Medical knowledge exchanges between Brazil and Portugal: An ethnopharmacological perspective

Ethnopharmacological relevanceLike many traditional medical systems found at Latin America, the very existence of a Brazilian traditional medical system is debated. Despite the absence of written material and organized knowledge, there is little doubt that Brazilians from all regions and all social classes recognize and access an estimated 4000 plant species with alleged therapeutic purposes as well as medicinal practices ranging from bone setting to spiritual healing. This “Brazilian folk medicine” is usually described as a rich mixture of African, European, and Indigenous medical traditions.Aim of the studyThis study questions this view, and argues it is both simplistic and Eurocentric.Materials and methodsBy scrutinizing the origins of the medical uses of Zingiberis officinale, Curcuma longa, Ruta officinalis, Cephaelis ipecacuanha, Pilocarpus pinnatifolius, and curare (Chondrodendron, Abuta and Curarea), we illustrate the intense circulation of materials during imperial times. We further discuss how these practices articulated with local medical knowledge, and exemplify some of the ways by which knowledge was produced, transformed, incorporated, and resignified over time.DiscussionThough not a systematic or comprehensive analysis of Brazilian folk medicine development, these selected examples show that, in opposition to usual simplistic descriptions, complex and convoluted manners of medicinal plant development occurred over time to compound both the Brazilian and European pharmaceutical armamentarium.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (232KB)Download full-size imageThe graphical image that appears under the heading Post Colonialist view - Exchanges in “contact zone” is from: Roob, A., 2003. Alchemy & Mysticism: The Hermetic Museum (Klotz). Taschen America LLC.