Gupta et al 2005

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Journal of Ethnopharmacology 96 (2005) 389–401

Medical Ethnobotany of the Teribes of Bocas del Toro, Panama

M.P. Gupta a, b ,∗ , P.N. Sol ısa, A.I. Calder ona, F. Guinneau-Sinclair c, M. Correa b , d,

C. Galdames b, C. Guerra a, A. Espinosa a, G.I. Alvenda e, G. Robles e, R. Ocampo e

a Centro de Investigaciones Farmacogn´ osticas de la Flora Paname˜ na (CIFLORPAN), Facultad de Farmacia,Universidad de Panam´ a, Apartado 10767, Estafeta Universitaria, Republica de Panam´ a

b Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamac S¨ odert¨ orns H¨ ogskola University, Sweden

d Herbarium, University of Panama, Panamae Centro Agron´ omico Tropical de Investigaci´ on y Ense˜ nanza, Turrialba, Costa Rica

Received 1 November 2003; received in revised form 13 August 2004; accepted 13 August 2004

Abstract

Ethnomedical uses of 108 medicinal plant species, belonging to 52 families, 89 genera, used by the Teribe Amerindians of Bocas del ToroProvince in Panama, along with their socio-cultural practices are reported here. The methods of administration of the herbal remedies, theplant parts used, their families and local names are also documented. The recorded medicinal plants were used mainly for fever, various typeof pain and inammation. The potential value of 26 plants and their traditional uses was elucidated through literature search.© 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Teribe; Ethnobotany; Bocas del Toro; Panama

1. Introduction

The Teribes or Tlorio, also called Naso, represent oneof the eight Amerindian groups of Panama. They live alongthe Teribe and San San rivers in the province of Bocas delToro. Their population is 3805, which represents 1.2% of thetotal Panamanian Amerindian population ( Direcci on de Es-tadısticay Censo, 2001 ). The low population is due to the fol-lowing historical reasons: (a) lethal diseases due to the earlycontact with the Spaniards in 1502 during the fourth trip of

Christopher Columbus toward the Indies ( Colon, 1981 ); (b)the presence of British pirates since 1577 started the slav-ery period of the indigenous people of the region with theirdeportation to the Caribbean territories ( Colon, 1981 ); (c)the displacement of population operated by the Franciscansto Costa Rican territory from 1695 to the beginning of 19thcentury ( Gordon, 1965 ); and (d) the constant wars of Teribes

∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +507 269 7655; fax: +507 264 0789. E-mail address: [email protected] (M.P. Gupta).

against the Spaniards and other indigenous groups such asTalamanca, T errabas, Bri-Br ı and Viceitas ( Gordon, 1965 ).

Thesocial organizationof theTeribesis based on a monar-chy, whose origin stems from an attempt by the Teribes toimitate the Spaniards during the colonization. The traditionalTeribe dynasty was established by the warrior Basle Santana.Evidence indicate s the existence of 18 kings, among them, awoman: RunaSantana in 1986. In order to accessthe throne,the candidate must come from the Santana family and mustbe recognized by the people. The dynasty was in crisis be-

cause of the competition between the legitimate heir and thecurrent king, who was imposed by the Ng obe Amerindians(Guinneau-Sinclair, 1991 ).

In 1990, the Teribe population was distributed in theprovinces of Bocas del Toro (84%), Chiriqui (9%), andPanama (7%) ( Direcci on de Estad ıstica y Censo, 1991 ). Thepreferredplaceswhere theTeribesmigrated are theprovincesof Chiriqui and Panama, because of job opportunities andmixed marriages. Considering thecurrent status of theTeribepopulation, it is possible that this tribal group may be fur-

0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.08.032

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390 M.P. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 96 (2005) 389–401

ther reduced in number in the near future due to the lack of endogamic marriages. Mixed couples of Teribe–Ng obe,Teribe–Bribr ı and Teribe–non-Amerindian people are in-creasing,because the Teribes prohibit marriages amongclosecousins. The post-marital residence is generally matriarchal,even though, the inheritance of property is cognate with men

