Guaicuru caá, Cienfuegosia drummondii (A. Gray) Lewton, medicinal plant in the Brazilian Chaco: knowledge on the Bioceanic Route

Abstract:

Guaicuru caá (Cienfuegosia drummondii) is a Chaco species frequently used as a medicinal plant in Porto Murtinho, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, and in other regions of the South American Chaco. The objective of this work was to carry out the phytochemical analysis of C. drummondii, in order to determine the main classes of chemical substances present in the leaf extract and to describe the main forms of use and medicinal application of this plant by the population of Porto Murtinho, Mato Grosso do Sul, from the perspective of ethnobotany and sustainable local development. The plant was collected in the rural area of the municipality, in October 2017 and the analyzes were conducted in the laboratory. The main classes of secondary metabolic found in the ethanol extract of the leaves of C. drummondii corresponded to phenolic compounds, flavonoids and anthraquinones, the latter with 100% frequency presented. There is still a lack of phytochemical and pharmacological studies of plants from the Brazilian Chaco, many of which are commonly used as herbal medicines by local communities. Therefore, the valorization and protagonism of different non-hegemonic cultural practices, such as those linked to ethnobotany and general ethnoscience, may attribute a superlative value to cultural tourism and development proposals in the longed for Latino American Integration Route.

Keywords:
ethnobotany; Brazilian Chaco flora; phytochemical prospection; sustainability