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The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a nonprofit, scientific, standard-setting organization, and world leader in establishing quality, purity, and testing standards for medicines, foods, and dietary supplements. USP quality standards are used in more than 140 countries and are legally recognized by more than 40 countries. Currently, there is renewed interest in herbal medicines globally, and health policies are being implemented worldwide for the use of complementary and traditional medicine. In response, USP has developed a robust body of monographs that can be used to guide industry and regulators in ensuring the quality and safety of botanical ingredients used in dietary supplements and herbal medicines. Throughout the Pan American regions, there is a strong tradition of using botanicals as herbal medicines and, as in other regions, a growing desire for botanical dietary supplements. This underscores the need for public quality standards to ensure quality, reduce the flow of substandard and adulterated products, and ensure public health and safety. In April 2022, USP launched the Pan America Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines Expert Panel, with experts representing 12 different countries. The Expert Panel's work focuses on developing quality control standards for the most important botanical ingredients used in the respective countries, ingredients that are also of global importance. This article provides an overview of the state of botanical dietary supplements and herbal medicines in different Pan American regions with a focus on the regulatory status of herbal products, the development of national quality and research initiatives, and policies related to agriculture conservation and sustainability, among other topics.

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Plants of the genera Werneria (Asteraceae) and Xenophyllum (genus extracted from Werneria) are used in traditional medicine of Latin America for the treatment of mountain sickness, hypertension and gastrointestinal disorders. Only a small number of species of these genera have been studied, leading to the isolation of compounds belonging to the classes of benzofurans, chromenes, acetophenones, coumarates, diterpenes and pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Some of the plant extracts and/or compounds have shown antimicrobial, anti-HIV, hypotensive and photoprotective activities.

Las plantas de los géneros Werneria (Asteraceae) y Xenophyllum (género extraido de Werneria) son usadas en la medicina tradicional de América Latina para el tratamiento del mal de montaña, hipertensión y desórdenes gastrointestinales. Solo un pequeño número de especies de estos géneros ha sido investigado, lográndose aislar compuestos que pertenecen a las clases de benzofuranos, cromenos, acetofenonas, cumaratos, diterpenos y alcaloides pirrolizidínicos. Algunos de los extractos y/o compuestos de dichas plantas han mostrado actividades antimicrobianas, anti-HIV, hipotensoras y fotoprotectoras.

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It is estimated that there are as many as 1400 plant species currently used in traditional Peruvian medicine; however, only a few have undergone scientific investigation. In this paper, we make a review of the botanical, chemical, pharmacological and clinical propierties of the most investigated Peruvian medicinal plants. The plant species selected for this review are: Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacon), Croton lechleri (sangre de grado), Uncaria tomentosa/U. guianensis (uña de gato), Lepidium meyenii (maca), Physalis peruviana (aguaymanto), Minthostachys mollis (muña), Notholaena nivea (cuti-cuti), Maytenus macrocarpa (chuchuhuasi), Dracontium loretense (jergon sacha), Gentianella nitida (hercampuri), Plukenetia volubilis (sacha inchi) and Zea mays (maiz morado). For each of these plants, information about their traditional uses and current commercialization is also included.

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Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L., sin.:P. peruviana Muell. Arg.) pertenece a la familia de las Euforbiáceas. En el Perú, tradicionalmente se cultivó en San Martín y otros seis departamentos. Sacha Inchi crece silvestre en el bosque en forma de liana y también domesticada, en asociación con otros cultivos alimentarios. Actualmente la semilla es fuente de alimento, así como lo fue para las tribus Chancas (1200 a 1440 dC) y otras tribus cercanas. Investigaciones de las semillas han permitido conocer la composición del aceite virgen de sacha inchi. Está compuesto principalmente por ácidos grasos poliinsaturados con un contenido inusualmente elevado (40-48%) de ácido alfa linolénico (w 3) y, en menor medida, ácidos grasos saturados y muy bajos niveles de ácidos grasos trans. La semilla contiene además una apreciable proporción de proteína altamente digerible (27% w/w), con un alto contenido de aminoácidos esenciales, excepto leucina y lisina (AU)

Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L., Syn. : P. peruviana Muell. Arg.) belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. In Peru, it has traditionally been grown in San Martín and other six Peruvian departments. Sacha inchi grows as a liana, as sociated with food crops and wild in the forest. At present, the seed is a food source, as it had been for the Chancas tribes (1200 to 1440 AD) and others nearby tribes. Different research studies have been conducted on the sacha inchi seeds, which have shown the composition of sacha Inchi virgin oil. It is predominantly made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids with an unusual high content (40-48%) of alpha linolenic acid (w-3), and to a lesser extent saturated fatty acids and very low levels of trans-fatty acids. The seed also contains a remarkable proportion of highly digestible protein (27% w/w) with a high content of essential amino acids, except leucine and lysine (AU)

