Screening North American Plant Species for Health Ameliorating Properties: Comparative Floristic and Cross-Cultural Approaches

Drug discovery is a process to identify medicinal compounds that have potential for health amelioration. Many medicinal compounds or lead chemicals have been isolated from plants in the past. For instance, various plant species have been randomly screened for anti-cancer or anti-HIV properties. However, more focused and efficient approaches can be employed, including utilization of ethnomedical knowledge gained from books, databases, or direct contact with shamans and tribal people who have been passing information for generations. In the case of the North American indigenous medicines, the Native Americans have been practicing indigenous medicines for centuries, utilizing plants often endemic to the local area or region. While many tribes still practice indigenous medicines, some of the knowledge has been lost due to the Native American Diaspora. One approach to screen North American plant species is to compare them with related species in other regions for medicinal properties. Floristic similarities are often noted between North American and East Asian flora. For instance, ginseng species (Panax ginseng and P. quinquefolius) occur in both regions and have been used for treatments of various aliments for centuries. Similarly, goldenthread species, especially Coptis japonica, are very important medicinal plants in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Kampo, and another species has also been commercially used in Canada in the past. Thorough floristic and cross-cultural examination of North American species should be considered for screening health amelioration properties or compounds with potent biological activities.