Mururé (Brosimum acutifolium Huber) in the treatment of syphilis in colonial Amazonia: historical data to the actual contribution to treatment

Abstract

Historical ethnobotanical studies of medicinal plants reveal important information about traditional practices of human groups and infl uence current understanding of the use of plants. Th e present article describes the ethnopharmacology of mururé (Brosimum acutifolium) since the XVIII century for the treatment of syphilis and correlates past and present therapeutic use. Th is information contributes to the appreciation of historical records in the contemporary use of natural products. Th e analysis of documental records is important for comparing information available overtime about the medicinal use and application of specifi c species. Th e present research was based on the analysis of a Jesuit work and other complementary documents. Th e medicinal eff ect of mururé is attributed to its latex, and dosage and adverse reactions are described. Historical documents stand out as valuable assets for pharmaceutical technology because they allow comparisons to be made between past and present uses of species as curative agents.

Do índio Passos ao doutor Chernoviz: experiências de cura da lepra no Pará do século XIX

“…SegundoGoody (2012, p.20), em obra de 1977, ainda que seja por meio de "dicotomias expressadas mais positivamente", o antropólogo francês foi "vítima do binarismo etnocêntrico embutido em todas as nossas categorias". Agradeço a Nelson Sanjad e Patrícia Melo essa observação.5 De acordo com Jane FelipeBeltrão (2004, p.206), a ipecacuanha integrava o repertório de medicamentos manipulados pelos profissionais de saúde popular no Pará, além de fazer parte da lista de medicamentos que compunham a "botica doméstica" considerada ideal pelo doutor Chernoviz.6 Sobre o uso do mururé no tratamento da sífilis na Amazônia colonial, conferirVieira et al (2019).…”