w w w . s b f g n o s i a . o r g . b r / r e v i s t a
Original
Article
Useful
Brazilian
plants
under
the
view
of
the
writer-naturalist
João
Guimarães
Rosa
Teresinha
Lins
Chaves
a,
Letícia
Ricardo
a,b,c,
Juliana
de
Paula-Souza
d,
Maria
das
Grac¸
as
Lins
Brandão
a,b,∗ aCentroEspecializadoemPlantasAromáticas,MedicinaiseTóxicas,MuseudeHistóriaNaturaleJardimBotânico,UniversidadeFederaldeMinasGerais,BeloHorizonte,MG,Brazil bLaboratóriodeFarmacognosia,FaculdadedeFarmácia,UniversidadeFederaldeMinasGerais,BeloHorizonte,MG,BrazilcDepartamentodeAssistenciaFarmacêuticaeInsumosEstratégicos,SecretariadeCiência,TecnologiaeInsumosEstratégicos,MinistériodaSaúde,Brasília,DF,Brazil dDECEB,UniversidadeFederaldeSãoJoãodelRei,SeteLagoas,MG,Brazil
a
r
t
i
c
l
e
i
n
f
o
Articlehistory: Received15March2015 Accepted15June2015 Availableonline10July2015
Keywords: JoãoGuimarãesRosa Writer
Cerrado Savannah Usefulplants
a
b
s
t
r
a
c
t
Thisstudyshowstheresultsofawidebutnon-exhaustivereviewonplantscitedintheliteracywork ofthewriter-naturalistJoãoGuimarãesRosa(J.G.Rosa).Informationaboutpopularnamesanduseof plantswererecoveredthroughareviewinsevenworksoftheauthor.Theassignmentofthescientific nameswasbasedinotherpreviousethnobotanicalstudiesperformedinsimilarareasofCerradoinMinas Geraisstate.Foreachspecies,dataabouttheirpresenceintheBrazilianOfficialPharmacopoeia,orusefor preparingcommercialproductswerechecked.Atotalof964popularnamesforplantswererecovered,59 ofthembeingmorefrequentlycited.Fromthetotalcitations,57nativespecieshavetheirusedescribed bytheauthorbutcuriously,onlythirteenarereferredtoasmedicinal.Itisassumedthattheliterature fromJ.G.RosaisveryrichindataabouttheutilityoftheplantsfromtheCerrado;however,thepresent workshowsthathisinterestwasrathertheliterary(poetic)creation,andwedemystifythatsupposition. ©2015SociedadeBrasileiradeFarmacognosia.PublishedbyElsevierEditoraLtda.Allrightsreserved.
Introduction
Despitethisrichnessandrelevance,Brazil’snativevegetationis continuouslysufferingdestructioninconsequenceofdifferent eco-nomiccycles,whichstartedwiththeexplorationofBrazilwoodin early1500s(Mittermeieretal.,2005).Asaconsequence,the
knowl-edgeabouttheusefulnativeplants,mainlythatfromAmerindian
origin,iscurrentlythreatened.Medicinalplantsarewidelyusedin bothruralandurbanareasofBrazilbuttheintensemiscegenation ofculturesoverthelastcenturieshaspopularizedtheuseofexotic
and imported plants in medicine(Medeiroset al., 2013).Most
plantsareusedaccordingtofolktradition,mostlybroughttothe countrybyEuropeansandAfricans,thisthereforeprivileging for-eignoverindigenousmedicine.Informationabouttheuseofplants canbefoundinclassicliterature,suchasCervantes(López-Mu˜noz etal.,2006)ortheBible(Rennó,1970),andsuchhistoricalreviews
representanimportantinstrumentforrecoveringdataabout
tra-ditional,ancientknowledge(Brandãoetal.,2011;Medeiros,2008; Heinrichetal.,2006).Overthelastyears,ourresearchgrouphas
beenfocusingonthestudyofmaterialsfromEuropean
natural-iststhattraveledthroughoutBrazilinthe19thcentury.Amassive
∗ Correspondingauthor.
E-mail:mbrandao@farmacia.ufmg.br(M.d.G.L.Brandão).
amountofdataaboutBraziliannativespecieshavebeencollected
and putavailablein a databank(dataplamt.org.br).Thistypeof
workisimportantbecausethisinformationisprimary,thatis,they weretakenatatimewhenthenativevegetationwasstillpreserved andtheuseofplantswasmadealmostexclusivelyfromspeciesof theBrazilianbiodiversity.Inthisstudy,weshowtheresultsofa non-exhaustivereviewontheplantsdescribedinthebooksofthe Brazilianwriter-naturalistJoãoGuimarãesRosa(J.G.Rosa).
J.G.Rosawasanovelistandshortstorywriter.Hewasbornin June27,1908inCordisburgo,averysmalltowninthenorth-central partofMinasGeraisstate,Brazil,aplacethatinspiredmuchofhis literarywork.Hebelongedtoatraditionalfarmingfamilyof cat-tleranchers.Sincehischildhood,J.G.Rosahadpreferredtoplay
withnaturaltoys,andenjoyedorganizingmuseumsofinsectsand
leaves,thishabitoriginallybeingstimulatedbyreadingsaboutthe
topic.Hewasinterestedinstudyingplantsandconstructedmaps
andschemesforclassifyingthem.HeattendedhighschoolinBelo Horizonte,thestate’scapitalcity,wherehealsostudiedmedicine. Afterreceivinghisdegreein1930,heworkedasaphysicianinrural areasofMinasGerais.Atthistime,hehadalreadybeguntowrite andpublishshortstories.In1934,heappliedfortheBrazilian For-eignServiceandbecameacareerdiplomat,andservedinGermany,
FranceandColombia,RosaisoneofthemostimportantBrazilian
authors,andcanbeconsideredawriter-naturalist,sincehiswork isbasedonaveryaccurateobservationofthewildlife.J.G.Rosa
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2015.06.003
knewhowtocombinehismedicalknowledgewithhisroleasa
poet-naturalist.HediscoursedaboutmanyaspectsoftheCerrado
inhisbooksandwasconcernedwiththepredatoryexploitation
thatwasalreadyoccurringinthedecadeof1950(Chaves,2013).
