Baccharis salicifolia Pers (Ruiz Pav.) has been employed as an anti-inflammatory and vermifuge agent in traditional herbal medicine. Helminth infections remain an international concern since these infections can become chronic and even public health emergencies. This study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of B. salicifolia aqueous extracts on Trichinella spiralis, a nematode parasite whose life cycle consists of three phases: intestinal, migrant and muscular. B. salicifolia pure aqueous extracts (22 mg/mL) were diluted to 1:2, 1:10, and 1:100 for in vitro assays against the three parasite stages: muscle larvae (ML), adult worms (AW) and newborn larvae (NBL). In vivo anthelmintic properties of pure B. salicifolia aqueous extracts were tested in Balb/c mice infected with T. spiralis employing three different treatment schemes (A: days 3–5 p.i.; B: days 6–8 p.i.; and C: days 3–8 p.i.) with a single daily dose for all the schemes (220 mg/kg body weight/per dose), and ML burden was evaluated. Intestinal AW burden was determined at days 4 and 6 p.i., and the fecundity index (NBL production from gravid AW) was determined at day 6. In vitro assays showed that B. salicifolia aqueous extracts exerted helminthotoxic effects on T. spiralis. While ML and AW required 24 h exposure for significant mortality (P < 0.05), NBL showed rapid susceptibility, with near-complete mortality at 3 h (P < 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Phytochemical profiling of the aqueous extracts via HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS/MS identified flavonoids (quercetin, apigenin, sakuranetin, naringenin) and the coumarin scopoletin. In vivo, all treatment schemes significantly reduced ML burden (P < 0.001 vs. vehicle), and scheme A additionally decreased AW burden (P < 0.001) and fecundity index (P < 0.0001). For the first time, we provide evidence about B. salicifolia aqueous extracts anthelmintic activity, supporting the efficacy of its popular use and its importance for the development of novel natural drugs against helminths with reduced cost as compared to conventional therapies.

Background: Traditional medicine in Paraguay relies on various medicinal plants referred to as santa lucía morotí in the vernacular. These plants have many uses, from treating ophthalmic conditions to serving as a refreshing remedy. This study aims to identify the botanical species associated with the plant material sold under the name santa lucía morotí in informal markets within the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, República Argentina. This investigation aims to determine if there has been a substitution of this plant material with a local species and to establish anatomical, micrographic, and histochemical parameters. Methods: Fresh roots were procured from street vendors within the Paraguayan community residing in the Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, República Argentina, labeled as santa lucía morotí. These roots were cultivated until the plants reached the flowering stage, at which point they were identified using taxonomic keys. Transverse sections were prepared and stained with safranin and fast green. Additionally, histochemical reactions were conducted to localize and characterize families of metabolites, with a known variety of biological and pharmacological activities. Results: The plant was identified as Commelina platyphylla Klotzsch ex Seub. (Commelinaceae). This suggests that there has been no substitution of this plant material. Terpenoids, saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids were successfully histochemical localized. Conclusions: The species under investigation has not been replaced as it transitioned from traditional Paraguayan medicine to the urban environment of Buenos Aires City. The characterization of metabolites provides valuable guidance for phytochemical and pharmacological research to validate ethnomedical uses. Keywords: Santa Lucía Morotí, Commelina platyphylla, urban ethnomedicine, migrant ethnomedicine

Medicinal plants are used to cure diseases, and their replacement is frequent and affects public health. The genus Baccharis has representatives within the medicinal flora of Argentina, although the replacement of the species of this genus known under the vulgar name of "carqueja" by Baccharis spicata has been detected in herbalists or markets of herbal products. The genotoxic safety of this species has been established in previous work of our group. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiviral activity of an infusion made from B. spicata leaves against hepatitis B virus with the HepG2.2.15 cellular system and to determine cytotoxicity in HepG2.2,15, A549 and Vero cell lines. Infusion of B. spicata was active to inhibit HBV replication with an EC50of 22.54 μg/mL and a CC50of 190 μg/mL.

