Phytochemical and ethnomedicinal study of Huperzia species used in the traditional medicine of Saraguros in Southern Ecuador; AChE and MAO inhibitory activity.
Journal of ethnopharmacology December 4, 2016 Chabaco Armijos, Gianluca Gilardoni, Luis Amay et al. 38 citations
Seven Huperzia species used by Saraguro healers in southern Ecuador show high consensus among ten visionary healers for use as purgatives and against supernatural diseases like espanto. Some species, in mixtures, induce trance or hallucinations during rituals. Phytochemical analysis identified lycodine- and lycopodine-type alkaloids, flavones selgin and tricin, and rare serratene triterpenes. Alkaloid fractions from four species significantly inhibited acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase A in vitro, suggesting a basis for psychoactive effects in traditional brews. The findings document and support the preservation of Saraguro traditional medical knowledge.