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Five new dibenzylbutane type lignans (1-5) were isolated from the stem bark of Iryanthera lancifolia. Their structures were determined by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic studies and chemical evidence. Seventeen of the isolated compounds were tested for their estrogenic activities in the estrogen responsive human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 BUS using the E-Screen proliferation assay. Cell proliferation was evaluated by the SRB assay to calculate the estrogenic parameters. The majority of the compounds induced a mitogenic response. This effect, given as Relative Proliferative Effect (RPE) to reference estrogen 17beta-estradiol (E(2)), ranged between 14% and 84%.

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Uncaria tomentosa, commonly known as cat's claw, is a medicinal plant native to Peru, which has been used for decades in the treatment of various inflammatory disorders. Uncaria tomentosa can be used as an antioxidant, has anti-apoptotic properties, and can enhance DNA repair, however it is best know for its anti-inflammatory properties. Treatment with Uncaria tomentosa extracts inhibits the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, TNF-alpha, which is a critical mediator of the immune response. In this paper, we showed that treatment of THP-1 monocyte-like cells with Uncaria tomentosa extracts inhibited the MAP kinase signaling pathway and altered cytokine expression. Using ELISA assays, we showed that treatment with Uncaria tomentosa extracts augmented LPS-dependent expression of IL-1beta by 2.4-fold, while inhibiting the LPS-dependent expression of TNF-alpha by 5.5-fold. We also showed that treatment of LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells with Uncaria tomentosa extracts blocked ERK1/2 and MEK1/2 phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner. These data demonstrate that treatment of THP-1 cells with Uncaria tomentosa extracts has opposite effects on IL-1beta and TNF-alpha secretion, and that these changes may involve effects on the MAP kinase pathway.

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The 95% ethanol extract of the bark of Swartzia polyphylla DC (Fabaceae) possesses important larvicidal, antimycobacterial and antifungal activity in vitro. Bioassay-guided studies performed on the crude ethanol extract afforded T-cadinol as the larvicidal and anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis principle, while the antifungal activity of the extract is due to the presence of the flavonoids biochanin A and dihydrobiochanin A.

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The antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activity of the ethanol extract and fractions of Gentianella nitida have been assessed. The most susceptible microorganisms were Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum. The antifungal activity was concentrated in the 90% methanol and nonsoluble fractions, while the radical scavenging activity was stronger in the ethyl acetate and nonsoluble fractions.

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The antimicrobial activity of 36 ethanol extracts from 24 plants, all of them currently used in the Peruvian traditional medicine for the treatment of several infectious and inflammatory disorders, was tested by means of the agar-well diffusion assay against four bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and four fungi (Candida albicans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporum gypseum and Sporothrix schenckii). Twenty-five (69%) extracts showed some degree of antimicrobial activity against at least one microorganism. The plants with the greatest antimicrobial activity were Cestrum auriculatum L. Heritier (Solanaceae), Iryanthera lancifolia Ducke Suesseng (Myristicaceae), Lepechinia meyenii (Walp.) Epling (Lamiaceae) and Ophryosporus peruvianus (Gmelin) King & H. Rob. (Asteraceae).

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OBJETIVOS: Evaluar el grado de protección de necrosis de la mucosa gástrica por etanol, con látex desecado y fracciones alcaloideas de C. palanostigma, en un modelo experimental estandarizado en ratas. Evaluar toxicidad subcrónica. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se evaluó 60 animales, administrándoles uno de 6 pretratamientos: solución salina, látex desecado de C. palanostigma 120 mg/kg, fracción alcaloidea de C. palanostigma 20 mg/kg, 35 mg/kg y 50 mg/kg y sucralfato 500 mg/kg. Una hora más tarde se aplicó por vía intragástrica 2 mL de etanol al 100 por ciento. Se realizó evaluación macroscópica y microscópica de las lesiones gástricas. Se evaluó la toxicidad subcrónica a la dosis de 0,12, 0,40 y 1,20 mL/kg, por el período de 30 días, con estudios bioquímicos e histopatológicos de los órganos. RESULTADOS: El pretratamiento con látex y las fracciones alcaloideas y el sucralfato redujo significativamente la necrosis hemorrágica inducida por el etanol. La toxicidad subcrónica en la dosis mayor mostró riesgo de esteatosis hepática. CONCLUSIÓN: En nuestras condiciones experimentales el C. palanostigma y la taspina presentaron importante efecto protector y potencial terapéutico. En toxicidad subcrónica, la dosis mayor presentó riesgo de esteatosis hepática.

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