Use of Medicinal Plants in Monterrey , Mexico

Mexico has a rich tradition in medicinal plant use within its diverse traditional healing practices. Many people have used medicinal herbs to treat a variety of diseases and ailments for many generations. Located in the northeast, Monterrey is Mexico’s third largest city and one of the most industrialized cities in Latin America. In spite of widespread use of modern pharmaceuticals, and the availability of “scientific” or mainstream medicine in this city, many people still rely on traditional healers, as well as the use medicinal plants to combat illness. This study was undertaken in order to obtain information regarding the most popular medicinal plants used in Monterrey, as well as their uses, forms of application, and origin. Thirteen herbal providers voluntarily accepted to be interviewed within 2 of the city’s largest popular herbal marketplaces. A questionnaire written in the Spanish language was provided to all interviewees, regarding their years in business, their source of information or expertise in recommending herbs, as well as the type of herbs employed for the treatment of various diseases or afflictions. Fifty-six medicinal plants belonging to 27 botanical families, mostly sold as crude herbs, were mentioned by the herbal providers as being the most commonly used to treat various ailments.

It is estimated that the Mexican medicinal flora contains between 3000 and 5000 plants that have potential medicinal benefit (Aguilar, 1998;Lozoya, 1994).
A total of 3,000 species have been compiled in two atlases of medicinal plants employed by diverse ethnic groups throughout Mexico (Aguilar et al., 1994).Incredibly, of these only approximately 1% of them have been studied in depth, regarding their potential medicinal properties (Argueta et al., 1994).It is therefore apparent that more research has to be undertaken in order to elucidate the possible medicinal benefit of various Mexican plants.
In the twenty-first centiry it is possible to state that there is more information about some plants' active principles than ever before.The reason is that modern detection techniques and research have greatly expanded our knowledge about some of the possible medicinal and toxicological properties of plants (Awang, 2009).This is not to say that everything is known about the potential curative properties of many species belonging to the plant kingdom.We are currently far from cataloguing all the data pertaining to the medicinal uses of perhaps thousands of plants, especially those employed in remote areas of the world (Van Wyk and Wink, 2007).
With regard to the flora of tropical regions for example, the most biologically diverse areas of the world, much has still to be learned about the indigenous healing practices and the medicinal and or toxic plant species which are employed in them (Schultes and Raffauf, 1990).
The use of herbal medicine is deeply embedded in Mexican culture, and even though many cities in Mexico have modern hospitals and accessibility to mainstream medical care, many people still rely on traditional herbal medicines (Argueta, 1994).This study was undertaken in order to obtain information regarding the most popular medicinal plants used in Monterrey, as well as their uses, forms of application, and origin.
Located in the northeast part of the country, Monterrey is Mexico's third largest city, after Mexico City and Guadalajara, respectively.Additionally it is the largest city in Northern Mexico and one of the most important industrial cities in Latin America.Currently the capital of the state of Nuevo León, the city was founded in 1596 by the Spanish conquistadores.Monterrey has an estimated population of over 4 million people (National Statistical Data on Mexico, 2009).
Monterrey possesses some of Mexico's most modern hospitals, and is also considered an important center of higher learning, being home to various prestigious universities and 3 major allopathic (conventional or "scientific") medical schools (Encyclopedia of Monterrey, 2010).ping area near the Santa Catarina River.This market has only about one fourth the number of herbal stands compared to the Benito Juarez market.
Each herbal provider was visited in his / her store and invited to participate.The providers were assured that their names or the names of their stores would not be mentioned in any written report.
If the provider agreed to participate voluntarily, the interview commenced by administering a survey tool which contained various questions, including the number of years the herbal provider had been in business, how the vendor had obtained his/her knowledge about herbs, a listing of the most popular herbs sold, as well as the diseases for which they were usually recommended.

Most herbal vendors were wary of divulging information
In both study sites, it was very difficult to recruit the herbal providers' participation in the interview and survey, as many of them manifested fear and mistrust of the study being a "trick" for a possible raid by local governmental medical authorities against the use of herbal products as medicine.
Because of this, some of the interviewees manifested their of being accused of practicing medicine, which would render them liable to legal prosecution.Some of the herbal providers also mentioned that in the past, they have been subjected to searches and embargo of certain herbs and herbal products by the local authorities with the pretext that the products seized were "harmful to health" or which contained some ingredient that was deemed hazardous according to state or federal health laws.
One of the conditions stipulated in the interview was that the herbalists' names, as well as the names of their shops would be kept confidential.Only the postal (zip) code of the locations was recorded.
Due to the distrust of strangers coming to the market asking questions about medicinal herbs, only 13 of a total of 30 herbal providers approached, agreed to participate in the study.No monetary reward was offered for their participation.

