UMR 152 PharmaDev, Université Paul Sabatier, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Toulouse, France.
Maison des Sciences de l'Homme du Pacifique (UAR 2503), Université de la Polynésie Française / Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2023 Oct 18;19(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s13002-023-00617-0.
Traditional Polynesian medicine for children has been poorly documented, and few data are available on their efficacy and safety. In this context, the aim of this study was to identify traditional practices used for treating children and then assess the efficacy and safety of the most cited remedies by reviewing the literature.
In 2022, a semi-structured survey was carried out on five islands from the Society archipelago (Bora Bora, Huahine, Moorea, Raiatea, and Tahiti). A total of 86 participants were interviewed including 19 experts in herbalism. A thorough literature review was performed on the most cited plant species to gather the relevant ethnobotanical, pharmacological, and clinical data of each remedy.
Participants mentioned using 469 remedies to treat 69 health disorders. The most represented health categories were digestive system, skin disorders, infectious diseases, and respiratory system. A total of 67 plant species (representing 731 use-reports) were mentioned and Annona muricata, Gardenia taitensis, and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis were the main plants reported. Regarding the safety of cited remedies, one plant (Microsorum grossum) showed high risk of toxicity, and its use should be avoided in infants and children.
Our survey confirms the importance of traditional medical practices for children in the Society Islands. A lack of data in children for most cited remedies demonstrate the need for more pharmacological and toxicological research on Polynesian medicinal plants. Finally, the potential risk of toxicity for some cited plant species reported calls for a better information of traditional medicine users and healers.
传统的波利尼西亚儿童医学记录不佳，关于其疗效和安全性的数据很少。在这种情况下，本研究的目的是确定用于治疗儿童的传统做法，然后通过审查文献评估最常被引用的补救措施的疗效和安全性。
2022 年，在社会群岛的五个岛屿（波拉波拉岛、胡阿希内岛、莫雷阿岛、赖阿特阿岛和塔希提岛）上进行了一项半结构式调查。共采访了 86 名参与者，其中包括 19 名草药专家。对最常被引用的植物物种进行了全面的文献回顾，以收集每种补救措施的相关民族植物学、药理学和临床数据。
参与者提到使用 469 种方法来治疗 69 种健康疾病。代表性最强的健康类别是消化系统、皮肤疾病、传染病和呼吸系统。共提到 67 种植物物种（代表 731 种用途报告），其中提到的主要植物是 Annona muricata、Gardenia taitensis 和 Hibiscus rosa-sinensis。关于引用的补救措施的安全性，一种植物（Microsorum grossum）显示出高毒性风险，应避免在婴儿和儿童中使用。
我们的调查证实了传统医学实践在社会群岛儿童中的重要性。大多数被引用的补救措施在儿童中缺乏数据，这表明需要对波利尼西亚药用植物进行更多的药理学和毒理学研究。最后，一些被报道的被引用植物物种的潜在毒性风险呼吁更好地了解传统医学使用者和治疗师。
