Abstract

QUALITY CONTROL OF COMMERCIAL SAMPLES OF “ESPINHEIRA-SANTA” (MAYTENUS ILICIFOLIA) FROM RIO DE JANEIRO AND SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Paulo Fernando Ribeiro De Castro, Thacid Kaderah Costa Medeiros, André Luis De Alcantara Guimarães, Sérgio Manuel Serra Da Cruz and Ana Cláudia De Macêdo Vieira*

ABSTRACT

“Espinheira-Santa,” Maytenus ilicifolia (Celastraceae), is a species traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of stomach ulcers and gastritis. It is native from southern Brazil, which does not occur spontaneously in other Brazilian environments and regions. Consequently, its use as traditional herbal medicine is often problematic due to falsifications and adulterations with other plants. Two species, Sorocea bonplandii (Moraceae) and Zollernia ilicifolia (Fabaceae) are commonly used as falsifications of Maytenus ilicifolia, due to their morphological similarities with the latter species. Additionally, these adulterations may represent a severe problem in public health since Zollernia ilicifolia is known to be a poisoning species, particularly liver intoxication. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the quality of 11 different samples of “Espinheira-Santa” from traditional markets in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states. We studied the composition of each sample with the aid of microscopical and chemical analysis, their packages regarding label information, and the quality of the packaging material. Our results were based on the brazilian regulation RDC nº 26/2014 (ANVISA, the national sanitary agency). Most of the analyzed samples presented contaminants and adulterations, which reflect several failures regarding surveillance authority and the safety of the treatments with these herbal medicines.

Keywords: Maytenus ilicifolia, quality control, Sorocea bonplandii, traditional phytotherapeutic products, Zollernia ilicifolia.