Aristolochia elegans (Aristolochiaceae) is a plant species indigenous to South America, widely employed in traditional folk medicine and commonly referred to as 'mil hombres'. Despite its medicinal applications, this plant contains aristolochic acid; a compound associated with the potential risk of chronic intoxications and induced nephropathy following prolonged ingestion. The absence of comprehensive microscopic identification guidelines for A. elegans, whether utilizing fresh, dried, or powdered specimens, highlights the necessity to establish its pharmacognostic diagnostic characteristics ensuring the recognition of the species and its safe and controlled utilization. Mild dissociations, transversal sections and electron microscopy observations were performed on specimens collected at the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve and the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden (CABA). In addition, histochemical tests were conducted to asess the presence of primary and secondary metabolites. The stems exhibited secondary growth, characterized by diffuse porous wood and 7-9 medullary rays. The xylem showed wide scalariform pitted vessel units and fibrotracheids. Whereas the leaves presented hooked trichomes and rodlet-shaped epicuticular wax deposits, a common trait among Aristolochia species. The histochemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids in the cortical parenchyma and fibers of the stems and petioles, as well as phenolic compounds in the xylem and cortical parenchyma of young stem and in the lamina mesophyll and abaxial epidermis adjacent to the midrib of the leaf. These micrographic described features serve as valuable tools for identifying A. elegans in commercial samples.

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a nonprofit, scientific, standard-setting organization, and world leader in establishing quality, purity, and testing standards for medicines, foods, and dietary supplements. USP quality standards are used in more than 140 countries and are legally recognized by more than 40 countries. Currently, there is renewed interest in herbal medicines globally, and health policies are being implemented worldwide for the use of complementary and traditional medicine. In response, USP has developed a robust body of monographs that can be used to guide industry and regulators in ensuring the quality and safety of botanical ingredients used in dietary supplements and herbal medicines. Throughout the Pan American regions, there is a strong tradition of using botanicals as herbal medicines and, as in other regions, a growing desire for botanical dietary supplements. This underscores the need for public quality standards to ensure quality, reduce the flow of substandard and adulterated products, and ensure public health and safety. In April 2022, USP launched the Pan America Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Panel, with experts representing 12 different countries. The Expert Panel’s work focuses on developing quality control standards for the most important botanical ingredients used in the respective countries, ingredients that are also of global importance. This article provides an overview of the state of botanical dietary supplements and herbal medicines in different Pan American regions with a focus on the regulatory status of herbal products, the development of national quality and research initiatives, and policies related to agriculture conservation and sustainability, among other topics.

La Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires es lugar de residencia de numerosas colectividades, muchas de las cuales emplean medicina folklórica propia de su lugar de origen. El objetivo de este trabajo es realizar una prospección de las plantas comercializadas en un lugar de alto tránsito de personas en Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires con el fin de conocer aquellas especies de importancia medicinal y alimenticia empleadas en la actualidad. Se trabajó con puestos callejeros en el barrio de Constitución y se recolectaron 57 drogas vegetales las cuales fueron identificadas en base a caracteres morfológicos y micrográficos. En el análisis de partes comercializadas se observa un predominio de las partes aéreas estériles, seguido por hojas, frutos y partes aéreas floridas. Las familias botánicas más comercializadas son Asteraceae, Apiaceae, Verbenaceae, Amaranthaceae y Lamiaceae. Este catálogo provee la base para la realización de futuros estudios con el fin de conocer las indicaciones, contraindicaciones y forma de uso de las drogas vegetales aquí reportadas.

Eugenia uniflora L. is a medicinal plant widely employed in South America. Its evidence of use can be traced back to the Jesuit and Franciscan priests and the first South American botanists. The medicinal and food uses of this species give a proper background for the scientific research of its properties, the validation of its therapeutic utility and the exploration of its taxonomy, morphology, anatomy and phytochemistry. Nowadays, this plant has been extensively studied because of its hypoglycemiant and antihypertensive properties and its edible fruits.

Picrasma crenata Engl. in Engl. & Prantl, Simaroubaceae, is a dioecius tree, native to the South of Brazil and North Argentina. Its wood is used as a drug for the treatment of diabetes and pediculosis; these biological activities are partially validated by in vivo assays. It contains a variety of triterpenic bitter compounds, known as quassinoids, which are – at least – partially responsible for its pharmacological activities. Further studies are required for the validation of the underlying pharmacological mechanisms that account for its hypoglycemic activity and its phytochemical normalization.

Leonotis leonurusL. R. Br. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant native to the South Africancontinent also employed as a recreational drug and a substitute to Cannabis sativaL. (Cannabaceae). Given the interest of the last mentioned species as a source of treatments for epilepsy among many other pathologies and its possible substitution for L. leonurus, the aim of this article is obtain anatomical and micrographical characters for its identification in chopped or powdered material and to survey the user ́s perceptions about this plant based in posts extracted from a recreational drug user Internet forum. L. leonurusleaves have pluricellular tector trichomes and two classes of pluricellular trichomes with unicellular and pluricellular heads, styloid crystals in its mesophyll among many other characters, while the flowers have wooly trichomes and characteristic pollen granules. Regarding the Internet forum survey, it was reported that L. leonurusleaves and flowers were the employed parts and that the mode of use was smoked. The reported effect was sedative. The anatomical data reported in this article may help to identify L. leonurusin pharmaceutical or forensic contexts.

