (bark), Calliandra angustifolia (bark), Phthirusa stelis (stem), Chloroleucon mangense (root bark) and Forsteronia graciloides (latex). Often, remedies were taken with norms on food consumption and behavioural control, so strict in a few cases that implied fasting, severe rest, and social seclusion. Informants stated „diets“ as fundamental for therapeutic success.

Fig.1: Chazutian carrying heavy weights through long distances, a daily routine.

Acknowledgements: To the informants for sharing their knowledge, and J. Vallès and the other botanists who helped in the plant identification.

References: [1] GEF/PNUD/UNOPS (1997). Amazonía peruana: comunidades indígenas, conocimientos y tierras tituladas. Atlas y base de datos. GEF and PNUD, Lima. [2] INEI (1993). Censos nacionales 1993. Lima. http://www.inei.gob.pe/biblioineipub/bancopub/Est/Lib0001/capit306.htm.