and women having equal rights ( Guinneau-Sinclair, 1991 ).The search for a partner in the neighboring indigenousgroups has accelerated the socio-cultural decomposition of this group, for several reasons. First , the Ngobe group ispolygamous and, in general, they marry Teribe woman tohave access to the Tlorio land. The Ng obe keep their wiveswithin their own cultural group, which causes serious con-icts between Teribes and Ng obe. Thus, the presence of Ngobe in Teribe territory has caused important changes inthe socio-political environment of this group. Second , themarriages with Bri-Br ı do not, in general, create a prob-lem. However, in case of a conict the hostility returns andthe inter-group relationships are weakened. Third , the non-indigenous people gain access to the land by marrying aTeribe woman. It introduces the concept of private property,which is against the communitarian organization, thus disin-tegrating the Teribe community even more. Due to these rea-sons, the Teribes decided to live in nine towns: Santa Rosa,Bonyick, Solon, Sieyick, Sieykin, Kuikin, Druyick, San Sanand La Tigra ( Reverte, 1967; Von Chong and Ortiz, 1982 ).

Teribes practice horticulture (e.g. corn, rice, beans, tubers,fruits), hunting, shing and raising chicken, ducks, turkeyfor family consumption. The collection of wild fruits, edibleplants and medicinal plants is still very important. They alsoharvest cacao and raise cattle, pigs and goats, which allows

cashow andthuscomplements theirsubsistence agriculture.They also weave souvenirs like baskets and hats, which aresold in two major cities, Panama City and David ( Reverte,1967; Von Chong and Ortiz, 1982 ).

Therich traditional uses of medicinalplantsby theTeribesin the district of Changuinola has not been reported to date.This district lies near the shores of the Teribe and San Sanriver, which are afuents of Changuinola river. Tropical rainforestcanbe found towards theCaribbeanCoast andpremon-tane to montane forest towards headwater of Teribe river.

The Bocas del Toro forest comprises 1687 taxonomicallyidentied owering plants, of which 148 (8.8%) are endemicspecies ( Correa and Valdespino, 1999 ).

The present paper reports rst-hand information on thetraditional medical uses of plants among this ethnic group, aspart of a project nanced by the New York Botanical Garden.

2. Methodology

2.1. Ethical issues

Prior to participation, the queen and each “ abuelo ” wereappraised of the project structure, participants, goals, poten-tial for further research and dissemination of the data col-lected. Subsequently, Queen Runa ( Fig. 1), the Head of theTeribe Reservation, and our team met with the healers onSeptember 15th, 1993, to seek their prior consent. At thismeeting the healers gave their consent for us to carry out andpublish the results of this study. The whole Teribe team wasalso invited to ourresearchcenterin theUniversity of Panamaon April 21st, 1995. Collection permits were obtained fromthe National Environment Authority.

2.2. Selection of study site and interviewees

The eld study was carried out in eight communities inthe district of Changuinola in the province of Bocas del Toro:Solon, Bonyick, Sieyick, Sieykin, Druyick, Kudi, Shlobenb

Fig. 1. The queen Runa Santana.

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M.P. Gupta et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 96 (2005) 389–401 391

Fig. 2. Study sites in Bocas del Toro Province.

and Srodiyik ( Fig. 2). Field interviews were conducted inSpanish with theassistanceof a translator. Theteamconsistedof an anthropologist (who led the interviews), botanists andpharmacognosists.

The “abuelos ” (herbal practitioners) from the Teribe re-gion were interviewedto gain a general understanding of theirtraditional herbal medical practices. Information on heal-ing plants was gathered through interviews with 11 herbalpractitioners called “abuelos” (Julio Torres, Marcelina Villa-gra,Evangelina Rodr ıguez, GilbertoS anchez, Ceraf ın Torres,Apolinecio Baker, Ram on Sanchez, Gilberto Aguilar, Bal-domero Torres, Lorenzo Nersis and Antonio Gamarra).

2.3. Method of interview

Data gathering was performed as a continuous informalquestion-and-answer interview with each “ abuelo ” duringthe visits to the communities. Basic information was alwaysqueried in order to complete a desired prole for each medic-inal plant species that included the following data: (a) com-mon/local plant name(s); (b) health problem(s) treated bythis plant species; (c) method of administration and doses;(d) plant parts used and preparation of the herbal remedy.

The interviews with the abuelos were recorded using theethnopharmacologic questionnaire, which is a modicationof the format recommended by the World Health Organiza-tion and previously used in an earlier study by Joly et al.(1987) .

