Pharmacognostic evaluation of Carapa guianensis Aubl. leaves: A medicinal plant native from Brazilian Amazon

Amazonian natural products used as functional food and medicine

The use of natural products for therapeutic purposes is a common practice since the beginning of time, as it was already known that they contained biological components beneficial to health, which also justifies the growing demand for products made from Amazonian raw materials. The accessibility to information and an aggressive marketing favored the consumption of these products globally. However, the legislation in different countries on how to obtain plant raw materials, process them and subsequently sell them can leave gaps and doubts leading the consumer to make mistakes. This may interfere with an efficient inspection by official control agencies, also leading to inappropriate consumption. This exploratory study investigated chemical properties of natural products from Amazonian sources sold on the Web in several countries, as well as the prevailing norms, in order to contribute to the safety of consumption for this type of products.