Types of medicinal plants sold
Aside from various medicinal plants native to Mexico, some herbal vendors also offer relatively recent introductions to the Mexican market including Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba-Ginkgoaceae), St. Johns wort (Hypericum perforatum-Clusiaceae), Kava (Piper methysticum-Piperaceae, and Devil's claw (Harpagophytum procumbens-Pedaliaceae), for example.These herbs are not usually available as crude drugs, but rather in the form of capsules, tablets, or liquid extracts, alone or in combination with other herbs.Even though many "modern" pharmaceuticals are readily available, herbal products are still very popular and sold in diverse places throughout the city, including modern supermarkets, department stores and even pharmacies.The two market places chosen for this study still base the majority of their herbal repertoires as crude herbs which are used mostly as teas (infusions).

Markets are an important source of medicinal plants in Northeastern Mexico
A plethora of medicinal plants are used within the framework of traditional medicine in Northeastern Mexico, as well as in the rest of the country, for the treatment of a multitude of ailments and diseases (Adame and Adame, 2000;González, 1999;Argueta, 1994).
Additionally, the use of medicinal plants is a commonly accepted practice among various natural health providers in various parts of Mexico (Taddei-Bringas et al., 1999).
A popular market or mercado, as is commonly known in Mexico and other countries of Latin America, is an enclosed market place in which various owners have a space in which they offer their wares for sale.The items displayed for sale include a wide array of commodities, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, house-wares, pets (birds and fish, for example), as well as a diverse assortment of medicinal herbs.These types of markets include stands in which a variety of herbal products are offered for sale, commonly known as hierberías.
Many of these herbal products are the crude herbs themselves, usually dried, cut into small pieces, and sold as packets or by weight.Since many of these products cannot be obtained in most of the more sophisticated stores or supermarkets, popular markets have a larger selection of crude herbs.Additionally, the popular markets in Mexico retain some of the cultural flavor regarding medicinal herbs traditionally used for healing and usually have herbal vendors who may also act as healers (Taddei-Bringas et al., 1999;Aguilar, 2001.

Material and methods
The study was undertaken in the two largest herbal market places (the Benito Juarez and Colón markets), which were chosen due to both their popularity as well as their diversity regarding herbal products used in Mexican traditional medicine.
The sites selected for the survey included the largest popular markets in the downtown area of Monterrey.These markets are enclosed in one or two story buildings especially constructed for them.The Benito Juarez market is the oldest (founded in 1907) and by far the largest and most diverse of the two (Encyclopedia of Monterrey, 2010).
The Colón market, by contrast, is much smaller and is located approximately one mile away, near a modern shop- A wide array of products, ranging from simple crude herbs to processed products such as liquid extracts, ointments, capsules, and tablets, are readily available and used to many diseases.Additionally, it was observed that some "natural" products or supplements sold in Monterrey's herbal outlets contain not only herbs, but also vitamins, minerals, and other compounds and are now known commercially as "nutraceuticals" (nutracéuticos).
Fifty-six medicinal plants belonging to 27 botanical families, mostly sold as crude herbs, were mentioned by the herbal providers as being the most commonly used in that city to treat a diverse variety of ailments.Tab. 1 summarizes some of the more popular medicinal plants used in the treatment of various diseases in Monterrey.

Number of years selling medicinal plants
The number of years of experience in selling and/or recommending diverse medicinal plants ranged from 5 to 45 years, among the herbalists interviewed.

Vendors' sources of knowledge regarding herbs
Of the 13 herbalists interviewed, 7 (58%) mentioned they had acquired their knowledge by reading books or attending courses and seminars about medicinal plants.
Within this group, only two had a college or professional degree: one had a naturopathic therapist degree and the other was a veterinarian with a master's degree in chemistry.The remaining six mentioned they had acquired their knowledge about the use of medicinal herbs from family tradition and / or personal experience.

Medicinal plants can be more affordable than medications
Although certain suburbs of Monterrey are considered to be very affluent (San Pedro / Garza Garcia, for example), much of the urban population still relies on the minimum wage and often does not have the means to buy medications, some of which can be very expensive.This is one of the reasons why herbal vendors mentioned that certain herbs and herbal products are an affordable option for people with lower incomes.Another important and influential socio-economic factor is that the use of medicinal herbs is part of the rich cultural heritage of Mexico.
in Monterrey, many people still rely on traditional healers, as well as the use medicinal plants to combat illness.This may be due to cultural factors and also because these products are usually much more affordable in comparison to most over the counter or prescription medications.
A major factor regarding the use of medicinal plants and other related herbal products seems to be their role in traditional medicine, which continues to be a very important part of Mexican cultural heritage, which even today extends well beyond its northern borders, into what is now the Southwestern United States, among the Mexican-American population (González-Stuart and Rivera, 2009;Torres, 2006).
Tab. 1. Medicinal plants used to treat diverse ailments in Monterrey