2.4. Plant collection and identication

The“ abuelos ” led the team to the forest and were asked toshow the plants that they had been using to treat patients in-cluding their vernacular names,mode of preparation anduse.Each specimen was labeled with a numbered tag and placedbetween newsprints in plant presses and brought to PanamaCity. The plants were identied taxonomically by one of us(M.C.). Voucher herbariumspecimenshave beendeposited inthe Herbarium of the University of Panama, Panama (PMA).

2.5. Data analysis and compilation

Written data collected during interviews were reviewedupon returning to Panama City and entered into a MicrosoftAccess Database (PLANMEDIA ®—designed to documentethnomedical uses of Iberoamerican medicinal plants). Lit-erature search was conductedon each plant species identiedin this study. Based on theextentof ethnomedicaluse in othercountries and on the availability of published phytochemicalandbiological data, each ethnomedicaluse was classied intooneof thethreecategories using a modied systemdened byOrtiz de Montellano andBrowner (1985) . Category 1 was as-signed to species with no readily available published relevantphytochemical, ethnomedical or biological data. Category 2was assigned to species with an established and documenteduse in countries outside of Panama for similar indications.Category 3 was assigned to species with corroborative phar-

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macological activities, or to species from which a chemicalcompound or compoundshave been isolated and shown to beactive in animal (in vivo) studies.

3. Results

The knowledge about medicinal plants among Teribes isstill alive due to the presence of the “ abuelos ”, also called Nodurom Nega . According to them, they cure common cold,headache, toothache, earache, bodyache, vertigo, cramps,diarrhea, furunculosis, leishmaniasis and snakebites usingmedicinal plants. The Teribes still rely heavily on healingpowers of plants, dueto thedifculty in getting modernmedi-cal care for their day-to-day problems, even though the West-ern medicine has been present in the Teribe region since thebeginning of theseventiesthrougha program of theIntegratedHealth System of Bocas del Toro. Additionally, Teribe tradi-tional medicine men such as “ Capar -Siguıa ” (shaman: whocommunicates with the spirits), “ Jakguak ” (who uses rocks)and Isokro (chanter, who chants) have disappeared. Themostcommon ailments among Teribes are: intestinal parasitosis,anemia, acute respiratory infection, osteoarthritis, pyodermaand muscular pains.

The “Capar-Sigui´ a” were therapeutists who revealedpower from spirits of the terrestrial and celestial world, how-ever, they have disappeared. Their concept of health-diseasewas related to the will of negative spirits to produce diseasesin humans. When the western medicine could not cure a dis-ease, the Teribes were submitted to the supernatural healingpower. The dreams are still considered as a source of worry,

as when one has a dream of the forbidden topics, it couldproduce sickness in the dreamer or his relative.

According to the Teribes, the supernatural world is dom-inated by “Ter ” (la abuelita ) which was brought by the cul-tural hero-Tladga and “ Sbo” (hero associated with God). The“Khus ”, the followers of “ Ter ”, are the night spirits, whichmay enter humans and procreate. They advise the “ Tlorio ”therapists and visit them at night. The “ Khus ” under the ori-entation of “ Ter ” were the advisers of Teribes during the waragainst the Talamanca (Bri-Br ı-Cab ecar group). “ Ter ”, thegreat therapist, lives in Palenque at the headwaters of Teriberiver. When Teribes are sick, they usually go there in frontof an enormous rock, which represents “ Ter ”. The relativesprepare a remedy using a mixture of medicinal plants andbroken white stones, which is ingested by the Teribes. Themere presence of these plants in front of “ Ter ” make themcurative.

The results of our eld study are presented in Table 1 ,which is arranged in an alphabetical order by the plant fam-ily and scientic name. The local name, part used, type of preparation and ethnomedical uses of each plant, along withthe voucher specimen number, and the category of use areprovided.

A total of 108 plant species belonging to 52 families havebeen documented for their therapeutic properties. The family

Gesneriaceae is the most richly represented in the ethnomed-ical uses (12 species), followed by Acanthaceae (7 species)and Rubiaceae (6 species).

