Mexican phytotherapy is a millenary tradition

• April 25, 2024

Mexico has an important pre-Hispanic heritage in the field of medicinal herbs, it is estimated that there are more than 5 thousand species of medicinal flora . And is that all the peoples of the world have used and continue to use herbal medicine to address their health problems; worldwide, almost 80% of the population, resorts to herbal remedies. The Phytotherapy , as a science studies the use of medicinal plants and their derivatives for therapeutic purposes, either to prevent, relieve or cure diseases and remains a promising practice that resists the passage of time.

While in Mexico, eight out of 10 people they use some plant to fight diseases, according to Abigail Aguilar Contreras, head of the herbarium of Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). In Spain, a recent study conducted by the Phytotherapy Research Center shows that one out of every three Spaniards consumes medicinal plants on a regular basis.

In danger of extinction

According to the organization Plantlife, of the 50 thousand species medicinal products available in nature, 15 thousand they are in Danger of extinction . With them, not only biodiversity would be lost, but also an enormous amount of useful treatments. One of the main causes of the problem is the excessive commercial exploitation , since harvesting is often carried out in an unsustainable way and with little care. The destruction of habitat, pollution and competition with invasive species are other causes of the extinction of this type of flora. The solution, as the author of the report, Alan Hamilton, assures, is to provide local communities with incentives to protect these plants. In Alicante, the first seed bank for medicinal and aromatic plants has been created in Spain, with the aim of conserve the species with more qualities and also those that are in danger of extinction.

Mexican phytomedicines

In the Center for Biomedical Research of the South (CIBS), of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, various phytomedicines (drugs created from medicinal plants) are developed that can be the response to diseases such as arterial hypertension, infections caused by fungi in the nails (ringworm), anxiety and chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes. Among many of the advantages offered by phytomedicines is the one not cause side effects as often happens with some allopathic products. Created in 1985, it is the only research center in the Americas that carries out an integral work based on traditional Mexican medicine and research. pharmacological , photochemistry , biotechnology and clinic toxicological of medicinal plants.