Medicinal plants for the "nerves": a review of ethnobotanical studies carried out in South Brazil

Abstract

Among the medicinal purposes for which plants have been used is the treatment of "nerves". Th e objective of this study was to search for species of plants used in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (South Brazil) for the relief of symptoms related to central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Twenty-seven ethnobotanical studies were compiled, in which a total of 94 species were cited. Th e fi ve most cited species were Cymbopogon citratus (81.5 %), Melissa offi cinalis (77.7 %), Aloysia citriodora (66.6 %), Matricaria chamomilla (62.9 %) and Passifl ora edulis (51.8 %). Scientifi c studies have corroborated the popular use of these plants as sedatives, but most studies are preclinical and very few have been clinical (M. chamomilla and M. offi cinalis), and these were mainly exploratory or were performed against placebo. In addition to effi cacy data, there are also indications of toxicity for M. chamomilla and P. edulis. In conclusion, there is a great diversity of plant species used in the treatment of symptoms related to CNS disorders, and they are most frequently used as a sedative. Data indicate that M. offi cinalis possesses clinical effi cacy in the treatment of symptoms associated with anxiety without signs of toxicity.

Perspectivas das Ciências da Saúde na Sociedade 5.0: Educação, Ciência, Tecnologia e Amor

“…A utilização de plantas como agentes terapêuticos é uma estratégia antiga que se estende até os dias atuais, estima-se que cerca de 85% da população mundial faz uso de plantas ou seus subprodutos mesmo com os avanços da medicina moderna (Gross et al, 2019 disponibilidade de espécies vegetais, menos de 2% foi estudada do ponto de vista de aplicação medicinal (Agra et al, 2019).…”

Hematological parameters and protein metabolism in the blood of pregnant rats under the effect of vanadium citrate

“…Moreover, the animals are hardly vulnerable to development of plaques in the arteries as a result of intake of cholesterol-rich food (Stehbens, 1986). Gross et al (2019) reported that M. officinalis was clinically effective against symptoms related to anxiety and displayed no signs of toxicity. The review by Swiader et al (2019) analyzed the literature data on the chemical composition of M. officinalis and the possibilities of using it in medicine and food.…”

“…officinalis is widely used not only in the traditional medicine of the Old World, but in the folk medicine of the Americas as well. For instance, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (South Brazil), this plant is used (Gross et al, 2019) against symptoms related to the central nervous system (M. officinalis was included in 77.7% of ethnobotanical that cited 94 species of plants). Records of practices involving M. officinalis in traditional medicine are reported mostly for European countries, Mediterranean region and Middle East countries (Shakeri et al, 2016).…”

Plantas medicinais usadas em uma comunidade do Noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

“…Compilações de levantamentos etnobotânicos já publicados para o Rio Grande do Sul, reforçam que a utilização de plantas medicinais é uma prática generalizada no estado. (TROJAN-RODRIGUES et al, 2012;STOLZ et al, 2014;GROSS et al, 2019). No entanto, os levantamentos etnobotânicos não são amplamente distribuídos.…”

“…No entanto, os levantamentos etnobotânicos não são amplamente distribuídos. Gross et al (2019) ressaltam que a Região da Depressão Central apresenta um número maior de estudos, provavelmente pela proximidade a muitas universidades.…”