Traditional medical practices in Brazil
Traditional Brazilian medicine
(Portuguese: Medicina indigena) includes many native South American elements, and imported African ones. It is predominantly used in areas where indigenous groups and African descendants reside, like in the
northeast
coast, nearly all interior regions including
Amazon
regions,
savannahs
,
rainforest
,
foothills
, and
Pantanal
. According to Romulo R. N. Alves, "although Brazil's health system is public...use of traditional remedies and rituals provide an economical way of healing for much of the populace, but that also does not mean that wealthy Brazilians don't seek it out as well. Traditional medicine is a deep part of Brazilian heritage."
[1]
The
Aruak
,
Tupi
,
Yamomami
,
Kraho
,
Guarani
and other Indians groups are among the native tribes that together with isolated descendants of Africans or
Quilombola
, and Indians integrated (
Caboclo
) that are known to almost exclusively practice traditional medicine. Among the plants include edible foods like the
cashew
,
peppers
,
mangosteen
and
coconut
, but often include inedible parts like the fruits, leaves, husk,
bark
. Neighboring nations like the
Patamona
of
Guyana
also use the cashew.
[
citation needed
]
There is growing interest in Brazilian medicine as the Amazon rainforest is the largest
tropical forest
in the world, and is home to immense
biodiversity
, including cures or treatments for many ailments. Japanese scientists have found strong anticancer activity in Brazilian traditional remedies.
[2]
In one study in 1997 published in
The American Journal of Chinese Medicine
, only 122 species existing in Brazil could be related to the Chinese species (or 14.35% of the samples),
[3]
which means the vast majority of species are not known to Chinese traditional medicine. Thousands and possibly millions of species remain unstudied and/or susceptible to extinction by
habitat destruction
.
Examples
[
edit
]
Examples include psychoactive plants like
Ayahuasca
Epena
and
Jurema
used in rituals currently being investigated for their potential use in psychiatry.
[4]
The
Kambo cleanse
is a practice that uses a secretion from the
giant leaf frog
used by indigenous groups, such as the Noke Kuin, that is injected into the bloodstream and used in traditional medicine to ward off bad luck. Multiple patents are pending for its use against
ischemia
and
hepatic
injury.
[5]
The Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress Group at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Medicine and Nursing at the
University of the Basque Country
has published a study where traditionally infused
Vismia baccifera
has shown massive induction of oxidative stress in
kidney cancer
cells, with rapid death, but leaving healthy cells alone.
[6]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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