Materialsandmethods
DataaboutplantscitedintheworkofJ.G.Rosawereobtained
from an extensive, but no-exhaustive review, of the following
publications:Sagarana(31sted., 1984,hereaftercited asSAG); ManuelzãoandMiguilim(BigManuelandLittleManuel,9thed.,1984, MAMI);NoitesnoSertão(NightsintheBacklands,9thed.,2001,NS); NoUrubuquaquánoPinhém(InUnrubuquaquá,inPinhém,9thed., 2001,UP);GrandeSertão:Veredas(TheDeviltoPayintheBacklands, 36thed.,1986,GSV);PrimeirasEstórias(Firststories,47thed.,1988, PE)andTutaméia(6thed.,1985,TUT).Thesebookswerefirst
pub-lishedin1946(SAG),1956(MAMI,NS,UPandGSV),1962(PE)and
1967(TUT).
Eachbookwascarefullystudiedandinformationsonpopular
namesandusesofplantswererecovered.Allthenamesassigned
forplantswerecollectedandorganizedinalist,presentedas
sup-plementary material. It is important tonote that many names
of plants were also written with variations. For example: we
canfindinthebooksthename“abóbora”andotherderivatives
like“abóbora-d’água”and“abóbora-moranga”.Anotherexample
isthe“angelim”,“angelim-amargo”,“angelim-macho”or
“angelim-umburana”.Itisimpossibletodeterminewhetherthesevariations
of names were assigned for the same “abóbora” or “angelim”,
respectively,orrepresentdifferentspeciesofplants.The verifica-tionofwhichnamewasassignedforaplantwasdifficult,because theauthorgavedifferentnamesforanimals,insectsandlandscape too.
Fromthegloballistofpopularnames,Table1wasconstructed
with the more frequently cited names (five times or more in
thewholework). The nativeplants that had somekind ofuse
describedbytheauthor, weremarkedwith(*)and includedin
Table2.Thistablealsocontainstheothernativespeciesless fre-quentlycited,butwithsomekindofusedescribed.Forplantsin Table2,scientific nameswereassigned bycrossing thepopular
nameswithdatafromethnobotanicalstudiesconductedinareas
ofCerradofromMinasGeraisandGoiásstates(Limaetal.,2012; Silva-Júnior,2005;RodriguesandCarvalho,2007;Silva-Júniorand Pereira,2009;Vila-Verdeetal.,2003;Rizzoetal.,1999).Thenames
werealsocomparedwithdatafromfieldbooksoftwoEuropean
naturaliststhattraveledinareasofCerradoin19thcentury(Fagg etal.,2014;Brandãoetal.,2012).Formanyplants,assigning
sci-entificnameswasnotdifficultbecausetheyarewellknownand
havecurrentpopularuse. Examplesoftheseplantsinclude
car-queja,easilyassigned asBacchariscrispaandpequi, asCaryocar brasiliense.Otherscientificnameswereassignedbasedonthe com-mentsmadebytheauthor,forexamplethearnica.Hisdescription includedthatthisplanthadtheformofachandelier,atypical char-acteristicofLychnophoraspecies,Asteraceae.Accordingtoastudy performedbyMeyer(2008),theauthorusedinhisfieldnotes sev-eralplantcharacteristics(overallaspect,colorsandodor)torecord theirpopularnames.Forotherplants,itwasmoredifficulttoassign scientificnames,especiallywhenthesamepopularnamerefersto twoormorespecies.Thisisthecaseoflaranjeira-do-campo,which
canrefer toboth Styraxcamporum, Styracaceae,and Esenbeckia
febrifuga,Rutaceae.Thereisnodoubtthatstudyingthevegetation andperformingfieldsurveyswithlocalinhabitantsforanalyzing
livingspecimensintheareasvisitedbytheauthorwouldbethe
mostappropriatewaytoassignscientificnamestotheplantscited inthisbooks,however,thistaskwouldrepresentaneffortbeyond
thepurposesofthiswork,andwasnotperformedatthismoment.
Circuito Guimaráes Rosa
Pirapora
Monas Gerais Buritizeiro
Corinto Morro da
Garça
Inimutaba Presidente Juscelino
Cordisburgo
N Curvelo
Araçaí
Fig.1. PathstakenbyGuimarãesRosathroughthe“sertão”. Source:FONTE:http://www.circuitoguimaraesrosa.com.br/novo/?pageid=260
Correctspelling,applicationandauthorshipofscientificnamesof nativespecieswerecheckedintheonlinedatabaseListade Espé-ciesdaFloradoBrasil(http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br)andTropicos (http://www.tropicos.org/Home.aspx)wasconsultedfortheexotic species.Specialistswerefurtherconsultedfortheconfirmationof
doubtfulnames.
Table2alsoprovidesthereferenceforeachbookandpagewhere theinformationwasobtained.Italsoindicatesthedescriptionsof thevariouscategoriesofuse(medicinal,food,construction,fuel,
technologyandornamental),amongotherobservations(Britoand
Senna-Valle, 2012). We checkedtherelevance of each plantas
medicinalbytheircitationin (1)monographsfromthe1st
edi-tionoftheBrazilianPharmacopoeia(Brandãoetal.,2009)and(2)
informationontheuseofplantsforthepreparationof
commer-cialproductsbyPharmaceuticalLaboratoriesfromMinasGerais
(Brandãoetal.,2010).
Resultsanddiscussion
TheCerrado offersa vastbiological diversity and represents
oneof themost plentifulnatural resourcesfor potentially
use-fulspecies,includingmedicinalplants.Europeannaturalistswho visitedBrazilduringthe19thcentury,suchasAugustede Saint-HilaireandGeorgeGardner,alsorecordedintheirworkstheuseof hundredsofusefulspeciesfromtheCerrado,whichtheycalled,just likeJ.G.Rosadid,sertão(backlands)(Faggetal.,2014;Brandãoetal., 2012).J.G.RosatraveledthroughoutmanyareasoftheCerradoin MinasGerais,andhisimpressionsarewidelydescribedinhiswork. Fig.1showstheareashevisitedaroundthestate,currentlyknown as“J.G.Rosacircuit”(BezerraandHeidemann,2006).J.G.Rosahas observedtheaspectsofbiodiversityandcultureoftheseplaceswith
astonishingaccuracy,andmadepoetrywithseveralofthem.The
authorcreatedaunique,innovativelanguageinspiredinthefolk speechoftheBrazilianbacklands,byusingliteracyresourcessuch
asrhymes,metaphorsandmagicalevents.