The ethnomedical information entered in Microsoft Ac-cess Database generated 246 entries. Among these, 188 wereplant samples of 108 fully identied species, while 58 sam-

ples of species identied to the genus level (18 genera).Literature searches on the plants collected yielded cor-roborative evidence of therapeutic value for many speciescollected. Of the 108 identied species, 26 were referencedin the literature ( Table1 ). Of these,21 species have been pub-lished asused for similar purposes in other partsof the world,while 82 species arenot found referenced in the literature rel-evant to Teribe’s ethnomedical uses. Through these analyses,thepotential value of 26 plants and their traditional uses wereelucidated. Using Ortizde Montanelloand Browner’s criteria(1985), 82 species were classied as “category 1” (76%), 21as “category 2” (19%), and 5 as “category 3” (5%).

The uses of plants by the Teribes are classied into 39therapeutic uses. The number of plant species for each eth-nomedical use is given in Table 2 . One plant, Desmodiumadscendens (Sw.) DC. (Leguminosae), claimed to treat con- junctivitis, was reported to be toxic.

4. Discussion and conclusions

Teribes depend heavily upon herbal remedies and haveindividuals knowledgeable in their use. Such remedies aresourced from the rich ora of the region, where in Bocas delToro alone, about 1687 species of vascular plants (15% of the

whole Panamanian ora) are found.The top 10 ethnomedical uses reported by the Teriberegion were fever, various type of pain, inammation,snakebite, chicken pox, diarrhea, measles, leishmaniasis, uri-nary infections and skin infections.

The traditional uses of medicinal plants by the Teribeshave been documented and categorized through searches of the world literature, which appears to lend support to theethnomedical uses of 26 species, and thus providing somerationale for their use in primary health care.

Some plants used by this native group are also used bythe other Panamanian Amerindians, for example, Psidiumguajava has been used to treat diarrhea by mestizos and Mo-mordica charantia has been used as a choleretic and anti-hypertensive by Kuna Indians ( Gupta et al., 1979 ). The useof Drymonia serrulata as antipyretic and analgesic has beenclaimed by the Guaymi Indians ( Joly et al., 1987, 1990 ).

The correlation between ethnomedical uses of plants incategory 3 and their published biological activities may bestated as follows. The whole plant extract of Aristolochiagrandiora (Aristolochiaceae) showed moderate neutraliza-tion (21–72%) of the hemorrhagic effect of Bothrops atroxvenom at doses of up to 4 mg per mouse ( Otero et al., 2000 ).This biological activity lends support to its ethnomedicaluse to treat snakebite. Neurolaena lobata (leaves, ethanolic

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Table 1Medicinal uses of plants by the Teribe AmerindiansPlant: Group /FAMILY/ Species Local name a Complaint s o r d iseases Prepara tion and dosage b

PteridophytesASPLENIACEAE

Asplenium serratum L. (FLORPAN 1508; 10/14/93) NR Burns SC: ash: used as cataplasm

BLECHNACEAESalpichlaena volubilis (Kaulf.) J. Sm. (FLORPAN 1427; 11/10/93) In dwroyo Toothache VI: dec: used as gargles tid

LOMARIOPSIDACEAE Elaphoglossum herminieri (Bory ex F ee) T. Moore (FLORPAN 1483; 10/14/93) Yugsho Burns FR: ash: applied as cataplasm

POLYPODIACEAE Niphidium crassifolium (L.) Lellinger (FLORPAN 1456; 10/12/93) Kior kwo Fever LF: dec: one cup each bid or tid

TECTARIACEAECyclopeltis semicordata (Sw.) J. Sm. (FLORPAN 1431; 11/10/93) Ioksii Burns SC: ash: applied topically bid: 2

GymnospermsZAMIACEAE

Zamia skinneri Warsz. ex A. Dietr. (FLORPAN 1363; 10/8/93) Trucli Wounds healing RZ: fresh mucilage fresh or dec: aptopically tid. Used as a bath

Angiosperms (Monocotyledoneae)ARACEAE

Dracontium spruceanum (Schott) G.H. Zhu (FLORPAN 1445, 10/12/93) Dgur dworoyo, Shlapgur dloyo, Dgurg poglo

Snakebite RZ: dec: 1/2 glass, TB: dec: 1/2ST: dec: 1/2 glass each 2–3h

Skin ulcers TB: dec: Used as baths Homalomena wendlandii Schott (FLORPAN 1469; 10/13/93) NR Snakebite ST: dec:3 tblsp each 4 h Philodendron radiatum Schott (FLORPAN 1453; 10/12/93) NR Pain, snakebite RT: mac: applied as cataplasm

