Natural Product Chemistry in North-Eastern Brazil
- Derek J. Chadwick Organizer,
- Joan Marsh
Published Online: 28 SEP 2007
DOI: 10.1002/9780470514634.ch7
Copyright © Ciba Foundation 1994
Book Title
Ciba Foundation Symposium 185 - Ethnobotany and the Search for New Drugs
Additional Information
How to Cite
Craveiro, A. A., Machado, M. I. L., Alencar, J. W. and Matos, F. J. A. (2007) Natural Product Chemistry in North-Eastern Brazil, 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.ch7
Publication History
- Published Online: 28 SEP 2007
Book Series:
ISBN Information
Print ISBN: 9780471950240
Online ISBN: 9780470514634
- Summary
- Chapter
- References
Keywords:
- natural product chemistry;
- oleanolic saponin;
- living pharmacy;
- essential oils;
- ethnobotany
Summary
The north-eastern region of Brazil comprises about one third of the country's territory. It is a semi-arid region with a flora rich in aromatic, toxic and medicinal plants. Screening of aromatic plants led to the investigation of about 2000 samples of essential oils from plants from the region and from abroad. Studies done by the Universidade Federal do Ceará and other research groups in the region discovered several new substances with distinct pharmacological activities. Recent examples are: schultezin, hydroxy-bisabolol, trans-annonene, (–)-hardwickic acid, trans-cascarillone, nor-cucurbitacins, oleanolic saponin and chalcone dimer. A social programme called the Living Pharmacy was created to teach poor people how to cultivate and use medicinal plants correctly. A project to develop interaction between the university and industry also arose from these studies.