The data presented in this study show that popular knowledge on medicinal plants uses is still alive in the studied area. The difference between the two nearby islands is very narrow but on the other hand, there exist some differences possibly due to a probable declining of plant resources and a more important flux of migration and its provision of other practices of healthcare in Terre-de-Haut.
The data presented in this study showed that plant extracts cited by TRAMIL ethnopharmacological surveys have the potential to control the leaf-cutting ant, Acromyrmex octospinosus. In particular, the Mammea americana extract, with its natural low repellent effect and its high toxicity by ingestion, and Nerium oleander extracts, with their natural delay action, are possibly the best extracts for the control of these ants.
BackgroundThe Caribbean Basin has complex biogeographical and cultural histories that have shaped its highly diverse botanical and cultural landscapes. As a result, the current ethnic composition of the Basin is a heterogeneous mixture including Amerindian, Afrocaribbean and a wide range of Mestizo populations. A comparison was done of the medicinal plant repertoires used by these groups to identify the proportion of native species they include and any differences between the groups.MethodsThe TRAMIL program has involved application of ethnopharmacological surveys to gather data on the medicinal plants used for primary care in 55 locations the Caribbean Basin. Three Afrocaribbean, three Amerindian and three Mestizo communities were selected taking in account the Ethnic prevalence. Differences in native and exotic plant used by groups and between groups were done using contingency tables. Identification of differences in the numbers of native and exotic plants used within each group was done with a one sample Z -test for proportions.Similarity in medicinal species use was estimated using the Sørensen Similarity Index. Species use value (UV) was estimated and a principal components analysis (PCA) run to determine differences between groups.ResultsThe 1,753 plant records generated from the surveys of the nine communities included in the analysis covered 389 species from 300 genera and 98 families. The studied groups used different numbers of native and exotic species: Afrocaribbean (99 natives, 49 exotics); Amerindian (201 natives, 46 exotics); and Mestizo (63 natives, 44 exotics). The proportion of natives to exotics was significantly different in between the Afrocaribbean and Amerindian communities, and between the Amerindian and Mestizo communities, but not between the Afrocaribbean and Mestizo communities. In the PCA, the groups were disparate in terms of the use value they assigned to the medicinal species; these were determined according to species with high use value and those used exclusively be a particular groupConclusionsAlthough migration, cultural intermixing and a consequent hybridization of medicinal plant knowledge have occurred in the Caribbean Basin, the results highlight differences between the three studied groups in terms of the medicinal plant repertoire they employ for primary health care.
Leaf-cutting ants, Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich), are considering among the most important pest species of the New World. Until now, the main insecticides used for controlling these ants were synthetic chemicals. Leaf-cutting ants live in obligate symbiosis with abasidiomycete fungus, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus (Heim) Moeller. The crucial role of this symbiotic partner in the nest of leaf-cutting ants has prompted us to focus on A. octospinosus management through the use of fungicides in our study. Five parts of plants identified for their antifungal potential through TRAMIL ethnopharmacological surveys were tested: 1) bulbs of Allium cepa L.; 2) seed pods of Allium sativum L.; 3) green fruits of Lycopersicon esculentum L.; 4) leaves of Manihot esculenta Crantz; and 5) leaves of Senna alata (L.) Roxburgh. One plant extract with strong fungicidal activity (S. alata) against L. gongylophorus was found. The other extracts had lesser fungistatic or fungicidal effects depending on the concentrations used. The data presented in this study showed that TRAMILs fungicidal plant extracts have potential to control the symbiotic fungus of leaf cutting ants, in particular a foliage extract of S. alata.
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