Medicinal plants used in the treatment of infectious diseases in the state of Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, mainly bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and represent a threat to public health. In the state of Paraíba, Brazil, several plant species are widely used in traditional medicine to treat infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms. From this perspective, the present study aimed to carry out a bibliographic survey of plants used in the treatment of infectious diseases by local communities and to identify the species that have already been investigated in clinical trials. The scientific documents were retrieved from different databases. A total of 31 species distributed in 22 families are used against infections by traditional communities in different municipalities in Paraíba. However, only 8 species have had their herbal products evaluated in clinical trials. Mouthwashes containing Aloe vera, Anacardium occidentale and Punica granatum have been targeted for dental applications. Considering the urgency in developing broad-spectrum antimicrobials, it is recommended that new randomized clinical trials be developed to investigate the traditional uses of other medicinal plants against infectious diseases reported in this study.

Keywords

• ethnopharmacology
• herbal medicine
• punica granatum