•B. spicata is a species used as a substitute for medicinal species of the same genus.•The infusion of B. spicata leaves contains hydroxycinnamic derivatives.•The infusion of B. spicata leaves does not cause mutagenic or genotoxic damage.•B. spicata leaves infusion is safe for its consumption from a genetic point of view.

Introduction: in the last decades, the use of medicinal plants throughout the life cycle is increasing due, on the one hand, to a tendency to revalue knowledges that are part of the regional cultures of some communities and, on the other hand, to the use increasingly frequent in developed countries of complementary alternative medicines. Objectives: the purpose of this work is to carry out an update in relation to the consumption of medicinal herbal teas during pregnancy with emphasis on the positions on the subject issued by reference organisms. Development: the medicinal plants presented in this document are the ones that have the greatest scientific endorsement regarding the safety of their consumption in the form of infusions during pregnancy and include ginger, chamomile, peppermint, and linden. The characteristics of each plant, the production area in Argentina, the bioactive compounds present, the potential risks and the position of national and international organizations regarding their safety during pregnancy are presented. Conclusions: In all cases during pregnancy, safe consumption is in the form of an infusion, not more than two to three cups per day of each plant, and ideally it is recommended to alternate its consumption or combine it. In addition, it is highlighted that the community must recognize the need to consult a medical professional before using a medicinal plant. Key words: medicinal plants; pregnancy.

El genero Baccharis, perteneciente a la familia Asteraceae, es un genero de plantas perennes, dioicas, de habitos arbustivos o herbaceos, con hojas enteras o tallos alados. Este genero se ha estudiado ampliamente desde el punto de vista etnobotanico, farmacobotanico y farmacognostico. En la medicina popular argentina, se utilizan principalmente Baccharis articulata (Lam.) Pers., Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC. y Baccharis crispa Spreng. como digestivas y hepatoprotectoras en infusiones.Baccharis spicata (Lam.) Baill. es empleada como sustituyente de las especies antes mencionadas. Con el fin de conocer el grado de dicha sustitucion se realizo una prospeccion de muestras rotuladas como carqueja en herboristerias de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires en los anos 2017 y 2018. Se realizo un analisis prospectivo de muestras rotuladas como “carqueja” mediante la comparacion de sus caracteres morfologicos y micrograficos contra bibliografia especializada. Se determino que cerca de la mitad de las muestras comercializadas corresponden a B. spicata y el resto a B. articulata, B. trimera y B. crispa.

Las agallas son crecimientos anormales en los órganos de las plantas provocados por organismos inductores como bacterias, hongos o animales. En las hojas del chañar, Geoffroea decorticans (Gill. ex Hook. et Arn.) Burkart, se desarrollan agallas inducidas por ácaros eriófidos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue describir aspectos morfoanatómicos e histoquímicos de la ácaroagalla madura e identificar al inductor. Las agallas fueron colectadas durante los años 2015-2016 en Santa Rosa y Anguil (La Pampa, Argentina). Se realizaron análisis anatómicos e histoquímicos de hojas con y sin agallas. La estructura foliar sin agalla es isolateral con escaso parénquima esponjoso entre los parénquimas en empalizada. La ácaroagalla estudiada tiene forma de saco que se extiende en un cuello angosto con un ostiolo, se proyecta hacia ambas superficies foliares y es unicameral. El revestimiento externo está formado por la epidermis (adaxial y abaxial) e hipodermis. El cuerpo de la agalla está constituido por parénquima fotosintético y la vaina tanífera. El revestimiento interno está conformado por el tejido nutritivo. El parénquima, principalmente el esponjoso, es el tejido que experimenta los cambios más relevantes. La ácaroagalla es inducida por una especie del género Aceria (Eriophyidae). Se reporta la presencia de ácaros tarsonémidos como fauna asociada.

Baccharis spicata is a plant native to the south of South America And is infected by psyllids of the Baccharopelma genus, which induce a fold gall in its leaves. This infection induces a series of anatomical and phytochemical variations compared to the healthy leaf: the content of total phenolic compounds and total hidroxycinnamic derivatives is lower, though the chlorogenic acid measured by HPLC remains the same and the 4,5 dichlorogenic acid content is near the half of the one observed in the one in the healthy leaf. Regarding to its anatomy, the gall has an homogeneous mesophyll and flavonoids in its outer epidermis compared to an isobilateral mesophyll and epidermal flavonoidic idioblasts observed in the leaf. The increase in the expression of waxes suggests it is a protective function against the desiccation by preventing water evaporation in the structure. The results here exposed suggest that the psyllid manipulates plant tissues, inducing hyperplasia and hypertrophy in the tissues, differentiating them from healthy structures and inducing changes in the biosynthesis of secondary polyphenolic metabolites that act like intermediary between the gall and the environment.

