The Ethnopharmacological Literature: An Analysis of the Scientific Landscape in the Cerrado in Central-Western Brazil

Research on pharmacology and phytochemistry originating from medicinal plants has resulted in various publications highlighting the Cerrado in central-western Brazil, which has a remarkable diversity of plant species. The reserve area selected was the Cerrado stricto sensu settlement “17 April”, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Brazil. However, no ethnopharmacological review focusing on the plants present in the reserve area exists, even though the consumption of medicinal plants is a widespread practice. The aims of this study were to 1) survey and document the medicinal plants present in the reserve area; 2) provide an overview of recent ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological studies of these species; and 3) provide insight for future studies. A literature search was conducted, and relevant information was collected from authentic resources using databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus, as well as peer reviewed articles, books and theses. Eighty-nine species belonging to 39 different families were found; the most abundant were Fabaceae (n = 13), Myrtaceae (n = 7), Rubiaceae (n = 7) and Bignoniaceae (n = 5). In terms of it empirical use, the most utilized parts were leaves (41%), bark (22%) and roots (15%). The most widespread traditional use, according to the literature review of the following plants involves the treatment of gastro-intestinal system diseases (41 spp). Chemical studies reported a high presence of terpene, phenol, and alkaloid classes. Only three are listed in the RENISUS: Casearia sylvestris, Copaifera langsdorffii and Stryphnodendron adstringens. This study demonstrated a large number of medicinal plants in an area of the Cerrado in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Noting the importance of biodiversity for the development of new pharmacological approaches, many studies prove the empirical use of medicinal plants.