A team of researchers in Costa Rica’s Alberto Manuel Brenes Reserve have been searching for plants that might help cure the mosquito-transmitted disease known as malaria. While not a common disease in Costa Rica, the country’s tropical rainforests have a wide diversity of plants that sometimes cannot be found elsewhere in the world– and some of these species might contain medicinal properties to help stop malaria and other diseases. An estimated 1-3 million people die each year from malaria.
During their research, the team collected a total of 50 promising plants. The two that appear to be medicinal candidates are from the Asteraceae and Meliaceae families. The Asteraceae family includes flowers like asters, daisies, sunflowers. The Meliaceae family contains trees and shrubs such as mahogany. As of now, no other details have been released by the team as to why they think that these species within the aforementioned plant families might cure (or help prevent?) malaria. Although it is worth noting that plants from the Meliaceae family have been used as natural cures for fevers in some parts of the world and herbal remedies like the plant Echinacea are also found in the Asteraceae family.
Malaria is a sometimes confused disease. Mosquitoes themselves are not directly responsible, but they can be thought of as the carriers of the disease– or triggermen. Protozoan parasites that live within females of some mosquito species are the culprits. Once these parasites enter the human body they spread rapidly through red blood cells. Symptoms commence soon thereafter and can range from dizziness to fever and nausea.
Drugs to help treat and prevent malaria are currently expensive for many of those in need and are not 100% effective– hence the search for a cure. Mosquito nets and other methods for controlling mosquito populations, such as spraying insecticide, have been the most effective methods to date for preventing malaria. Let’s hope the Costa Rican research team succeeds in finding a plant from a which an effective vaccine can be developed.
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Photo Credit: tanakawho on Flickr under a Creative Commons license
Very cool – it’s unbelievable how much is still left to be discovered in the tropics, much less understood.
If you can’t get people to care about the intrinsic value of the rainforests, this at least proves the “indirect use” theory that there are more lifesaving plants we’ll never know about if we cut them down.
Good news! Malaria still killing lot of people in the Amazon rainforest.
tell me the cure
Hello,
My daughter had 6 blood transfusions when she was born without my knowledge and she had a hard time with sickness’ when growing up. Found out she was given blood from a person who had malaria and had many protozoan parasites in her blood cells.
With the help from a good muscle tester and herbalist she is on her way to leading a healthy life.