How to approach a study in ethnopharmacology? Providing an example of the different research stages for newcomers to the field today.

Ethnopharmacology seeks to investigate humankind's use of natural materials, such as plants, fungi, microorganisms, animals, and minerals, for medicinal purposes. In this highly interdisciplinary field, which can be described as a bridge between the natural/medical and socio-cultural sciences, pharmacological, anthropological, and socio-cultural research methods are often applied, along with methods from other branches of science. When entering the field of ethnopharmacology as a newcomer, student, or early career researcher today, the tremendous amount of scientific publications, and even classical books from this field and related scientific disciplines, can be overwhelming.

Where to begin? The best publications for newcomers to ethnopharmacology.

Have you ever tried to enter a new field of research or to get a basic overview? Of course, we all have. However, where does one begin when entering a new field of research? This mini-review offers a concise (and certainly not comprehensive) overview on the fast-evolving field of ethnopharmacology. Based on a survey in which researchers provided feedback on the publications they find most relevant in the field and an assessment of what publications have been particularly relevant in the field, this paper offers a review of the 30 best papers and books for newcomers in the field.

Pharmacological Assessment of the Antiprotozoal Activity, Cytotoxicity and Genotoxicity of Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Malaria in the Greater Mpigi Region in Uganda.

We investigated the potential antimalarial and toxicological effects of 16 medicinal plants frequently used by traditional healers to treat malaria, fever, and related disorders in the Greater Mpigi region in Uganda. Species studied were , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . In addition, the traditional healers indicated that is used as a ritual plant to boost fertility and prepare young women and teenagers for motherhood in some Ugandan communities where a high incidence of rapidly growing large breast masses in young female patients was observed (not necessarily breast cancer).

Antiinflammatory Medicinal Plants from the Ugandan Greater Mpigi Region Act as Potent Inhibitors in the COX-2/PGH Pathway.

Our study investigates 16 medicinal plants via assessment of inhibition of proinflammatory enzymes such as cyclooxygenases (COX). The plants are used by traditional healers in the Greater Mpigi region in Uganda to treat inflammation and related disorders. We present results of diverse in vitro experiments performed with 76 different plant extracts, namely, (1) selective COX-2 and COX-1 inhibitor screening; (2) 15-LOX inhibition screening; (3) antibacterial resazurin assay against multidrug-resistant , , , and K12; (4) DPPH assay for antioxidant activity; and (5) determination of the total phenolic content (TPC).

A Bibliographic Assessment Using the Degrees of Publication Method: Medicinal Plants from the Rural Greater Mpigi Region (Uganda).

In ethnopharmacological research, many field assessment tools exist. Yet, these miss that critical point of how to really determine which species merit the costly lab studies, e.g.

Targeting ESKAPE pathogens with anti-infective medicinal plants from the Greater Mpigi region in Uganda.

Antibiotic resistance poses one of the greatest threats to global health today; conventional drug therapies are becoming increasingly inefficacious and limited. We identified 16 medicinal plant species used by traditional healers for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases in the Greater Mpigi region of Uganda. Extracts were evaluated for their ability to inhibit growth of clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens.

Ethnobotanical study of selected medicinal plants traditionally used in the rural Greater Mpigi region of Uganda.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: This study provides the first report on selected traditional medicinal plant use, including parts used and methods of preparation, in the Greater Mpigi region of Uganda. This data supports the conservation of local traditional ecological knowledge and will facilitate future drug discovery research.

Aim Of The Study: Our study aimed to conserve culturally and scientifically-valuable medical knowledge of 16 plant species traditionally used in the Greater Mpigi region in Uganda, namely Albizia coriaria, Cassine buchananii, Combretum molle, Erythrina abyssinica, Ficus saussureana, Harungana madagascariensis, Leucas calostachys, Microgramma lycopodioides, Morella kandtiana, Plectranthus hadiensis, Securidaca longipedunculata, Sesamum calycinum subsp.