Inthisreview,964popularnamesforplants wererecovered
Table1
PopularnamesandtheirvariationsmorefrequentlycitedbyJ.G.Rosa,andrespectivepages:UrubuquaquánoPinhém(UP),Sagarana(SAG),GrandeSertão:Veredas(GSV); NoitesnoSertão(NS),ManuelzãoandMiguilim(MAMI),PrimeirasEstórias(PE)andTutaméia(TUT).
Popularname UP(1956) SAG(1946) GSV(1956) NS(1956) MAMI(1956) PE(1962) TUT(1967)
Abóbora 104 123,195
Abóbora-d’água 280 145
Abóbora-moranga 246
Alecrim 38,44,50,132,133 120,275 37,167 51,94
Alecrim-tristão 152
Algodão/algodoal 203,304,318 308 158,218 69
Algodão-bibol 537
Algodão-mussulim 537
Algodão-rasga-letras 537
Angelim 158 185,253,268 237
Angelim-amargo 149,203
Angelim-macho 149
Angelim-rosa 254
Angelim-umburana 36
Angico* 42,200,266,
373
15,281,490 237 190
Angico-surucucú 150
Angico-verdadeiro 236,321
Angico-vero 154
Arac¸á 32 35 181
Arac¸á-branco 179
Arac¸á-das-almas 150
Arac¸á-de-pomba 150 181
Araticum* 270 200,322 97,326,412,
504
190
Araticum-da-beira-do-rio
150
Araticum-do-sertão 149
Aroeira 27 21,33,153,
191,244,266, 277
24 151
Aroeira-brava 151
Aroeira-campestre 151
Arrozal/arroz 133,138,142 86,263,295,
364 69,123,188 194
Arroz-de-cutia 154
Assa-peixe* 153,230 134,168,252 163,449 158 158
Assa-peixebranco 153
Bálsamo 243 281
Bálsamo(dahorta) 101
Bálsamo-de-cheiro eterno
31,149
Bálsamodeunguento 34,283
Bambu 87,119,153,
167,243,252, 254,263
35 186 123
Banana 256 188 199
Banana-brava 51
Banana-ouro 278
Bananeira 224 135,185,217,
317
130,369 60
Bananeira-do-campo 160
Barbatimão* 200,322,376 15 149 126 181
Buriti* 32,36,53,70, 101,108,109, 111,112,115, 118,119,121, 128,130,139, 141,145,146, 147,148,150, 151,159,160, 161,163,165, 174,182,186, 187,192,206, 214,218,219, 220,225,226, 227,236,242, 260,283,296, 302,311
43,68,256,377 22,35,44,57, 65,66,85,97, 101,135,166, 253,268,269, 270,271,273, 274,277,279, 285,310,326, 331,333,335, 353,372,383, 445,449,457, 482,483,492, 504,529,
73,117,125, 127,134,140, 146,150,151, 152,153,154, 157,158,166, 167,168,169, 171,180,181, 188,189,190, 208,209,222, 223,226,230, 236,257,265, 268,285,299, 302,316
17,19,76,89, 95,111,118, 126,142,147, 148,201,215, 238,253,255
9 72,179,
180,191
Buriti-bravo 165
Buritizal 70,73
Café/cafezal 19,175,317,
325
24,33,99,263, 423,434
36,84,310 82
Table1(Continued)
Popularname UP(1956) SAG(1946) GSV(1956) NS(1956) MAMI(1956) PE(1962) TUT(1967)
Cajueiro 165 170,406 130 104
Cajueiro-anão 412
Canela-de-ema* 151 23,462 9 52
Caraíba 165,154 330,409 236
Caraíba-de-flor-roxa 268
Caraíba-urucuiã 269
Carnaúba 122,150 65,81,101
Carnaubais 271
Cedro 135,138,143 89 36 130 18
Cedro-fèmea 150
Cedro-í 150
Cedro-nã 150
Congonha* 152,187 379 190
Congonha-de-goiás 152
Coqueiro 140,146,152,
239,245,376 145,151,155 30
Coqueirocatolé 169
Embira(corda) 321 61 148
Embira-barriguda-do-sertão
149
Embiradebananeira 163
Faveira* 65,149,150 89,203,406 160 190
Faveleira 151
Feijão 263,295,465 69,123,188
Feijãobravo 87,436
Feijão-da-seca 364
Feijãomulatinho 174
Feijãopreto 174
Feijoal 246
Fumo* 273,300 158,159,184,
211,243,260, 366
177,256,326, 412,413
135,222
Gameleira 31 134,209,210 84,265,449,
450
51,140 68,152,160
Gameleirabranca 449
Goiaba/Goiabal 88,140,209 434 49 99,181
Goiabeira 213,232 310
Gravatá* 31,50,154,231 246,253 208,218,265, 449
70,236,243
Ingá 43 167 79
Ingazeiro 210 251
Ipê* 100,111,154,
165,236 9,62 190,198
Jacarandá 130,255
Jacarandáanosos 373
Jacarandá-cabiúna 65,142
Jacarandá-de-espinho 52
Jacarandá-mimosim 149 Jacarandá-muxiba 149
Jacarandá-tã 70
Jacarandá-violeta 73
Jatobá* 165,208 177,306 12,199 36 46
Jatobá-do-campo 159
Jenipapeiro 64,154 145 406 137 30,114,118
Jequitibá* 185,321 167 84
Jequitibá-rosa 255
Jequitibá-vermelho 257
Laranja 60,277 267 134,135
Laranja-da-china 247
Laranja-da-terra 368 138
Laranjal 318 275 200,212,313
Laranjeira 403 188
Laranjeira-do-campo 47
Limão 136,158 36 135
Limoeiro 249 356 224,251 73
Lírios 164,271 147 324
Lírios-do-brejo 271
Lobeira* 492 108,148,150,
160
154
Mamão 138 104,105 356
Mamão-macho 249
Mamoeiro 517 249 359
Mamoeiro-bravo 154
Mandioca 4,203,283 123 224,254
MandiocaBrava 4
Table1(Continued)
Popularname UP(1956) SAG(1946) GSV(1956) NS(1956) MAMI(1956) PE(1962) TUT(1967)
Manga 49 246,266
Mangueira 168 186 225,230 153,217 166
Mangaba 24,37 259 211 51,190
Mangabal 36
Mangabeira* 25
Mangabeiral 446
Mangabeirinha 37
Mangabeiro 377
Mangabeira
pedidora-de-esmola 322
Milho 465 69,214 28,32,172 135,138,161,
203,220,227, 228,284,295, 304,323
51
Murici* 203 233 177,196,322 190
Oiricuri 127,462 238 188 93
Paineira* 39,76,243 31,66,143
Palmeira 49,413,449 210 150,168,180,
316
32,53,101, 102,192,217
123,124 169 190
Palmeira-leque 265
Palmeira-pindoba 458
Palmeiral 413
Palmeirim 150
Pau-bate-caixa* 424 29,150 100,101,149 265
Pau-d’arco 233,271,311 33,376
Pau-d’óleo* 84,89 31,65 68,201,376
Pau-terra 159,160,161,
163
319
Pequi* 158,265,256 29 270 277 127
Pequizeiro 199,326 159
Pimenta-de-macaco* 257 167 137,142,271
Sassafrás 22,504 32,149,266 108,124,161 51,83
Sassafrás-da-serra 150
Sassafrás-serrano 51
Sassafrazal 268
Sucupira 61 38 108 183,205
Tingui* 93,152 150,233 44 57
Umburana 296,496 146,218,235
UmburanaBranca 455 *Plantswithusespecifiedbytheauthor.
