Paraguayan medicinal compositae

A survey of the Compositae used in traditional medicine and as economic plants by Paraguayan country people was undertaken to identify the components of crude drugs traded by herbalists. Forty-five medicinal and economic species have been identified through field work in the rural areas and enquiries in the markets, as well as by examination of the literature in the Spanish language. Some crude drugs are shown to be mixtures of several closely-related species. The role of indigenous plant remedies within the local health care system is also discussed.