Traditional Uses of the Family Piperaceae in Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

The ethnobotanical importance of the family Piperaceae is recognized mainly for its medicinal properties. A total of 106 species of two genera of this family (Piper and Peperomia) have been collected in Oaxaca, but only 18 are recorded in scientific publications as medicinal, edible, veterinary, or ritual plants. The objectives of this study are to describe the traditional knowledge and uses of the Piperaceae in areas of high biocultural diversity of Oaxaca and to analyze the relationship between its geographic distribution with ethnobotanical records among ethnic groups. Fieldwork was carried out between 2013 and 2016, and voucher specimens were reviewed in Mexican herbaria. Two multivariate analyses were applied to compare the geographic distribution of Piperaceae with ethnobotanical knowledge in Oaxaca. A total of 13 species of Peperomia, and 7 of Piper were collected, besides some unidentified species of both genera. Seven use categories were registered, with medicinal and edible being the most important. A high percentage (65%) of the species is named in at least one native language. Most species have a single use, mainly medicinal. Peperomia has been collected in Oaxaca since 1980, while Piper since 1960. Multivariate analysis indicated the existence of a differentiated ethnobotanical knowledge of this family among ethnic groups, related to the geographic distribution of species. This study evidences that ethnic groups, who maintain areas of higher biodiversity, obtain these species mainly from the wild, from specific microenvironments; hence, conservation practices must be reinforced for them, as for all ecosystems in general.

Brief Review on Piper aduncum L., its Bioactive Metabolites and its Potential to Develop Bioproducts

“…The family has stood out due to its pharmacological potential, attributed to its compounds, and its abundance in Brazil where several species have had their ethnomedicinal properties described [19]. Mexican researchers have also called attention to the ethnobotanical and medicinal importance of the Piperaceae family [20].…”

Actualized inventory of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in Oaxaca, Mexico

“…The choice of these regions was based on the richness of their ethnic composition, floristic diversity, and orographic complexity. This inventory was developed along with local people, who accepted the project and guided us to different places inside their territories where the plants used in the past and present could be found (for field methods, review [46,[48][49][50]). The local people also gave us information about the uses of the plants and told us about some personal experiences with them.…”

Conocimiento tradicional sobre el uso y conservación del tequelite chico en Chipahuatlan, Olintla, Puebla.

“…ex Trealease, la cual es una hierba de sombra, epífita, rupícola, reptante y carnosa (Cházaro-Basáñez et al, 2012). Se encuentra distribuida en Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Tabasco, Querétaro y Puebla (Martínez-Bautista et al, 2019;Guerra-Ramírez et al, 2020;DGRU, 2021). En este último estado se distribuye en las regiones de Huauchinango, Huehuetla, Sierra Negra, Teziutlán, Xicotepec y Zacapoaxtla (Blancas et al, 2014;Guerra-Ramírez et al, 2020y DGRU, 2021.…”

“…En el estado de Veracruz, el tequelite chico se utiliza como sustituto del cilantro en ensaladas y como condimento para preparar diferentes platillos tradicionales entre los que destacan los frijoles hervidos con ajonjolí molido, sal y chile, para lo cual se ocupan las hojas y los tallos (Vergara y Krömer, 2011). En las culturas Chinanteca y Zapoteca del estado de Oaxaca, esta especie se aprovecha como planta medicinal para tratar inflamaciones en los pies (Pérez-Nicolás et al, 2018;Martínez-Bautista et al, 2019). P. peltilimba es considerada como vulnerable a la extinción (Samain y Tebbs (2020) y en consecuencia los conocimientos tradicionales en torno a esta especie vegetal también se encuentran en riesgo.…”