Medicinal Plants Classification Biosynthesis and ... - Index of

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Gustavo J. Martínez, Mara Sato and Marta Ojeda
―carquejas” (Baccharis spp.), ―suico” (Tagetes minuta), ―incayuyo” (Lippia integrifolia) and
―tomillo serrano” (Hedeoma multiflora), furthering their characterization, analysing their
inter-population variability, composition and essential oil properties, among other aspects
(Ordóñez et al., 2006; Massuh, 2007). There are also similar studies on the germination,
multiplication and micropropagation of ―pasionaria‖ (Passiflora caerluea) (Martínez, 2003;
Martínez et al., 2007), ―tomillo serrano” (Hedeoma multiflorum) (Lagrotteria et al., 1993;
Brunetti et al., 2007; Vázquez et al., 2007), ―poleo‖ (Lippia turbinata) (Ortiz et al., 2007),
―paico‖ (Chenopodium ambrosioides) (Rolando et al., 1998), ―jarilla‖ (Larrea divaricata)
(Palacio et al., 2006), ―marcela‖ (Achyrocline satureioides) (Nóbile et al., 1999) and
―melisa‖ (Melisa officinalis) (Lloret et al., 2007). However, considering the extensive list of
medicinal species, these propagation studies are still insufficient and an important number of
plants with relevance in the highland peasant ethnomedicine remain to be studied from this
agronomical perspective.
From an ethnobotanical point of view, the native bushes of the Aloysia genus
(Verbenaceae) like ―té de burro‖ (Aloysia polystachya) and ―cedrón‖ (lemon verbena-
Aloysia citriodora), ferns like ―cola de caballo‖ (Equisetum giganteum) and ―doradilla‖
(Anemia tomentosa), and to a lesser degree other species like ―cabotoril‖ (Hypericum
connatum), ―palo amarillo‖ (Aloysia gratissima), ―zarzaparrilla‖ (Jungia polita), as well as
most of the species previously mentioned, are promising for these types of studies because
despite growing spontaneously, they are occasionally grown in gardens and peridomestic
areas, evidencing an incipient and gradual process of in situ local ―domestication‖ by the
highland inhabitants.
Finally, we can‘t forget the close relation between conservation and education, as the
survival and circulation of the traditional knowledge of these folk cultures, including their
medicine, is deeply connected to the conservation of the resources at stake. In this sense it is
necessary to revitalize the efforts promoting a regionalized education, encouraging the
reinstatement of this knowledge in formal and informal educational ambits, as well as in
others promoting the conservation of natural plant resources. In a preliminary way, we have
presented some publications regarding this topic (Martínez, 2002; Martínez et al., 2002,
2003), trying to include this problematic in the rural classrooms of this area. Several
extension studies developed in schools and with the general community have been supported
by the Secretaria de Extensión of the Universidad de Córdoba and other institutions (Ojeda et
al. 2000a; 2006; Ojeda 2008), giving place to sustainable management experiences and
regional enterprises, as well as the development of audiovisual and multimedia materials on
the topic that are currently in circulation within the communities (Goirán et al., 2006;
Martínez et al., 2006; Martínez & Villalba, 2006; Equipo de Etnobiología, 2006).
Conclusion
This review shows that the traditional medicine of the Sierras de Córdoba is a deeply
rooted cultural component, and its greatest expression is found in the ambit of home remedies
and healers. With its distinctive aspects, and others shared with the traditional medicine of
different regions of Argentina, the use of a vast number of natural remedies is a characteristic