Ritual use of plants with possible action on the central nervous system by the Kraho Indians, Brazil

The aim of the present study was to document the use of plants, probably acting on the central nervous system (CNS), in rituals carried out by the Krahô Indians, who occupy the cerrado biome in the central region of Brazil. The 2 years of fieldwork were guided by methods of anthropology and botany....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phytotherapy research 2005-02, Vol.19 (2), p.129-135
Main Authors: Rodrigues, E, Carlini, E.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
American Indians
Biological and medical sciences
Brazil
central nervous system
Central Nervous System Agents - therapeutic use
Ceremonial Behavior
cerrado
ethnobotany
ethnopharmacology
General pharmacology
healers
Humans
Indians, South American
indigenous knowledge
Medical sciences
medicinal plants
medicinal uses
Medicine, Traditional
Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Phytotherapy
Plant Structures
Plants, Medicinal
psychoactive plants
shamanism
traditional medicine
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Summary:The aim of the present study was to document the use of plants, probably acting on the central nervous system (CNS), in rituals carried out by the Krahô Indians, who occupy the cerrado biome in the central region of Brazil. The 2 years of fieldwork were guided by methods of anthropology and botany. The local shamans have indicated 286 formulas, consisting of 138 plant species in 50 uses that could be associated with some type of action on the CNS; of which 98 formulas, 87 plants and 25 uses, appear to involve psychoactive properties, such as: ‘to get slow’, ‘stimulant effect’, ‘to calm down’, ‘to enhance memory’, ‘to reduce anxiety’ and ‘to induce sleep’. Phytochemical and pharmacological literature data were queried to establish any correlation between indigenous knowledge and scientific indications, for each one of the 138 plant species. Studies were available for 11 of these plants; and for two of them, scientific data coincided with indigenous information. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ISSN:0951-418X
1099-1573
DOI:10.1002/ptr.1636