Mahomoodally M Fawzi, Sreekeesoon D Priyamka
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, 230 Réduit, Mauritius.
Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014:136757. doi: 10.1155/2014/136757. Epub 2014 May 19.
The pediatric population constitutes the most vulnerable patients due to a dearth of approved drugs. Consequently, there is a pressing need to probe novel natural pharmacological agents in an endeavour to develop new drugs to address pediatric illnesses. To date, no studies have explored the use of natural therapies for pediatric health care in Mauritius. Parents (n = 325) from different regions of the island were interviewed. Quantitative indexes such as fidelity level (FL), informant consensus factor (F IC), and use-value (UV) were calculated. Thirty-two plants were reported to be used by pediatric patients. Gastrointestinal disorders (F IC = 0.97) encompassing regurgitation, infantile colic, and stomach aches were the most common ailments managed with herbs. Matricaria chamomilla used for infantile colic and its pharmacological properties has previously been documented for pediatric patients. Product from A. mellifera (UV = 0.75) was the most utilized zootherapy for managing cough. Most plants and animal products reported in this study have bioactive constituents supported by existing scientific literature but their use for the pediatric population is scant. The present ethnopharmacological study has opened new perspectives for further research into their pharmacology, which can subsequently support and facilitate timely pediatric medicinal product development.
由于获批药物匮乏，儿科人群是最脆弱的患者群体。因此，迫切需要探索新型天然药理剂，以开发治疗儿科疾病的新药。迄今为止，尚未有研究探讨毛里求斯使用天然疗法进行儿科医疗保健的情况。对该岛不同地区的325名家长进行了访谈。计算了保真度水平（FL）、 informant共识因子（F IC）和使用价值（UV）等定量指标。据报道，有32种植物被儿科患者使用。包括反流、婴儿腹绞痛和胃痛在内的胃肠道疾病（F IC = 0.97）是使用草药治疗的最常见疾病。用于婴儿腹绞痛的洋甘菊及其药理特性此前已有儿科患者的文献记载。意大利蜜蜂产品（UV = 0.75）是治疗咳嗽最常用的动物疗法。本研究中报道的大多数植物和动物产品都有现有科学文献支持的生物活性成分，但它们在儿科人群中的应用却很少。目前的民族药理学研究为进一步研究其药理学开辟了新的视角，这随后可以支持并促进及时开发儿科药品。
