Ethnopharmacological Search for Antiviral Compounds: Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders by Kayapó Medical Specialists

  1. Derek J. Chadwick Organizer,
  2. Joan Marsh
  1. Elaine Elisabetsky1,
  2. Darrell A. Posey Visiting Scholar2,3,4

Published Online: 28 SEP 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470514634.ch6

Book Title

Ciba Foundation Symposium 185 - Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs

Ciba Foundation Symposium 185 - Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs

Additional Information

How to Cite

Elisabetsky, E. and Posey, D. A. (2007) Ethnopharmacological Search for Antiviral Compounds: Treatment of Gastrointestinal Disorders by Kayapó Medical Specialists, in Ciba Foundation Symposium 185 - Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs (eds D. J. Chadwick and J. Marsh), John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Chichester, UK. doi: 10.1002/9780470514634.ch6

Author Information

  1. 1

    Laboratorio Etnofarmacologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, 90.050-170 Porto Alegre RS, Brazil

  2. 2

    Program of Ethnobiology, Museu Paranese Emílio Goeldi (CNPq), Belém (PA), Brazil

  3. 3

    Instituto Etnobiologica da Amazonia, Conj Maguary, Ala 3, Casa la, Icoracy-Beltm, Para, Brazil

  4. 4

    Institute for Social & Cultural Anthropology, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK

Publication History

  1. Published Online: 28 SEP 2007

ISBN Information

Print ISBN: 9780471950240

Online ISBN: 9780470514634

SEARCH

CHAPTER TOOLS

Get PDF (2202K)

Keywords:

  • ethnopharmacological search;
  • kayapo medical specialists;
  • cultural diversity;
  • medical specialization;
  • ethnobotany

Summary

The Mẽbengokrê (Kayapó) of Brazil have a highly developed medical and pharmacological tradition based on diverse specialization in knowledge and practice. Shamans (wayangas) are prepared to treat all kinds of diseases including those related to spirits; curers (mãkuté pidjà mari) can deal only with diseases not related to spirits. Both utilize plant- and animal-based remedies, among other practices. Elaborate disease categories (kanê) include those known as hak-kanê (bird disease) and tep-kanê (fish disease). The complexity of the two categories defies easy description but both use gastrointestinal disorders as basic indicative symptoms. Given that an important percentage of gastrointestinal disorders are caused by viruses and that new antiviral drugs are sorely needed, plants used by the Kayapó for hak and tep diseases are presented and discussed as potential leads in the search for antiviral compounds.

Get PDF (2202K)