Medicinal plants used in the treatment of infectious diseases in the state of Paraíba, Brazil

a review of ethnomedicinal evidence and clinical trials

Authors

  • José Jailson Lima Bezerra Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE, Recife/PB - Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15536/thema.V23.2024.717-735.3499

Keywords:

Ethnopharmacology, Herbal medicine, Punica granatum

Abstract

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, mainly bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and represent a threat to public health. In the state of Paraíba, Brazil, several plant species are widely used in traditional medicine to treat infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. From this perspective, the present study aimed to carry out a bibliographic survey of plants used in the treatment of infectious diseases by local communities and to identify the species that have already been investigated in clinical trials. The scientific documents were retrieved from different databases. A total of 31 species distributed in 22 families are used against infections by traditional communities in different municipalities in Paraíba. However, only 8 species have had their herbal products evaluated in clinical trials. Mouthwashes containing Aloe vera, Anacardium occidentale and Punica granatum have been targeted for dental applications. Considering the urgency in developing broad-spectrum antimicrobials, it is recommended that new randomized clinical trials be developed to investigate the traditional uses of other medicinal plants against infectious diseases reported in this study.

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Author Biography

José Jailson Lima Bezerra, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - UFPE, Recife/PB - Brasil

Graduado em Ciências Biológicas pela Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG), Especialista em Biologia Vegetal e Biodiversidade pela Faculdade Única de Ipatinga (FUNIP), Mestre em Agronomia pela Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL) e Doutor em Biologia Vegetal pela Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE). Atualmente é bolsista de Pós-Doutorado vinculado ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal (PPGBV/UFPE) onde desenvolve atividades relacionadas ao estudo etnomedicinal, fitoquímico, farmacológico e toxicológico de espécies da família Cyperaceae. Atua principalmente nos seguintes temas: bioprospecção, plantas medicinais, etnobotânica, etnofarmacologia, fitoquímica, atividades biológicas (in vitro e in vivo) e plantas tóxicas que afetam animais de produção. Professor da disciplina de "Bioprospecção de Plantas Medicinais" nos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal (PPGBV/UFPE) e Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (PPGCB/UFPE). Revisor dos seguintes periódicos da Editora MDPI: Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049), Pharmaceuticals (ISSN: 1424-8247), Sustainability (ISSN: 2071-1050), Antibiotics (ISSN: 2079-6382), Foods (ISSN: 2304-8158), Horticulturae (ISSN: 2311-7524), Agronomy (2073-4395), Animals (ISSN: 2076-2615), Processes (ISSN: 2227-9717), Microorganisms (ISSN: 2076-2607) e Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417).

Curriculum Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8051985715935017

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Published

2024-10-15

How to Cite

BEZERRA, J. J. L. Medicinal plants used in the treatment of infectious diseases in the state of Paraíba, Brazil: a review of ethnomedicinal evidence and clinical trials. Revista Thema, Pelotas, v. 23, n. 3, p. 717–735, 2024. DOI: 10.15536/thema.V23.2024.717-735.3499. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ifsul.edu.br/index.php/thema/article/view/3499. Acesso em: 25 oct. 2024.

Issue

Section

Ciências da Saúde