andwereincludedinTable1.Thistableshowsthatthebookwith highestnumberofcitationsforplantsisUP(158citations),followed
byGSV(153)andNS(123).SAG,MAMI,PEandTUThave114,55,
47and36citationsofplants,respectively.Thislargenumberof differentpopularnamesregisteredbytheauthorwithintheshort distanceshecoveredinhistravelsreflectshisinterestinsuch
infor-mation,andthestrongbondsoftheinhabitantswiththeCerrado
biodiversity.
Amongthese more frequentlycited plants from Table1, 22
(markedas*in Table1)havetheirusesdetailed bytheauthor.
Theseand35otherplantswereincludedinTable2.Twelvespecies
aredescribedasfoodorforbeveragepreparation(sweets,wines
andliqueurs)amongthemaraticum(Annonaspp.),buriti( Mauri-tiaflexuosa),cagaiteira(Eugeniadysenterica),faveira(Dimorphandra mollis), gabiroba (Campomanesia pubescens), gravatá (Aechmea bromeliifolia),juá(Ziziphusjoazeiro),lobeira(Solanumlycocarpum), mangabeira(Hancorniaspeciosa),pequi(Caryocarbrasiliense),and pitanga(Eugeniapitanga)andtingui (Magoniapubescens).Many
species from theCerrado have recently gained acceptance and
importanceinindustry,andsomeofthemaremarketedinBrazil
in the form of juices, sweets, ice cream and candies. Tropical
ecosystemsareveryrichinediblefruitsandseveralofthemwere registeredbythenaturalists,especiallySaint-Hilaire,whonamed them“wildfruits”(Brandãoetal.,2012).Saint-Hilairespecified
that thefruitsfromtheCerrado werecertainly betterthanthe
European,butitwasnecessarytosubmitthemtoculturaltracts. Infact, thepossibility ofintroducingsuchproductsin theform
ofnutraceuticalsandfoodsupplementscouldimprovetheiruse
andincludethemininternationalmarkets(Desmarchelier,2010;
SaklaniandKutty,2008).However,onefactorthatpreventstheuse ofthesespeciesisthelackofdetailedagronomicstudies,which couldincreaseproductivity,postharvestqualityandcontributeto itsmarketavailability.
Six other plants are described as useful in themanufacture
ofvariousproducts,suchasmarcela-do-campo(Achyrocline
sat-ureioides) in pillows; macaúba Acrocomia aculeata and tingui (Magoniapubescens)forthepreparationofsoap,aroeira(Schinus terebinthifolius)andbarbatimão(Stryphnodendronspp.)inthe tan-nery.Fivespecieswerepresentedasfuel,fiveasornamentaland
fourasuseful forconstruction. Sevenspecieswere citedin the
textas trees that growin river banks(“beira derio”) and this
information is highlighted by us becauseit might be useful to
implementprojectsofgalleryforestrestoration.Forburiti(Mauritia flexuosa),whichwascitedseveraltimes,theauthorprovides infor-mationregardingitsconfirmedandpotentialuses.Thisplantalso attractedtheattentionofSaint-HilaireandGardnerwhodescribed thesamepossibilitiesforitsuse(Faggetal.,2014;Brandãoetal., 2012).ThesameusesforthespeciesofTable2werealsoobserved inmorerecentethnobotanicalstudies(Silva-Júnior,2005;Borba andMacedo,2006;RodriguesandCarvalho,2007;Silva-Júniorand Pereira,2009).
Thirteen species were cited as remedies but only four has
specific therapeutic indications. For allof them, theproperties
couldbeexplainedbythephytochemicalcontent.Barksofangico
(Anadenantheraspp.),forexample,weredescribedasusefulinbath
Table2
UsefulplantsfromtheCerradocitedbyJ.G.Rosain7ofhisbooks.
Popularnames/possiblescientificnamesandfamilies Book*:page Uses
Alcanfor,pé-de-perdiz/CrotonantisyphiliticusMart.
(Euphorbiaceae) UP:31,153;SAG:243 Remedy
Almecega,almesca/Protiumheptaphyllum (Aubl.)Marchand(Burseraceae)1
GSV:177;NS:167 Resin
Angelim-umburana/Andiraspp.(Fabaceae) NS:36 Aromaticoilforwomen’shair Angico/Anadenantheraspp.
(Fabaceae)1,2 Seetable1 Remedybark)/tannerytohealwounds(bathwiththe Araticu,araticum/Annonaspp.
