Bücher, curare 1/90 N
DANDIYA P.C. and S.B. VOHORA 1989 Research and Development of Indigenous Drugs.
New Delhi: Institute of History of Medicine and Medical Research, XXV 363 p.
After the independence of India the government and
private agencies devoted much effort and funds for
research on indigenous drugs. According to the
WHO postulate for effective utilization of native
drugs ressources in medical programs there was Con-
ceived the idea of a national dialogue between scien-
tists of various disciplines belonging to both aca-
demic institutions and the industry of India. This
culminated in a three day symposion organized at the
Institute of History of Medicine and Medical Re-
search, New Delhi, in April 1988 where about 250
scientists from all over India took part (see curare 12
(1988):13-15). As a result of this first interdiscipli-
nary symposion on native drugs in this country the
present volume allows an extensive Overview on
ethnopharmacology, ethnobotany and medicine not
only for the themes in question in India, The inte-
grated approach to the development of new drugs
based ontraditional systems of medicine is commited
to provide drugs for medical use at a low cost to the
entire population „irrespective of the systems from
which these drugs are obtained‘ (AMAND: 10). The
general outline is a strategy of evaluation on native
plants use, nevertheless it has to be much more done
in matters of chemical, genetical, and „future drug‘
research, likewise on the ethnological and social
5haracters of traditional and integrated medicine.
Pharmacologies of single and multicomposed drugs,
identification and cultivation of medical plants,
chemistry of natural products, clinical studies, and
phyto-Chemical standardization are the main outlines
in this book which terminates in a section „Sympo-
sion recomandations‘, supposing appropiate funds
[or further extensive investigations, inventory of
drugs, identification of thrust areas (rheumatic arth-
ritis, hepatic, viral, tropical diseases etc.), animal,
mineral and marine drugs, clinical research, pharma-
COpoeial standards, production and exports.
Claus Deimel, Hamburg
GUARRERA Paolo 1989 Fitoterapia, pratiche e credenze tradizionali relative alle piante nella
provincia di Roma. Storia e Medicina Populare VII, 1:3-38.
„S. Lucia, passa da casa mia/con un mazzo di finoc-
chi/pulissimi quest’occhi.‘“ The author is describing
traditional uses and beliefs on plants at the district of
Rome found both in written and unwritten records,
This cultural history of useful Roman plants was
done under the auspices of the Cattedra di Botanica
Farmaceutica „La Sapienza‘, University of Rome,
and resolves to offer a panoramic view of phytother-
apeutic and ethnobotanical knowledge partly, but
decreasingly, still in use at this area of cityation in
Italy. The 130 described plants are devided into
several groups according to their use: medical, ve-
terinarian, cosmetic, aromatic, ritualistic, and game-
plants, plants against vegetal and animal parasites,
plants on proverbs, and „infiorate‘“, The article per-
mits a good insight on Roman traditions and useful
activation of plants use. The use of antiparasite vege-
ials reminds the possibility of cultivation of plants
without relying on common conventional plant pro-
tective agents etc. A „biological agriculture‘“ is what
the author prospects for winning the game of destruc-
tion of traditional knowledge.
Claus Deimel, Hamburg
LEMOS DE ARRUDA CAMARGO Maria Thereza 1988 Contribuciones a los estudios
etno-farmacobotänicos de especies vegetales usadas en los ritos afrobrasileros. Montalban
20:151-165.
It should be important, says the author, that modern
investigation is oriented into two directions: The
investigation of the „valor simbölico‘ inthe religious
context, and a farmacobotanic research establishing
„paralelismos‘“ between symbolical function and
psychative reactions. Interpretation, certainly not de-
scription, is what the author is looking for. Few plants
have been selected: Cola acuminata, Mimosa hos-
tilis, and Nicotiana tabacum. In several bibliographic
notes the psychoactive stimulation on CNS are re-
peatingly revealed but deeper insights into use of
Ylants, not to say to the abundance of plants used in
afrobrasilian cults, are missed even the author is
working since years in some Umbanda-centers of
Sao Paulo and Ibiüna. But the reader might find
1seful acknowledgements to other authors (Bastide,
Santos, Lima, Alvarenga etc.) whose findings were
put together in synopses.
Claus Deimel, Hamburg
