Ethnobotanical observations on Paraguayan Myrtaceae. I.

A survey of myrtaceous plants used in traditional medicine in rural areas of eastern Paraguay was undertaken to identify the constituents of crude drugs traded by herbalists. The literature on the use of those plants dating back to colonial times in Paraguay has been examined. Some crude drugs were shown to be mixtures of several genera and species. Those findings put into doubt the outcome of some pharmacological research work carried out without botanical documentation.