Volume 203, 5 May 2017, Pages 80–89
- a National Biosciences Laboratory (LNBio/CNPEM), Brazil
- b Coordination in Science and Technology, Universidade Federal do Maranhão (UFMA), Brazil
- c Center for Ethnobotanical and Ethnopharmacological Studies (CEE) - Institute of Environmental Sciences, Chemical and Pharmaceutical, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil
- Received 17 October 2016, Revised 19 February 2017, Accepted 14 March 2017, Available online 23 March 2017
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance
It
is not always possible to correlate the “emic” terms to the “etic” ones
during ethnopharmacological surveys, especially regarding those related
to Culture-Bound Syndromes (CBS). Nevertheless, it is the role of
ethnopharmacology to address these correlations, since they are the
basis for the understanding of potential bioactives.
Aim and objectives
This
study reports the clinical manifestations and therapeutic resources
used for the treatment of CBS among some riverine inhabitants of
Brazilian Amazonia. An effort was made to establish a correspondence
between the local “emic” terms of traditional medicine and the symptoms
or diseases known by conventional medicine (“etic” terms). The ultimate
goal was to gain insights to suggest further pharmacological studies
with the local resources.
Material and methods
Fieldwork
was guided by methods of anthropology, botany and zoology—with the
assistance of a doctor—among the traditional healing experts in Jaú
National Park (during 199 days in 1995) and Unini River Extractive
Reserve (210 days from 2008 to 2012).
Results
Fifty-nine
healers of different kinds were interviewed: a prayer-maker, medium,
natural resource expert, massage therapist, midwife and snakebite
healer. The clinical manifestations and healing resources of the
following CBS were collected: “mau olhado” (evil eye), “quebrante”
(chipping); “espante” (fright or susto); “doença do ar” (air
diseases); “vento caído” (fallen wind); “derrame” (leakage); “mãe do
corpo” (mother of the body) and “panema” (unlucky). The first three seem
to be local variations of other CBSs already described in Latin
America. “doença do ar”, “vento caído”, “derrame” and “mãe do corpo”
seem to be folk terms for known conventional medical disorders, while
“panema” is a yet undescribed Brazilian CBS that is possibly related to
dysthymic disorder or depression and deserves further investigation.
Treatments included prayer rituals, fumigation, baths and oral remedies
using 25 plants and 10 animals.
Conclusion
It
was possible to establish hypothetical correlations between CBS as
described by the riverine population studied and some “etic” terms. The
main importance of this is to help the proposition of target-oriented
pharmacological studies of the natural resources used by these
communities. Accordingly, the following plants are suggested to be
submitted to further studies for antidepressant and anxiolytic
activities: Siparuna guianensis, Mansoa alliacea, Leucas martinicensis, Petiveria alliacea, Annona montana and Alpinia nutans; for anti-seizure activity: Protium amazonicum, Protium aracouchini and Protium heptaphyllum; finally for antispasmodic activity: Leucas martinicensis.