Ephedra tweediana (Ephedraceae), known as "tramontana" is used in folk medicine as antiasthmatic. Aqueous extracts obtained from young stems, woody stems and underground parts were analyzed and compared. In lignified stems was detected proapigeninidin (whose identity was confirmed by comparison with a control apigeninidin subjected to FAB-MS, UV, HPLC, 1H-NMR and IR spectroscopy), while underground organs were detected proapigeninidin and propelargonidin (by comparison with a control pelargonidin whose identity was established by studies of TLC/HPTLC, and UV -visible spectroscopy). These compounds were not observed in the herbaceous stems. The herbaceous stems had the highest concentrations of total flavonoids and hydroxycirmamic acids. Uderground organs had the highest concentration of tannins and proanthocyanidins. In herbaceous stems a strong positive reaction for flavonoids was detected. No positive reaction was observed for proanthocyanidins. In the periderm of woody aerial stem a positive reaction for flavonoids and proanthocyanidins were observed. In the underground organs, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins were located mainly in the more external tissues. This work is the first contribution to the dynamic of E. tweediana polyphenols.

Agudelo, Ignacio; Marcelo Wagner; Rafael Ricco. 2017. “Variación en el contenido de clorofilas, carotenos y antocianos en agallas inducidas por Neolithus spp (He- miptera: Psyllidae) sobre Sapium haematospermum (Euphorbiaceae)”. Lilloa 54 (2). Sapium haematospermum Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) es un árbol nativo de América del Sur que suele ser infestado por psílidos del género Neolithus, los cuales generan agallas en sus hojas. El insecto induce cambios anatómicos y bioquímicos que resultan en la formación de una nueva estructura con una disposición de tejidos característica que cumple la función de proteger al huésped. Se obtuvieron fotografías de agallas rojas, verdes y frutos. Se realizaron mediciones espectrofotométricas de clorofila a y b, carotenoides y antocianos totales sobre agallas rojas, verdes y hojas sanas. Se efectuaron cortes transversales para conocer la localización tisular de los pigmentos y se caracterizó el aglicón principal mediante métodos cromatográficos y espectroscópicos. Las agallas tuvieron una concentración de clorofilas totales y carotenoides mucho más baja que la de las hojas sanas. Los antocianos se encontraron únicamente en la epidermis de la agalla roja, donde se registró mayor concentración de estos compuestos, cuyo aglicón fue principalmente cianidina. La hoja sana y la agalla verde no tuvieron cantidades detectables de estos pigmentos. Las agallas registraron concentraciones menores de pigmentos fotosintéticos, lo que da idea del carácter de sumidero de fotoasimilatos de estas estructuras. Los antocianos corresponden a glicósidos de cianidina principalmente y se ubican en la epidermis externa; debido a esta localización cumplirían una función relacionada con la defensa aposemática frente a predadores y la protección frente a la radiación UV.

Ricco, Rafael A.; Ignacio J. Agudelo; Marcelo L. Wagner. 2015. “Métodos empleados en el análisis de los polifenoles en un laboratorio de baja complejidad”. Lilloa 52 (2). Los polifenoles son el grupo de compuestos provenientes del metabolismo secundario más estudiados. Abarcan una amplia variedad de moléculas que contienen al menos un anillo aromático con uno o más grupos hidroxilos en su estructura. Son metabolitos secundarios que participan en la defensa química de las plantas contra los depredadores y en las interacciones alelopáticas. Además, se les adjudican una amplia variedad de actividades biológicas, muchas de las cuales están asociadas con su acción antioxidante. La dinámica de los polifenoles estudia la modificación cuali-cuantitativa de los polifenoles en las plantas en respuesta a las interacciones con factores bióticos o abióticos, como así también, las modificaciones producidas por los cambios fenológicos y ontológicos. El objetivo del trabajo es introducir las técnicas de análisis de los polifenoles presentes en las plantas para estudios de ecología química o para ser empleados, por ejemplo, en el control de calidad de plantas medicinales. Estos procedimientos incluyen métodos para el estudio de fenoles totales y para cada tipo de compuestos fenólicos que puedan ser realizados en laboratorios de baja complejidad.