Ethnopharmacological search for antiviral compounds: treatment of gastrointestinal disorders by Kayapó medical specialists.

The Mebengokrê (Kayapó) of Brazil have a highly developed medical and pharmacological tradition based on diverse specialization in knowledge and practice. Shamans (wayangas) are prepared to treat all kinds of diseases including those related to spirits; curers (mãkuté pidjà mari) can deal only with diseases not related to spirits. Both utilize plant- and animal-based remedies, among other practices. Elaborate disease categories (kanê) include those known as hak-kanê (bird disease) and tep-kanê (fish disease). The complexity of the two categories defies easy description but both use gastrointestinal disorders as basic indicative symptoms. Given that an important percentage of gastrointestinal disorders are caused by viruses and that new antiviral drugs are sorely needed, plants used by the Kayapó for hak and tep diseases are presented and discussed as potential leads in the search for antiviral compounds.