COMMELINACEAE Dichorisandra hexandra (Aubl.) Standl. (FLORPAN 1988; 5/9/95) Roban dloyo Internal and body pain TB: dec: 1/2 cup tid: 3 days Tradescantia zanonia (L.) S w. (FLORPAN 1421; 11/10/93) Kug tan croscocho Hemorrhage Sap: fresh: applied topically Tripogandra serrulata (Vahl) Handlos (FLORPAN 1389; 10/10/93) NR Inammation and fractures WP: dec: used as baths bid

HAEMODORACEAE Xiphidium caeruleum Aubl. (FLORPAN 1408; 10/10/93) NR Facilitate child birth ST: inf: 1 glass po

MARANTHACEAECalathea warscewiczii (L. Mathieu ex Planch.) Planch. & Linden (FLORPAN

1425; 11/10/93)Gurbum prak Snakebites RZ: mac: applied a cataplasm:

LF: fresh or warmed: used as caPa inful wounds, inammation LF: f resh o r warmed: used as cat

MUSACEAE Musa sapientum L. (FLORPAN 2041; 5/11/95) Shitikwo Urinary infection HT: dec: 1 cup each 2–3 h

PALMAE

Cocos nucifera L. (FLORPAN 1396; 10/10/93) NR Intense back pain RT: dec: 1 glass po

SMILACACEAESmilax chiriquensis C.V. Morton (FLORPAN 1428; 11/10/93) NR Weakness, malnutrition RZ: dec: 1 glass bid or qid

ZINGIBERACEAE Zingiber ofcinale Roscoe (FLORPAN 1452; 10/12/93) NR Pneumonia, toothache RZ: dec: taken, po used as gargles

tid

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CAMPANULACEAE

Centropogon coccineus (Hook.) Regel ex B.D.Jacks. (FLORPAN 2018; 5/10/95) NR Arthritis ST: dec: 1 glass qid

CARYOPHYLLACEAE

Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Schult. (FLORPAN 1506; 10/14/93) Dobro, Koban dloyo Headache, stomachache ST+LF: dec : 1 /2 cup t id. Takeeach 2–3 h

Fever WP: dec: a glass

Stellaria ovata Willd. ex Schltdl. (FLORPAN 1984; 5/9/95) Duk dloyo Worms WP: dec: 1/2 cup tid

CHENOPODIACEAE

Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (FLORPAN 1386; 10/10/93) NR Stomachache LF: dec: 2 tblsp each 2 h

To expel worms LF: jc: 2 tblsp

CONVOLVULACEAE

Ipomoea alba L. (FLORPAN 1403; 10/10/93) NR Snakebite LF: fresh: used as cataplasm

Inammation in snakebite WP: dec: used as baths

CURCUBITACEAE

Gurania makoyana (Lem.) Cogn. (FLORPAN 1487; 10/14/93) NR Leishmaniasis ST + LF: dec: used as baths

Inammation, liquid retention LF: dec: 1 cup tid

Momordica charantia L. (F LORPAN 1429; 11/10/93) Srose Bile WP: dec: 1/4–1/2 glass qid or b

Facilitate child birth WP: dec: 1 glass qid or bid

Fever WP: dec: 1/4–1/2 glass qid or b

Hypertension WP: dec: 1/4–1/2 glass qid or bi

DILLENIACEAE

Tetracera volubilis L. (FLORPAN 2056; 5/11/95) NR Bodyache ST + LF: dec: used as baths

EUPHORBIACEAE

Phyllanthus urinaria L. (FLORPAN 1464; 10/13/93) NR Diarrhea ST: dec: 3 tblsp each 4 h. 1 glass

GESNERIACEAE

Besleria laxiora Benth. (F LORPAN 1497; 10/14/93) Sogrok koro, Klik ko Fever LF: dec: 1 glass each 8 h, ST:cup tid

Besleria solanoides Kunth (FLORPAN 1978; 5/8/95) NR Fever ST: dec: 1/2 cup tid

Columnea nicaraguensis Oerst. (FLORPAN 1969; 5/8/95) Nana ko, Klik sho Fever ST +LF: dec: 1/2 glass tid, WP: mor tid

Fatigue ST + LF: dec: 1/2 cup tid

Columnea sanguinolenta (Oerst.) Hanst. (FLORPAN 1986; 5/9/95) Dakodluko Dysmenorrhea ST +LF: dec: 1/2 glass each 8 h/

