Different patterns in medicinal plant use along an elevational gradient in northern Peruvian Andes

Factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants for the prevention of COVID-19 in peruvian population: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES.

Motivation for the study. No study conclusively recommends the use of medicinal plants to treat COVID-19 symptoms, and their indiscriminate use may present health risks. Main findings. Sixty percent of participants consumed medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This was particularly true for those living in the Peruvian highlands and individuals with family members diagnosed or deceased from COVID-19, who perceive a higher risk of infection and use medications or chlorine dioxide as preventive measures. Implications. Communication strategies emphasizing validated preventive practices and educating about the risks of consuming medicinal plants should be tailored to the predominant characteristics of the consumer. Determine the factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants as a preventive measure against COVID-19 in the Peruvian population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS.

A population over 18 years of age, living in Peru and without a history of COVID-19 disease, was evaluated. The factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants were evaluated using a Poisson regression model with robust variances.

RESULTS.

Of the 3231 participants included, 84.6% were young adults (18-29 years old), 62.7% were women, and 59.7% consumed a medicinal plant to prevent COVID-19 infection. The factors associated with the consumption of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 infection were residing in the Peruvian highlands, having had a family member diagnosed with COVID-19, having had a family member die from COVID-19, considering their family to be at increased risk of infection, having used medications or chlorine dioxide to prevent COVID-19, having medical information as the main source of information about COVID-19, thinking that medicinal plants are effective in preventing COVID-19 disease, or not being informed about their effectiveness.

CONCLUSION.

Sixty percent of the participants reported having consumed a medicinal plant to prevent COVID-19. Authorities must apply communication strategies about the implications of consuming medicinal plants, prioritizing population groups with higher consumption patterns.

Understanding the Influence of Socioeconomic Variables on Medicinal Plant Knowledge in the Peruvian Andes

In this study, we analyze the impact of 18 socioeconomic factors at individual, family, and locality levels to understand their influence on medicinal plant knowledge (MPK) in four provinces and 12 localities of the northern Andes of Peru. We interviewed 50 participants per locality (totaling 600 people) from lowlands and highlands ecoregions. The participants were balanced in terms of generations and gender. We performed multivariate statistical analyses-generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordinations-that showed the influence of each socioeconomic variable on the medicinal plant knowledge of people in the different sites. At the individual level, we found that most participants with higher MPK were women, elders, people with lower levels of education and job qualifications, non-migrants, and participants who have lived for a long period in the same region. At the family level, we found that participants living in low economic conditions with few material goods, including their means of transport, tools possession, access to technology, farm size, number of farm animals, and house quality, had higher MPK. At the locality level, we found that people living in more isolated areas with scarce regional services, such as access to paved roads, hospitals, big markets, tourist development, and chlorination of drinking water, had higher MPK. In short, people with less access to modern services and with low economic resources are the main depositaries of MPK. Policy makers and decision makers should consider the significance of MPK in alleviating health problems and diseases in Andean regions, especially for people with rural livelihoods. This local botanical knowledge of medicinal plants should be preserved in the area as a great natural heritage for humanity.

Easy Access to Biomedicine and Knowledge about Medicinal Plants: A Case Study in a Semiarid Region of Brazil

We aimed to evaluate how proximity to urban areas interferes with the relationship between socioeconomic variables and various aspects of medicinal plant knowledge. The study was conducted in six communities of the Catimbau National Park (PARNA Catimbau) in the state of Pernambuco. Eighty participants were interviewed. The communities were divided into two groups according to their distance from the nearest urban center. Socioeconomic data and information on medicinal plants were collected through semistructured interviews. Subsequently, generalized linear models were generated to verify the influence of the interaction between the variables on medicinal knowledge. We observed that proximity to the urban center influenced the relationship between the level of education and the knowledge of body systems treated by medicinal plants. We concluded that environmental variables can generate a differentiated effect on the influence of socioeconomic factors on one's knowledge of medicinal plants.

Medicinal Plants for Rich People vs. Medicinal Plants for Poor People: A Case Study from the Peruvian Andes

Traditional knowledge (TK) of medicinal plants in cities has been poorly studied across different inhabitants' socioeconomic sectors. We studied the small city of Chachapoyas (~34,000 inhabitants) in the northern Peruvian Andes. We divided the city into three areas according to the socio-economic characteristics of its inhabitants: city center (high), intermediate area (medium), and city periphery (low). We gathered information with 450 participants through semi-structured interviews. Participants of the city periphery showed a higher TK of medicinal plants than participants of the intermediate area, and the latter showed a higher TK than participants of the city center. The acquisition of medicinal plants was mainly through their purchase in markets across the three areas, although it was particularly relevant in the city center (94%). Participants of all socioeconomic levels widely used the same medicinal plants for similar purposes in Chachapoyas, which is likely based on a common Andean culture that unites their TK. However, participants with the lowest socioeconomic level knew and used more plants for different medicinal uses, indicating the necessity of these plants for their livelihoods. City markets with specialized stores that commercialize medicinal plants are key to preserve the good health of poor and rich people living in Andean cities and societies.