Trade of medicinal plants in municipal markets of Guadalajara

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants is a cultural phenomenon that has prevailed for centuries in the world. Emphasis is placed on the knowledge that the suppliers of medicinal plants possess with respect to their own knowledge of uses, and of the plants marketed most frequently in Guadalajara. A study was carried out in three municipal markets: Mercado Libertad, Mercado Felipe Ángeles and Mercado de Abastos. The main commercialized plants Haematoxylon brasiletto, Passiflora jorullensis, P. edulis, Citrus medica, Citrus sinensis, Magnolia officinalis, Cedronella mexicana, Citrus sp., Agastache mexicana, Tilia sp. are associated with the treatment of diseases of the urinary tract, for the treatment of stress and diseases of the circulatory system, among others. It is emphasized that traditional medicine is seen as a strategy of coverage of health services when the attention of official services is insufficient or inaccessible for certain groups, therefore markets have a preponderant role for health care.