Plant-Based Ethnopharmacological Remedies for Hypertension in Suriname

Abstract

Hypertension is the most important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal diseases which are together among the most frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. Despite the availability of a wide range of effective medicines, many individuals suffering from hypertension use plant-derived preparations for treating their disease. The choice for these alternatives is often associated with the closer relationship of such approaches to specific social, cultural, and religious perceptions about health and disease. However, in most cases, the scientific evidence for clinical efficacy of such medications is scant. The Republic of Suriname is a middle-income country in South America with a relatively high prevalence of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. This country harbors descendants of all continents, all of whom have preserved their cultural customs including their ethnopharmacological traditions. As a result, many Surinamese are inclined to treat their diseases including hypertension as they have done for centuries, that is, with plant-based preparations. This chapter has compiled the plants used for treating hypertension in Suriname; extensively evaluates 15 commonly used plants for potential efficacy on the basis of available phytochemical, mechanistic, preclinical, and clinical literature data; and closes with conclusions about their potential usefulness against the disease.

Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activities of Eight Species of Fabaceae That Are Commonly Used in Traditional Medical Practices in the Republic of Suriname

“…The presence of many small hooked hairs on the seedpods (Figure 6) makes them cling to clothing, body parts, as well as the feathers and coats of pollinating animals, ensuring a wide dispersal of the plant. Hence, the vernacular "glue stick" in English and "konkruman" ("informer") in Suriname: the sticky pods attaching to clothing betray the unapproved presence of the bearer "in the field," that is, away from home [183]. The plant is also believed to attract and hold fortune and prosperity while at the same time capturing and removing bad luck and disease [125].…”

“…adscendens is rich in phenolic compounds including flavonoids, anthocyanins, and tannins, as well as reducing sugars, alkaloids, (soya)saponins, triterpenes, and amines [185,186]. The meaningful pharmacological activities displayed by some of these compounds-such as anti-asthmatic and anti-anaphylactic activity [187,188] and antihypertensive activity [183]-may support some of the traditional uses of the plant.…”