Decoctions for medicinal purposes

The Anthemideae tribe of the Asteraceae comprises a large number of species that have been and are still used as medicinal plants, particularly in folk medicine. Most of them are used empirically by rural and indigenous populations, commonly as infusions or decoctions, for medicinal purposes. Due to the increasing interest in natural products, the urban use of some folk medicinal plants as herbal remedies is also increasing. In the present chapter, we analyze the past, present (1985-2005) and future of medicinal plants of the Anthemideae tribe, both as potential antimicrobial crude drugs, as well as a source for natural compounds. Some of these compounds were isolated after previously detecting antimicrobial activity on the part of the plant. 

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