Ethnomedical research and review of Q’eqchi Maya women's reproductive health in the Lake Izabal region of Guatemala: Past, present and future prospects

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance In Central America, most Maya women use ethnomedicines for all aspects of their reproductive cycle including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause. However, very few of these plants have been documented, collected and tested in appropriate pharmacological assays to determine possible safety and efficacy. The aim of this work was to provide an overview of information on the ethnomedical uses, ethnopharmacology, chemistry and pharmacological research for medicinal plants used for women’s reproductive health in Guatemala, with a special emphasis on the Q’eqchi Maya of the Lake Izabal region, to demonstrate therapeutic potential and support future research in the field. Materials and Methods Reviews of the ethnobotanical, ethnomedical and ethnopharmacological literature were performed for thirty plants collected in the Lake Izabal region of Guatemala and used by the Q’eqchi Maya for treatment of reproductive health issues were performed up to and including July 2015 using multiple databases, library searches for abstracts, books, dissertations, and websites. Results and Conclusions Review of the published research confirms that many of the plants used by Q’eqchi Maya women for the management of reproductive health issues have pharmacological activities, including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, estrogenic, progestagenic and/or serotonergic effects, that support the use of these plants and provide plausible mechanisms of action for their traditional uses. Furthermore, a new serotonin agonist, 9, 10- methylenedioxy-5, 6-Z-fadyenolide was isolated, thereby demonstrating an untapped potential for drug discovery. However, to date much of the pharmacological assays have been in vitro only, and few in vivo studies have been performed. Considering the large percentage of the Maya population in Guatemala that use traditional medicines, there remains a significant lack of pharmacological and toxicological data for these plants. Future research should focus on the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants using in vivo preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as chemical analysis. Since medicinal plants from the Piperaceae are most commonly used as traditional medicines by the Q’eqchi Maya women, and new bioactive compounds have been identified from Piper species, investigations of commonly used plants from this family would be an appropriate place to start. Data generated from such studies would contribute to Guatemala’s national effort to promote a complementary relationship between traditional Maya medicine and public health services.

Ethnopharmacological Field Study of Three Q'eqchi Communities in Guatemala

“…The use of medicinal plants by the Q'eqchi' of Guatemala has been the subject of previous studies using different approaches, some of the most recent being studies on a specific species to treat the culture-bound illness “susto” (Mullally et al, 2016 ), the antifungal activity of a single species (Ta et al, 2016 ), the diagnosis of the single culture-bound illness “emplotment” (Hatala and Waldram, 2017 ), the investigation and review of Q'eqchi women's reproductive health in the Lake Izabal region (Michel et al, 2016 ), the broad study of Mayan phytomedicine in Guatemala and a further proposal for patient-centered boundary mechanisms to foster intercultural partnerships in health care (Hitziger et al, 2016 , 2017 ). The present study differs from these previous studies because it was conducted in three communities of Alta Verapaz with a normal population (no traditional healers).…”

Traditional Herbal Medicine in Mesoamerica: Toward Its Evidence Base for Improving Universal Health Coverage

“…Typically, the broad categories “digestive” (D) and “skin” (S) are among those with the highest number of associated medicinal plants and use-records ( Table 2 ). Musculoskeletal ailments (L) are often treated with massages by traditional healers called ‘ sobadores ’ or ‘ ajpamaj ’ ( Ankli et al., 1999 ; Leonti et al., 2001 ; Berger-González et al., 2016b ; Geck et al., 2016 ) while midwifes give massages for problems of the lower female organs (X) ( Weimann and Heinrich, 1997 ; Ankli et al., 1999 ; Michel et al., 2016 ). Measures for family planning (W) are provided by the IMSS in collaboration with MEXFAM.…”

In Sickness and Health: Views on Child Health From a Mayan Village

“…Formal sex education was not available for adolescent Maya girls, and conversations about sexuality were taboo among family members (Michel, Caceres, & Mahady, 2016; Wehr & Tum, 2013). Birth control methods were not used due to cultural norms, embarrassment, or belief that girls were not at risk for sexually transmitted infections (Wehr & Tum, 2013).…”

“…Other investigators reported that discussing reproductive symptoms, such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, was taboo in the Maya culture. Women relieved these symptoms with herbal remedies, yet safe use and efficacy of these herbs remained a concern (Michel et al, 2016).…”