Columnea tulae Urb. var. tomentulosa (C.V. Morton) B.D. Morley (FLORPAN1458; 10/13/93)

Wru dwroyo, Loguodloyo

Fever ST: dec: 3 tblsp each 4 h

Measles ST + LF: dec: 1 glass bid

Chicken pox WP: jc: 1/2 glass each 2–3 h

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PASSIFLORACEAE

Passiora costaricencis Killip (FLORPAN 1973; 5/8/95) Dgurg tiorku Chest pain LF: dec: 3 tblsp each 4 h

Bodyache ST: dec: 1/2 glass tid:2 days

Pain and snakebite ST + LF: dec: used as baths

PHYTOLACCACEAE

Rivina humilis L. (FLORPAN 1404; 10/10/93) NR Cold ST + LF: dec: po

PIPERACEAE

Peperomia aff. ebingeri Yunck. (FLORPAN 1410; 10/10/93) NR Measles WP: mac: 1/2 cup each 4 h:3 days

Peperonia pellucida (L.) Kunth (FLORPAN 1400; 10/10/93) NR Foot inammation WP: dec: used as baths or applied aaplasm

Piper erubescentispicum Trel. (FLORPAN 1355; 10/8/93) Wocse Headache LF: dec: used as baths

Piper hispidum Sw. (FLORPAN 2030; 5/11/95) NR Fever ST: dec: used as baths

To expel worms ST: mac: used as cataplasm each

Piper peltatum L. (FLORPAN 1420; 11/10/93) Plua koroa Infected wound LF: warmed or dec: applied as catapor used as a bath bid

POLYGALACEAE

Polygala paniculata L. (FLORPAN 2038; 5/11/95) NR Fever WP: dec: 1 cup each 2–3 h

Securidaca diversifolia (L.) S.F. Blake (FLORPAN 1366; 10/8/93) Satcha Toothache LF: dec: used as gargles

RUBIACEAE

Hoffmannia vesiculifera Standl. (FLORPAN 1478; 10/13/93) NR To induce and facilitate childbirth

ST: dec: 1 cup each qid

Manettia reclinata L. (F LORPAN 1486; 10/14/93) Krik dwroyo Fever ST: dec: 1 glass tid or qid.

Notopleura anomothyrsa (K. Schum. & Donn. Sm.) C.M. Taylor (FLORPAN1964; 5/8/95)

Di ko Fever ST: dec: 1 cup each 4 h, LF: decbaths

Stomachache ST + LF: dec: 1/2 cup tid

Psychotria emetica L.f. (FLORPAN 1484; 10/14/93) Ro dworoyo, Slenguo ko Chicken pox, fever RT: dec: 1 glass ad lib. 1 drink e

Psychotria psychotriifolia (Seem.) Standl. (FLORPAN 2029; 5/11/95) NR Fever ST: dec: 1 cup each 3–4 h

SCROPHULARIACEAE

Scoparia dulcis L. (FLORPAN 1491; 10/14/93) Ro dwroyo Fever ST: dec: 1 cup each 2–3 h

Chicken pox LF: dec: 1 glass tid

SOLANACEAE

Cestrum nocturnum L. (FLORPAN 2039; 5/11/95) NR Fever LF: dec: Used as baths, ST: dec

each 2–3 hCuatresia exiguiora (D’Arcy) Hunz. (FLORPAN 1474; 10/13/93) NR Post-partum birth ST: dec: 1 glass qid or 3 tblsp each

Lycianthes amatitlanensis (J.M. Coult. & Donn. Sm.) Bitter (FLORPAN 2069;5/12/95)

NR Headache ST + LF: 1/2 glass each 2–3 h or@

Witheringia correana D’Arcy (FLORPAN 1468; 10/13/93) NR Fever ST: dec: made inhalation

STERCULIACEAE

Theobroma cacao L. (FLORPAN 1422; 11/10/93) Kao mite Bleeding FR: fresh: applied as cataplasm

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Table 1 ( Continued )Plant: Group /FAMILY/ Species Local name a Complaint s o r d iseases Prepara tion and dosage b

THEOPHRASTACEAEClavija costaricana Pittier (FLORPAN 1503; 10/14/93) Wohoa dwroyo To expel worms BK: dec: 1 glass tid

