Ethnopharmacological inventory of plants used in Coronel Portillo Province of Ucayali Department, Peru

Abstract

Context: Despite a rich tradition of folk medicinal usage of plants in the Peruvian Amazon, no studies documenting ethnobotanical information of Coronel Portillo Province of Ucayali Department have been published at an international level.Objective: This field research documented traditional ethnobotanical knowledge related to the local use of medicinal plants.Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected in native communities around Pucallpa city (Coronel Portillo Province of Ucayali Department, Peru) and in the city itself during the period June-October 2007. The data were collected through direct interviews with 23 people.Results: Uses of 30 plant species belonging to 18 families in traditional medicine are described in this article. Botanical and vernacular names, plant part used, popular medicinal use, forms of preparation and applications of the herbal remedies for each species are reported.Discussion and conclusion: Among investigated species, Brunfelsia grandiflora D. Don (Solanaceae), Calycophyllum spruceanum (Benth.) K. Schum. (Rubiaceae), Naucleopsis glabra Spruce (Moraceae), Phthirusa pyrifolia Eichler (Loranthaceae) were identified to be widely used in the studied area. However their beneficial health properties have not been well studied.