Recent reports on ethnopharmacological and ethnobotanical studies of Valeriana carnosa Sm. (Valerianaceae)

Abstract

Valeriana clarionifolia stands out as one of the principal elements in the indigenous pharmacopoeias of Patagonia, and its roots and rhizomes have been used since ancient times. According to diagnostic anatomical data provided by H. G. Bach et al., V. carnosa showed a primary pentarch aktinostele root, pith in the secondary structure and a rhizome with anomalous structure. With regard to the identification and collection of Valeriana carnosa and V. carnosa by Patagonian inhabitants, studies reveal levels of organoleptic differentiation between the two species, which are of great cultural and ethnopharmacological value. The name of the genus stems from the latin valere, “to be healthy”, a reference to the medicinal uses of its plants, particularly those associated with treating nervous conditions and hysteria. Research carried out on V. carnosa reveals the presence of active ingredients similar to those of V. officinalis, which is present in many pharmacopoeias for oral consumption as a sedative and sleep inducer for humans.