Mexican medicinal plants

Rivero-Crnz I, Acevedo L, Guerrero JA, Martinez S, Pereda-Miranda R, Mata R, Bye R, Franzblau S, Timmermann BN. (2010) Antimycobacterial agents from selected Mexican medicinal plants. J Pharm Pharmacol 57 1117-1126. 

DC173 Lozoya, X. Mexican medicinal plants used for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Amer J Chinese Med 1980 DC185... 

In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge of interesting terpenes found in Mexican medicinal plants, with special emphasis on the zoapatle (Montanoa tomentosa), a plant originally called "cihuapahtli." This means woman s medicine, and it was used to assist women during difficult labor because of its specific uterus contraction effect caused by the diterpene active substances. Finally, some aspects of the current use of medicinal plants in different cultural environments will be discussed. 

This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of a small part of the Aztec knowledge concerning some sesqui- and diterpenes from Mexican medicinal plants. New anti-inflammatory drugs are being designed based on the mechanism of action of some of these, and other medicines are still to be developed once are able to elucidate their mechanisms. Finally, the current cultural differences produced by the use and abuse of these plants outside of their original cultural context is discussed. 

Dominguez, X. A., Gonzalez, F., Aragon, R., Gutierrez, M., Marroquin, J. S., Watson, W. 1976. Mexican medicinal plants. XXIX. Three new diterpene quinines from Salvia ballotaeflora. Planta Med. 30 237-241. 

A current compilation of Mexican medicinal plants indicates that no pharmacological studies have been carried out to test the presumed properties of the decoction [13]. Chemical studies of the aerial parts of Penstemon barbatus have afforded four aucubin iridoid glycosides catalpol (53), scutellarioside (54), globularin (55) and barbatoside (56) "Fig. (15)." The two former compounds were isolated as their acetate derivatives [101]. Several iridoid glycosides have shown anti-inflammatory activity in experimentally induced edema in mice best results were obtained when administered topically. The most active compounds were two catalpol derivatives, besides aucubine, verbalin and loganin these compounds induced a 72 to 80% edema inhibition when applied at a dose of 1 mg/ear [102]. 

Alarcon-AguUar, F.J., R. Roman-Ramos, J.L. Flores-Saenz, and F. Aguirre-Garcia. 2002. Investigation on the hypoglycaemic effects of extracts of four Mexican medicinal plants in normal and aUoxan-diabetic mice. Phytother. Res. 16(4) 383-386. 

Alonso-Castro AJ, Villarreal ML, Salazar-Olivo LA, Gomez-Sanchez M, Dominguez F, Garcia-Carranca A (2011) Mexican medicinal plants used for cancer treatment pharmacological, phytochemical and ethnobotanical studies. J Ethnopharmacol 133 945-972. doi 10.1016/5.jep. 2010.11.055... 

Dominguez XA, Franco R, Cano G, Garcia S et al. 1979 Mexican medicinal plants. Part 33. Triterpene quinone-methides from Schaeferia roots. Phytochemistry 18 898 - 899... 

Palmeri M, Dominguez XA, Franco R, Cano G 1978 Mexican medicinal plants. XXXII. Terpenoids from ether extracts of the Celastraceae, Mortonia gregii. Rev Latinoamer Quim 9 33-35... 

Pereda-Miranda R (1995) Bioactive Natural Products from Traditionally Used Mexican Plants. In Amason JT, Mata R, Romeo JT (eds) Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants. Plenum... 

Latorre, D. L. and F. A. Latorre. Plants used by the Mexican Kickapoo Indians. Econ Bot 1977 31 340—357. Yesilada, E., G. Honda, E. Sezike, M. Tabata, T. Fujita, T. Tanaka, Y. Takeda and Y. Takaishi. Traditional medicine in Turkey. V. Folk medicine in the inner Taurus Mountains. J Ethnopharmacol 1995 46(3) 133-152. Loewenthal, R. and J. Pe er. Traditional methods used in the treatment of ophthalmic diseases among the Turkana tribe in North West Kenya. J Ethnopharmacol 1991 33(3) 227-229. Klauss, V. and H. S. Adala. Traditional herbal eye medicine in Kenya. World Health Forum 1994 15(9) 138-143. Wasuwat, S. A list of Thai medicinal plants, ASRCT, Bangkok, Report No. 1 on Res. Project. 17. Res Report,... 

BORK, P.M., SCHMITZ, M.L., KUHNT, M., ESCHER, C., HEINRICH, M Sesquiterpene lactone containing Mexican Indian medicinal plants and pure sesquiterpene lactones as potent inhibitors of transcription factor NF-kappaB., FEBS Lett., 1997,402,85-90. 

Castela tortuosa Liemb, a medicinal plant known as chaparro amargo in Mexico, was administered by the ancient Mexican people to treat liver diseases and is currently used to heal stomach aches and spasmodic pain [51],... 

Bye, RA. 198 6a. Medicinal plants of the Sierra Madre Comparative study of the Tarahumara and Mexican market plants Economic Botany Apft). 103-124. 

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants conducted by the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, revealed B. crassifolia was among the ten most frequently mentioned plants used by traditional healers for gastrointestinal disorders, specially for the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery. Other indications included child delivery, for the treatment of vaginal flux, and to treat stomatitis [71]. Other ethnomedical information collected about crassifolia is in good correspondence with the reported survey [70, 72] and correlate well with the medical uses given in the XVI century (Table 6). 

Synthesis of Hyptolide Hyptolide 4 is a naturally occurring, a,(3-unsaturated, six-membered ring 8-lactone substituted with a poly-oxygenated chain isolated from the species of Hyptis, Syncolostemon, and related genera of the family Lamiaceae, and it shows interesting pharmacological properties. In particular, such a plant is used in traditional Mexican medicine for the treatment of... 

Navarro, V., M. L. Villarreal, G. Rojas, and X. Lozoy. Antimicrobial evaluation of some plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases. J Ethnopharma-col 1996 53(3) 143-147. 

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