(Annonaceae) Seetable1 fruit/candies
Arnica/Lychnophoraspp.(Asteraceae)2 GSV:281;PE:9;SAG:243; TUT:50
Remedyforpainandedema
Aroeira/SchinusterebinthifoliusRaddi(Anacardiaceae)1 GSV:151 Tannery Assa-peixe/Vernonanthurapolyanthes(Spreng.)Vega&Dematt.
(Asteraceae)2 Seetable1 Remedyforocularinflammation
Barbatimão/Stryphnodendronspp.(Fabaceae)1,2 Seetable1 Tannery/coal/wood/cork
Buriti/MauritiaflexuosaL.f.(Arecaceae) Seetable1 Liqueur/wine/candies/food/construction/handcrafts (networks,mat,ropes,baskets,bags,boxes). Cabriúva/MyroxylonperuiferumL.f.(Fabaceae) NS32 Balsamic,odoriferous
Cagaiteira/Eugeniadysenterica(Mart.)DC.(Myrtaceae) MAMI:152,177;UP:187;NS: 47,158;SAG:191
Tea/fruit
Cambará/LantanacamaraL.(Verbenaceae) SAG:56,257–258 Witchcraft Candeia,guia-torto/Eremanthusspp.(Asteraceae)1 GSV:469;UP:160;TUT:51,52 Fuel Canela-de-ema/Velloziaspp.
(Velloziaceae)
Seetable1 Fuel
Carnedevaca/RoupalamontanaAubl.(Proteaceae) NS:166–167 Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Caroba-do-campo/Jacarandacaroba(Vell.)DC.
(Bignoniaceae)1,2 NS:34;PE:62 Remedy
Carqueja/BacchariscrispaSpreng.(Asteraceae)1,2 UP:31 Remedy Congonha/Rudgeaviburnoides(Cham.)Benth.
(Rubiaceae)2 Seetable1 Tea
Faveira/DimorphandramollisBenth.(Fabaceae) Seetable1 Liqueur/woodforconstruction
Fumo/NicotianatabacumL.(Solanaceae) Seetable1 Remedy
Gabiroba/Campomanesiapubescens(Mart.exDC.)O.Berg (Myrtaceae)
SAG:177,196 Fruit/perfum
Gameleira/FicusgomelleiraKunth(Moraceae) UP:208 Remedy(milk) Goiabeira/PsidiumguajavaL.(Myrtaceae) UP:213,232NS:310 Tea
Gonc¸aloAlves/AstroniumfraxinifoliumSchott(Anacardiaceae) NS:32,167;UP:149, Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Gravatá/Aechmeabromeliifolia(Rudge)Baker(Bromeliaceae) Seetable1 Perfum/fruits Ingá/IngaveraWilld.(Fabaceae) GSV:251;NS:167;PE:79;
SAG:43 Observedtherestorationinriverofbanksgallery(potentiallyforests) usefulin Ipê,caraíba/Handroanthusspp.,Tabebuiaspp.(Bignoniaceae)2 Seetable1 Woodforconstruction
Jatobá/HymenaeacourbarilL.,H.stigonocarpaMart.exHayne (Fabaceae)2
Seetable1 Remedy,resin
Jequitibá/Carinianaspp.(Lecythidaceae)1,2 Seetable1 Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Joá/ZiziphusjoazeiroMart.(Rhamnaceae) MAMI:68;SAG:27,13,252 Fruits
João-da-costa/Peltastespeltatus(Vell.)Woodson(Apocynaceae) UP:31 Remedy
Jurema/Mimosaspp.(Fabaceae) GSV:462 Tea
Landim,olandim/CalophyllumbrasilienseCambess. (Calophyllaceae)
NS:166–167 Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Língua-de-teiú/CaseariasylvestrisSw.(Salicaceae)1 UP:31 Remedy Lobeira/SolanumlycocarpumA.St.-Hil.(Solanaceae) Seetable1 Fruits/ornamental Macaúba/Acrocomiaaculeata(Jacq.)Lodd.exMart.(Arecaceae) GSV:126,256,411 Soap
Malva-do-campo/KielmeyeraroseaMart.&Zucc. (Calophyllaceae)
UP:235;PE:9;SAG:175 Ornamental
Mamão/CaricapapayaL.(Caricaceae) UP259 Leavesclean/clearclothes Mangabeira,mangabas/HancorniaspeciosaGomes
(Apocynaceae)
Seetable1 Fruits/candies
Marcela-do-campo/Achyroclinesatureioides(Lam.) DC.(Asteraceae)
GSV:205;MAMI:37 Pillow/tea
Marmelada-de-cachorro/Cordierasessilis (Vell.)Kuntze(Rubiaceae)
NS:167;UP:151 Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Murici/Byrsonimaverbascifolia(L.)DC. (Malpighiaceae)
Seetable1 Fruit/fuel
Paineira/Ceibaspeciosa(A.St.-Hil.)Ravenna(Malvaceae) Seetable1 Ornamental Paubate-caixa,bate-caixa/PalicourearigidaKunth
(Rubiaceae)1,2 Seetable1 Perfum
Pau-d’óleo/CopaiferalangsdorffiiDesf.(Fabaceae)1,2 Seetable1 Woodforconstruction Pau-pombo/TapiriraguianensisAubl.
(Anacardiaceae)
GSV:90,449;NS:167 Observedinriverbanks(potentiallyusefulin therestorationofgalleryforests)
Pau-doce/VochysiatucanorumMart.(Vochysiaceae) GSV:423;MAMI:157;NS: 160;SAG:319
Ornamental
Table2(Continued)
Popularnames/possiblescientificnamesandfamilies Book*:page Uses
Pau-santo/KielmeyeraspeciosaA.St.-Hil.(Calophyllaceae) NS:160;UP:101;SAG:196, 319
Ornamental
Pequizeiro,pequi/CaryocarbrasilienseCambess. (Caryocaraceae)
Seetable1 Liqueur/fruit
Peroba/AspidospermatomentosumMart. (Apocynaceae)
GSV:89;UP:214;SAG:37; TUT:190
Woodforconstruction
Pimenta-de-macaco,pindaíba/Xylopiaaromatica(Lam.)Mart.
orXylopiasericeaA.St.-Hil.(Annonaceae) Seetable1 Remedyforchestpain/tea
Pitanga/Eugeniapitanga(O.Berg)Kiaersk.
