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Bioprospecting Rumphius's Ambonese Herbal: Volume I
E J Buenz1, H E Johnson, E M Beekman
1Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, 200 First Street NW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. buenz.eric@mayo.edu
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
|December 14, 2004
Summary
Historic herbal texts offer a valuable resource for discovering new pharmaceutical compounds. By cross-referencing ancient remedies with modern databases, researchers can identify promising medicinal plants for drug discovery.
Area of Science:
- Ethnobotany and Pharmacognosy: Investigating traditional medicinal plant knowledge.
Background:
- Traditional healers are crucial for identifying novel pharmaceutical lead compounds, but their knowledge is diminishing.
- Historic herbal texts offer a unique, often overlooked, source of information on medicinal plants.
Observation:
- Nine plants from the 17th-century Ambonese Herbal: Volume I were identified with documented medicinal properties.
- These plants have not been extensively studied in contemporary scientific literature.
Findings:
- Evaluating historical plant efficacy reports alongside modern databases like NAPRALERT is an effective method.
- This approach successfully identifies candidate plant species for further pharmacological investigation.
Implications:
- This methodology can revitalize the discovery of new drugs from ethnobotanical sources.
- Preserving and analyzing historical herbal knowledge is vital for future pharmaceutical research and development.
