Plantas medicinais empregadas no tratamento do Diabetes melittus:padronização e controle de qualidade

Abstract

Diabetes melittus is a endocrinous syndrome that reaches more than 6 % of the world-wide population and around 800 plants are used in the treatment of diabetes. In general, the medicinal plants are commerce without proceedings that guarantee the conservation. This study characterizes the anatomy and phytochemistry of the vegetative organs of three medicinal species used in the treatment of diabetes. Identifies and evaluate the quality of samples used in the treatment of diabetes commerced in the biggest public market of Pernambuco. The characterization of the species allowed the identification of cells and useful metabolites like markers, besides making possible the identification of the commerced samples. The results alert for the methods of conservation and the quality of the medicinal plants commerced in public markets. Samples of leaves commerced as “pata-de-vaca ” and of stem barks commerced as "quixabeira" presented rate of rejectionsuperior to 50 %, whereas all the samples of stem bark commerced as "mororó" were approved. The anatomical and phytochemical results, as well as the tests of purity, are important for the quality control of medicinal plants, since they guarantee the standardizationof these species and can be used like characters diagnosis to the identification.