(Myrtaceae)2 GSV:265;PE:9;SAG:154,370 Fruit
Tingui/MagoniapubescensA.St.-Hil.(Sapindaceae) Seetable1 Soap/fruit/fuel
Unha-de-vaca-roxa/Bauhiniaspp.(Fabaceae)2 UP:31 Remedy
Velame-branco/Mandevillavelame(A.St.-Hil.)Pichon
(Apocynaceae)2 PE:9 Ornamental
Seeotherpopularnamesinthelist(Supplementarymaterial).
*GSV,GrandeSertão:Veredas,MAMI,ManuelzãoeMiguilim,NS,NoitesdoSertão,UP,NoUrubuquaquá,noPinhém,PE,PrimeirasEstórias,SAG,Sagarana,TUT,Tutaméia. 1SpeciesincludedintheBrazilianOfficialPharmacopoeia1stEdition(1926)(Brandãoetal.,2009).
2SpeciesusedformedicinepreparationbyPharmaceuticalLaboratoriesofMinasGerais(Brandãoetal.,2010).
tannery, besides barbatimãoand aroeira – this plant is largely
knownasrichintannins,astringentsubstancesthatpromote cica-trization(Oliveiraetal.,2011;Feuereisenetal.,2014).Theauthor
also mentions that arnica was used to treat pain and edema.
AlthougharnicaistheofficialnameofanEuropeanplantthatdoes notnaturallyoccursinBrazil(Arnicamontana),othernativespecies areknownasarnicainthiscountry,andbasedonthedescription ofJ.G.Rosa,thisnamecanbeassignedtoaspeciesofLychnophora (Asteraceae).SimilarlytoA.montana,recentstudieshaveshown thatspeciesinthis genusarealsorichinvolatilesesquiterpene lactones,acompoundwithtopicalantiiflammatoryactivity(Abreu etal.,2013).Vernonanthurapolyanthesispopularlyknownbythe vernacularname“assa-peixe”,andthisspeciesisveryrichinresins
andvolatileoilswithantimicrobialandantiinflamatory
proper-ties(Silvaetal.,2012;Temponietal.,2012),whichcanexplainits
usetotreateyeinflammations.Pimenta-de-macacoisthepopular
namegivenfortwodifferentspeciesofXylopia(X.aromaticaandX. sericea)andtheauthordescribeditsusetotreatchestpains.Recent researchhasindicatedthatXylopiaspeciesarerichinvolatile sub-stancesthatcausehyperemia,andcanalleviatesuchpain(Oliveira etal.,2014).
ItisgenerallyassumedthattheliteraturefromJ.G.Rosaisvery richindataaboutthemedicalutilityoftheplantsfromthe
Cer-rado,butweprovideconsistentevidencethatthisassumptionis
equivocal.J.G.Rosagrewinasmalltownintheverycountrysideof Brazil,andhadsincehischildhoodstronginterestinnatural
sci-ences(Chaves,2013).From1931to1933,he wasa “hinterland
medicaldoctor”insmalltownsinMinasGerais,andhecertainly
hadcontactwiththemedicinalplantsusedbythepopulation.It
ispossiblethattheseexperienceshaveinfluencedhimtodosuch anextensiveinventoryabouttheplants(Table1).However,one pointneedsclarificationandmustbediscussed:whyJ.G.Rosadid
mentionsofewobservationsaboutthetherapeuticpropertiesof
theplantsinhisworks(onlyfourplants)?Somehypothesescan
beformulatedaboutthis matter:(i) contrarytowhatis
gener-allyassumed,J.G.Rosadidnothaveenoughknowledgeaboutthe
medicalutilitiesoftheplants,andthiskindofinformationwas notrelevantforhisartisticpurposes.Hisinterestwastoknowthe namesoftheplants,regardlessoftheiruse,onlyforthepurposes
ofapoeticcreation.Hewrotemanyinterestingobservationsfor
someusefulplants,likemangabeirathat“asksforalms”(SAG322),
arnica“inpale chandeliers”(PE9),barbatimãowith“round
lit-tleleavesjust likecoins”(NS150);(ii)hehadknowledgeabout theutilityoftheplantsbutstill, theirmedicinalaspectwasnot
relevant for his creative purposes. It is important tonote that
theliteracyoutputofJ.G.Rosaspannedthedecadeof1950–1960
(exceptSagarana,whichwaspublishedin1946).Atthistime,there
wasagrowingestablishmentoflargeforeignpharmaceutical
com-panies in Brazil,and themassive introductionof syntheticand
industrializedproducts.Thisfactpromotedstrongchangesonthe
methodsappliedinconventionalmedicine,themedicinalplants
beingconsideredasineffectiveandamarginalmethodof
treat-ment(Carvalho,2003;Telles,2007).Duringthepreviousperiod,
mostmedicineswerepreparedoutofnativespecies,andinmany
cases,theirusehadbeenformalizedbytheinclusioninthe Brazil-ianPharmacopoeia(Brandãoetal.,2009).NineplantsfromTable2
figurein thePharmacopoeia: almecega(Protium heptaphyllum),
angico(Anadenantheraspp.),barbatimão(Stryphnodendronspp.),
camará (Lantana camara), caroba-do-campo (Jacaranda caroba),
carqueja(Bacchariscrispa), jequitibá(Carinianaspp.), lingua-de-teiú (Casearia sylvestris) and pau-d’óleo (Copaifera langsdorffii).
Atthattime,Brazilianpharmaceuticalcompaniesalsoproduced
remediesusingnativemedicinalplants,basedontraditional
for-mulas.Amongthem,angico(Anadenantheraspp.)andassa-peixe
(Vernonanthurapolyanthes)havetheirmedicalusedescribedbythe author(Table2).(iii)Hehadvastknowledgeaboutthepotentialof theplants,andavoidedtospreadit,forthesakeoftheir conserva-tion.Hewasawriter-naturalist,butwithaverydifferentperception
ofnaturecomparedtotheEuropeannaturalists,whohadarather
utilitarianvisionoftheBrazilianrichness(Brandãoetal.,2011).Itis alsointerestingtopointoutthatJ.G.Rosawasadiplomatandlived formanyyearsinEurope,andhewasprobablyawareofthe inter-nationaleconomicinterestonBrazilianplants.AtthetimeofJ.G. Rosathelegislationregulatingtheaccessanduseofour biodiver-sityandtraditionalknowledgewasinexistent,andourhypothesis isthattheauthordeliberatelyomittedthisvaluableinformation, inordertopreserveournaturalandimmaterialheritagefromthe
interestsofforeignandaggressivepharmaceuticalcompanies.
