Anti-inflammatory activity of medicinal plants popularly used in Guatemala

Abstract

The present study is carried out with the purpose of scientifically validating the anti-inflammatory activity popularly attributed to some plants in our country. Based on ethnobotanical surveys and literature reviews, 83 plants used for the treatment of conditions involving inflammatory processes were detected.   The research on anti-inflammatory activity was chosen because the drugs used for the treatment of inflammatory processes are expensive. This work will be carried out in several phases. In the first stage, the background of each of the plants was investigated, the samples were collected, which were dried in solar dryers, the botanical species was determined and the anti-inflammatory test was carried out using a digital plethysmometer, white rats weighing 1.50-170 g, aqueous infusions of the plants, phenylbutazone as a reference drug and the inflammation produced with a 1% kaolin suspension (1).   The results of the first phase indicate that elderberry bark and leaves at doses of 750 and 1,000 mg/kg, sanalotodo flower at doses of 750 mg/lg, and apacín root at doses of 750 mg/kg have anti-inflammatory activity.   Infusions of pericón leaves and flowers, palo jiote bark, apacín leaves, achiote leaves, and manita flowers do not have anti-inflammatory activity at doses of 750 and 1,000 mg/kg according to the methodology used.   The acute toxicity of the plants was determined and as a result, no toxic effects were observed in any plant at doses of up to 10 g/kg of weight.   In the second phase, the results obtained showed that the etheric, ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the sanalotodo flower and morro leaves at doses of 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg of weight did not present toxic effects on mice.   Due to the high cost of medicines, it is important to continue with the validation of medicinal plants used by the Guatemalan population in the treatment of inflammatory processes.