Chemistry, Biological Activity, and Uses of Clusia Latex

Abstract

Plants of the genus Clusia L. have had considerable importance to numerous traditional communities, providing food, remedies, and raw materials for crafts. These plants occur in southern Mexico, the Caribbean, the Amazon Forest, the Andes, and even reach southern Brazil. The genus is characterized by the production of latex in nearly all tissues of the plant. Interrelations between traditional neotropical people of the Americas and these plants have been quite diversified in terms of the number of species and the use of the products obtained from different parts of the plant for the treatment of diseases and even with magic connotations. Medicinal knowledge of these species based on their uses and forms of preparation has demonstrated the relevance of these plants and their importance to traditional communities. This chapter presents evidence of the importance of species of Clusia related to the different types of use, particularly medicinal purposes for primary health care among different traditional people. Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological aspects of these species are also addressed, with an emphasis on bioactive compounds, chemical composition, and biological activity.