TILIACEAE Heliocarpus americanus L. (FLORPAN 1450; 10/12/93) Lruch kua To facilitate child birth BK: mac:2–3 glasses qd

URTICACEAEPilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. (FLORPAN 1448; 10/12/93) Crosh Sbiri Chicken pox ST +LF: dec or inf: 1/2 glass ea

Warts WP: mac: applied a cataplasm Measles WP: dec: 1/2 cup each 4 h

Urera caracasana (Jacq.) Griseb (FLORPAN 1441; 10/12/93) Duen, Dwen dwroyo Foot pain LF: fresh: applied topically

VERBENACEAE Lantana trifolia L. (FLORPAN 2054; 5/11/95) NR Fever ST + LF: dec: used as a bath

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl (FLORPAN 1398; 10/10/93) NR Neck pain, muscle pain LF: dec: 1/2 glass tid a NR: none reported.b Plant part: AB, apex of branch; BK, bark of stem; FR, fruit. FRON, fronds; HT, heart; LF, leaf; LT, latex; RES, resin; RZ, rhizomes; SE, seeds; PT, petioles; RT, root;

vines; WP, whole plant. Preparation: dec, decoction; mac, maceration; jc, juice. Dosage: tblsp, tablespoonful; tsp, teaspoonful; qd, once a day; bid, twice a day; tid, threeorally; @, as needed to produce result.

c Ortiz de Montello and Browner (1985).

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Table 2Number of plant species for each ethnomedical use

Ethnomedical use Number of species

Various types of pain (back, breast, waist, neck,heart, post partum, body, foot, head, stomach,tooth, rheumatism, fractures)

28

Fever 26Inammation 14Snakebite 7Chicken pox 7Birth induction and facilitation 7Diarrhea 5Measles 5Leishmaniasis 4Urinary infections 4Skin infections (furuncles, ulcers) 4Vertigos 3Burns 3Fatigue, malnutrition, weakness 3Hemorrhage 2Nasal hemorrhage 2Dysmenorrhea 2Cough 2Painful and infected wounds 2Bed wetting 1Amoebiasis 1Bruises 1Contraceptive 1Arthritis 1Cataract 1Purgative 1Conjuntivitis 1Liquid retention 1Insect bites 1Aggressive dementia 1Warts 1Colds 1Appetite stimulants 1Depurative 1Hypertension 1Flu 1Blisters 1Pneumonia 1Cicatrization 1

extract) produced a weak to moderate antifungal and antimi-crobial activities ( Caceres et al., 1998; Lentz et al., 1998 ),which may also validate its ethnomedical use for skin in-fections. The antihelmintic activity of Chenopodium am-brosioides has been widely documented ( Nakazawa, 1996 ),while the ethnomedical uses of Bursera simarouba to treaturinary infections andbruises arecorrelated with theantibac-terial activity of the hexane extract of the bark against Gram-negative strains ( Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aerugi-nosa ) (Camporeseet al., 2003 ) and topical anti-inammatoryactivity in mice ( Sosa et al., 2002 ). The dried leaf de-coction of Psidium guajava was administered in a doseof 10 ml/kg intragastrically to rat and showed antidiarrhealactivity ( Lutterodt, 1992 ). Moreover, quercetin glycosidesare the compounds responsible for the antidiarrheal activity(Lozoya et al., 1994 ). The family Gesneriaceae is the mostrepresentative in this study. This could be due to the Doc-

trine of Signatures, which relates the presence of red spotson the leaves to its ethnopharmacologic use for bleeding.On the other hand, the genus Dracontium is widely usedto treat snakebite. It is important to stress the similarity be-tween the ethnomedical use of plants of the Teribe and Bribr ıand Cab ecar group in the region of Talamanca in Costa Rica

(Ocampo, 1997 ).

Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the New York Botanical Garden, theOrganization of the American States and “Proyecto Conser-vacion para el Desarrollo Sostenible en America Central-CATIE” for the nancial support, to the Teribe Indians forsharing their knowledge and the Queen Runa Santana and“abuelos ” to allow us to carry out this research project.Thanks are due to Dr. Norman Farnsworth of the Univer-

sity of Illinois at Chicago for permitting access to Napralertandto Dr. SalvadorCa nigueral of theUniversity of Barcelonafor access to Sci-Finder.

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