An Ethnobotanical Approach to Medicinal Plant Research in the Lowland Wet Forests of Costa Rica

Tropical wet lowland forests of Costa Rica’s Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (MNWLR) provide habitat to numerous medicinal plants, yet few have been documented. By virtue of its proximity to Nicaragua, this biologically diverse area has a blending of Nicaraguan and Costa Rican cultures.  Objectives of this research were to: (1) document commonly used medicinal plants in the MNWLR based on local knowledge and (2) determine if extracts of plants used to treat infection show antifungal and antibacterial properties. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with people locally recognized for their knowledge of medicinal plants. Uses and preparations were discussed for 60 species. Fifteen commonly cited plants were gathered with local informants. Alcohol and aqueous extracts were made of the specified plant parts and were screened against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Candida albicans. Preliminary results indicate some plants do indeed have efficacy in-vitro, with Vismia ferruginea having the strongest effects.