Referencesforusesofexoticorothernativeunidentifiedplants werealsofoundintheworksofJ.G.Rosa:basilforaromatization ofcleanclothes(NS32),lettucerootsforsleeping(SAG219,NS 310),balsamplaster(MAMI101),poisonmilkofmilkweed(GSV44)
andfolha-miuda(GSV412,NS167),erva-café(UP216)and
erva-de-folha-miúdaispoisonousforcattle(UP199),fennel(GSV205)
andurumbeba(GSV357)totreatliverdisorders;orangeflower
teaassoothing(MAMI188),folha-santa(MAMI102), frei-jorge
(GSV357,UP149)andlosna(NS101)asremedy,erva-do-diabo
tea(VS267,UP153).Thescarcenumberofexoticspeciescitedin hisworksmightbeanevidencethattheareasofCerradowherehe
thatin areasof AtlanticForest and Pampas,for example, there
is a predominanceof the useof exoticplants (Medeiroset al.,
2013).Unfortunately, currentlytheareasdescribedby J.G.Rosa
aresuffering an aggressivereplacement of theirnative
vegeta-tionbymonocultureofEucalyptus.InotherCerradoareas,grain
productionandcattlehavegraduallyoccupiedthelandthatwas
previouslycoveredbynativevegetation(Bertran,2011;Martinelli etal.,2010).Effortsareurgentlyneededtopreservethebiodiversity ofthisBiome,includingtheonesdirectedtoliteratureandpoetry, asJ.G.Rosadid.
Conclusion
ThisworkconfirmsthebroaddescriptionofCerradoplantsin
theliteraryworkofthewriter-naturalistandshows,contraryto commonsense,theabsenceofautilitarianviewoftheplants.
Authors’contributions
TGLBChasdonethereviewinthebooks;LMRandMGLBhave
organizedthe plants and the manuscript;JP-S has revisedthe
botanicnamesandtheoccurrenceoftheplants.
Conflictsofinterest
Theauthorsdeclarenoconflictsofinterest.
Acknowledgements
ThisreviewcontainstheresultsofT.G.L.B.Chaves’Ph.D.
The-sisfundedbyCAPES/Brazil(FFLCH-USP).Theauthorsalsothank
FAPEMIG and CNPq for fellowships and financial support, Dr.
JulianaRando(UniversidadeFederaldo OestedaBahia) andDr.
MichelBarrosfortheirexpertiseinLegumenames,andDr.Benoit Loeuille(UniversidadedeSãoPaulo)forhisadviseinAsteraceae.
AppendixA. Supplementarydata
Supplementarydataassociatedwiththisarticlecanbefound,in theonlineversion,atdoi:10.1016/j.bjp.2015.06.003.
References
Abreu,V.G.,Correa,G.M.,Silva,T.M.,Fontoura,H.S.,Cara,D.C.,Piló-Veloso,D., Alcân-tara,A.F.,2013.Anti-inflammatoryeffectsinmuscleinjurybytransdermal appli-cationofgelwithLychnophorapinasteraerialpartsusingphonophoresisinrats. BMCComplem.Altern.Med.20,http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-13-270. Bertran,P.,2011.HistóriadaTerraedoHomemdoPlanaltoCentral,2nded.Editora
daUNB,Brasília,pp.615.
Bezerra,M.C.,Heidemann,D.,2006.ViajarpelosertãoRoseanoéantesdetudouma descoberta.EstudosAvanc¸ados20,7–17.
Borba,A.M.,Macedo,M.,2006.Plantasmedicinaisusadasparaasaúdebucalpela comunidadedobairroSantaCruz,ChapadadosGuimarães,MT,Brasil.ActaBot. Bras.20,771–782.
Brandão,M.G.L.,Cosenza,G.P.,Grael,C.F.F.,Netto,N.L.,Monte-Mór,R.L.M.,2009. Tra-ditionalusesofAmericanplantspeciesfromthe1steditionofBrazilianOfficial Pharmacopoeia.Rev.Bras.Farmacogn.19,478–487.
Brandão,M.G.L.,Cosenza,G.P.,Stanislau,A.M.,Fernandes,G.W.,2010.Influenceof Brazilianherbalregulationsontheuseandconservationofnativemedicinal plants.Environ.Monit.Assess.164,369–377.
Brandão,M.G.L.,Pignal,M.,Romaniuc,S.,Grael,C.F.F.,Fagg,C.W.,2012.Useful BrazilianplantslistedinthefieldbooksoftheFrenchnaturalistAugustede Saint-Hilaire(1779–1853).J.Ethnopharmacol.143,488–500.
Brandão,M.G.L.,Grael,C.F.F.,Fagg,C.W.,2011.Europeannaturalistsand medici-nalplantsofBrazil.In:Grillo,O.,Venora,G.(Eds.),BiologicalDiversityand SustainableResourcesUse,vol.101–120.Intech,Croatia,158pp.
Brito,M.R.,Senna-Valle,L.,2012.Diversityofplantknowledgeina“Caic¸ara” com-munityfromtheBrazilianAtlanticForestcoast.ActaBot.Bras.26,735–747. Carvalho, A.C.D., 2003. Feiticeiros, burlões e mistificadores: criminalidade e
mudanc¸anaspráticaspopularesdesaúdeemSãoPaulo,1950a1980.Editora UNESP,SãoPaulo.
Chaves,T.G.L.B.,2013.Falanatureza!Teuintérpreteteescuta!(Literaturaemeio ambienteemGuimarãesJ.G.Rosa).EditoraCRV,Curitiba,pp.135.
Desmarchelier,C.,2010.Neotropicsandnaturalingredientsforpharmaceuticals: whyisn’tSouthAmericanbiodiversityonthecrestofthewave?Phytother.Res. 24,791–799.
