Medicinal plants from open-air markets in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a potential source of new antimycobacterial agents.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Several medicinal plants are traditionally traded in open-air markets in Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil) to treat tuberculosis (TB) and related symptoms.

Aims Of The Study: Conduct a survey in the open-air markets of 20 cities of Rio de Janeiro State to find medicinal plants that are popularly used to treat tuberculosis and other related diseases and assess their in vitro antimycobacterial activity.

Materials And Methods: We used direct observation and semi-structured interviews and asked herbalists to list species (free listing) in order to gather data about the plant species most commonly used for lung problems.

Ryanodane diterpenes from two Erythroxylum species.

Ryanodane diterpenes, named 14-O-methyl-ryanodanol and ryanodanol, were isolated from ripe fruit of Erythroxylum passerinum. Compound 2 was also found in the leaves of this species, while 1 was obtained from the leaves of E. nummularia.