Abstract
The use of plants as therapeutic agents is part of the traditional medicine that is practiced by many indigenous communities in Ecuador. The aim of this study was to update a review published in 2016 by including the studies that were carried out in the period 2016–July 2021 on about 120 Ecuadorian medicinal plants. Relevant data on raw extracts and isolated secondary metabolites were retrieved from different databases, resulting in 104 references. They included phytochemical and pharmacological studies on several non-volatile compounds, as well as the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs). The tested biological activities are also reported. The potential of Ecuadorian plants as sources of products for practical applications in different fields, as well the perspectives of future investigations, are discussed in the last part of the review.
Highlights
IntroductionScientific evidence of the therapeutic efficacy and absence of toxicity in Ecuadorian medicinal plants and their products has started to be collected only in the last few decades by the researchers of several groups in different Ecuadorian Universities
Update and Perspectives.The geographic location of Ecuador, together with its geological features, makes the country’s biodiversity one of the richest in the world
The main constituents were 1,8-cineole in the leaf oil, with a percentage ranging from 25.20% in a winter sample to 17.45% in a summer one, and safrole in the traditional beverage, with a percentage ranging from 2.43% in a winter sample to
Summary
Scientific evidence of the therapeutic efficacy and absence of toxicity in Ecuadorian medicinal plants and their products has started to be collected only in the last few decades by the researchers of several groups in different Ecuadorian Universities. This scientific activity has increased dramatically in recent years, thanks to the support of the Ecuadorian people and government authorities, who consider the sustainable use of biodiversity resources a possible source of economic wealth. The of great importance for human health, such as quina (Cinchona spp.) and condurango therapeutic potential of some herbal products for the development of new drugs was in(Marsdenia condurango Rchb.f.). The therapeutic potential of some herbal products for the development of new drugs was indicated
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