J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Dec 9. pii: S0378-8741(15)30253-1. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.12.006. [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE:
In Central America, most Maya
women use ethnomedicines for all aspects of their reproductive cycle
including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. However, very few of
these plants
have been documented, collected and tested in appropriate
pharmacological assays to determine possible safety and efficacy. The
aim of this work was to provide an overview of information on the
ethnomedical uses, ethnopharmacology, chemistry and pharmacological
research for medicinal plants used for women's reproductive health in Guatemala, with a special emphasis on the Q'eqchi Maya of the Lake Izabal region, to demonstrate therapeutic potential and support future research in the field.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Reviews of the ethnobotanical, ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological literature were performed for thirty plants collected in the Lake Izabal region of Guatemala and used by the Q'eqchi Maya
for treatment of reproductive health issues were performed up to and
including July 2015 using multiple databases, library searches for
abstracts, books, dissertations, and websites.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:
Review of the published research confirms that many of the plants used by Q'eqchi Maya
women for the management of reproductive health issues have
pharmacological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory,
estrogenic, progestagenic and/or serotonergic effects, that support the
use of these plants
and provide plausible mechanisms of action for their traditional uses.
Furthermore, a new serotonin agonist, 9, 10- methylenedioxy-5,
6-Z-fadyenolide was isolated, thereby demonstrating an untapped
potential for drug discovery. However, to date much of the
pharmacological assays have been in vitro only, and few in vivo studies
have been performed. Considering the large percentage of the Maya
population in Guatemala that use traditional medicines, there remains a
significant lack of pharmacological and toxicological data for these plants. Future research should focus on the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants using in vivo preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as chemical analysis. Since medicinal plants from the Piperaceae are most commonly used as traditional medicines by the Q'eqchi Maya women, and new bioactive compounds have been identified from Piper species, investigations of commonly used plants
from this family would be an appropriate place to start. Data generated
from such studies would contribute to Guatemala's national effort to
promote a complementary relationship between traditional Maya medicine and public health services.
Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
KEYWORDS:
Cyclooxygenase; Dysmenorrhea; Estrogenic; Maya; Menopause; Pregnancy; Progestagenic; Serotonin