Fagg,C.W.,Lughadha,E.N.,Milliken,W.,Hind,D.N.,Brandão,M.G.L.,2014. Use-fulBrazilianplantslistedinthemanuscriptsandpublicationsoftheScottish medicandnaturalistGeorgeGardner(1810–1849).J.Ethnopharmacol.161, 18–29.
Feuereisen,M.M.,Hoppe,J.,Zimmermann,B.F.,Weber,F.,Schulze-Kaysers,N., Schieber,A.,2014.CharacterizationofphenoliccompoundsinBrazilianpepper (SchinusterebinthifoliusRaddi)Exocarp.J.Agric.FoodChem.62,6219–6226. Heinrich,M.,Kufer,J.,Leonti,M.,Pardo-de-Santayana,M.,2006.Ethnobotanyand
ethnopharmacology–interdisciplinarylinkswiththehistoricalsciences.J. Ethnopharmacol.107,157–160.
Lima,I.L.P.,Scariot,A.,Medeiros,M.B.,Sevilha,A.C.,2012.Diversidadeeusodeplanta doCerradoemcomunidadedeGeraizeirosnonortedoestadodeMinasGerais, Brasil.ActaBot.Bras.26,675–684.
López-Mu˜noz,F.,Alamo,C.,García-García,P.,2006.“Theherbsthathavetheproperty ofhealing”:thephytotherapyinDonQuixote.J.Ethnopharmacol.106,429–441. Martinelli,L.A.,Joly,A.A.,Nobre,C.A.,Sparovek,G.,2010.Afalsadicotomiaentrea preservac¸ãodavegetac¸ãonaturaleaproduc¸ãoagropecuária.BiotaNeotrop.10, 323–330.
Medeiros,M.F.T.,2008.HistoricalEthnobotany:anapproachthroughhistorical doc-umentsandtheirimplicationsnowdays.In:Albuquerque,U.P.,Hanzaki,N. (Eds.),RecentDevelopmentandCaseStudiesinEthnobotany.BrazilianSociety ofEthnobiologyandEthnoecology,Recife,pp.127–142.
Medeiros,P.M.,Ladio,A.H.,Albuquerque,U.P.,2013.Patternsofmedicinalplantuse byinhabitantsofBrazilianurbanandruralareas:amacroscaleinvestigation basedonavailableliterature.J.Ethnopharmacol.150,729–746.
Meyer,M.,2008.Ser-tãoNatureza.AnaturezaemGuimarãesRosa.EditoradaUFMG, BeloHorizonte.
Mittermeier,R.A.,Fonseca,G.A.B.,Rylands,A.B.,Brandon,K.,2005.Abriefhistoryof biodiversityconservationinBrazil.Conserv.Biol.19,601–607.
Oliveira,V.B.,Versiani,A.,Oliveira,M.,Teixeira,M.,Brandão,M.G.L.,2014.Effectsof Xylopiaaromatica(Lam.)Mart.fruitonmetabolicandinflammatorydysfunction inducedbyhighrefinedcarbohydrate-containing-dietinmice.FoodRes.Int.62, 541–550.
Oliveira,L.M.,Bevilaqua,C.M.,Macedo,I.T.,Morais,S.M.,Monteiro,M.V.,Campello, C.C.,Ribeiro,W.L.,Batista,E.K.,2011.Effectofsixtropicaltanniferousplant extractsonlarvalexsheathmentofHaemonchuscontortus.Rev.Bras.Parasitol. 20,155–160.
Rennó,L.R.,1970.VegetaisqueaBibliacitou.Oreades1,17–20.
Rizzo,J.A.,Campos,I.F.P.,Jaime,M.C.,Munhoz,G.,Morgado,W.F.,1999.Utilizac¸äo deplantasmedicinaisnascidadesdeGoiásePirenópolis,EstadodeGoiás.Rev. Bras.Cien.Farm.20,431–447.
Rodrigues,V.E.G.,Carvalho,D.A.,2007.Levantamento etnobotânicode plantas medicinaisnodomíniodoscerradosnaregiãodoAltoRioGrande–MinasGerais. Rev.Bras.PlantasMed.19(2),17–35.
Rosa,J.G.,1986.Grandesertão:veredas,36thed.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro. Rosa,J.G.,1984a.ManuelzãoeMiguilim,9thed.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro. Rosa,J.G.,2001a.Noitesdosertão,9thed.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro. Rosa,J.G.,2001b.NoUrubuquaquá,noPinhém,9thed.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro. Rosa,J.G.,1988.PrimeirasEstórias,47aimpressão.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro.
Rosa,J.G.,1984b.Sagarana,31sted.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro.
Rosa,J.G.,1985.Tutaméia(TerceirasEstórias),6thed.NovaFronteira,RiodeJaneiro. Saklani,A.,Kutty,S.K.,2008.Plantderivedcompoundsinclinicaltrials.DrugDiscov.
Today13,161–171.
Silva,N.C.,Barbosa,L.,Seito,L.N.,Fernandes,A.,2012.Antimicrobialactivityand phy-tochemicalanalysisofcrudeextractsandessentialoilsfrommedicinalplants. Nat.Prod.Res.26,1510–1514.
Silva-Júnior,M.C.,2005.100ÁrvoresdoCerrado:GuiadeCampo.RededeSementes doCerrado,Brasília.
Silva-Júnior,M.C.,Pereira,B.A.S.,2009.Mais100ÁrvoresdoCerrado–Matasde Galeria:GuiadeCampo.RededeSementesdoCerrado,Brasília.
Telles,M.F.P.,2007.Oregistrocomoformadeprotec¸ãodopatrimôniocultural ima-terial.RevistaCPC4,40–71.
Temponi,V.S.,Silva,J.B.,Alves,M.S.,Ribeiro,A.,Jesus,R.G.P.J.,Yamamoto,C.H., Pinto,M.A.,Del-Vechio,V.G.,Vieira-Sousa,O.V.,2012.Antinociceptiveand anti-inflammatoryeffectsofethanolextractfromVernoniapolyanthesleavesin rodends.Int.J.Mol.Sci.13,3887–3899.
