TRACEABILITY OF 20 MEDICINAL IN THE MARKETS OF NORTHERN PERU

S. Evans Carolina Téllez Carlos Vega Southern Cross University INBIA Perú INBIA Perú Australia

Keywords : medicinal plants, sustainability, traceability, supply chain, botanical identification.

Corresponding author: Sue Evans [email protected]

ABSTRACT The social, cultural and economic value of medicinal plants is prominent in many parts of South America, providing important economic and health benefits. However market pressures and an absence of appropriate conservation policies are putting species at risk. These problems are exacerbated by an informal market system with poor remuneration for collectors which makes for a fragile economy. This study, located in the coastal cities of Chiclayo and Trujillo in northern Peru, focuses on market vendors. The objective of the study is to establish market vendors’ knowledge about the traceability, conservation status and botanical identification of twenty (20) medicinal plants. A selection of 20 native medicinal plants was made including both plants which are endangered and those that are in high demand. Two markets were visited in each city and samples of each available plant were purchased. Vendors were asked about the origin of the plants, and their understanding of the availability of supply. Plants were botanically identified and the results checked with the vendor´s information. Most plants came from either the department in which the market was located, or an adjacent department and a number of plants are available in very small amounts. Of the sources known to vendors, they claim specific regional knowledge for half of the plants. The rest are known by more general information. Plant identification problems occur largely at a species rather than a genus level, either through lack of knowledge by vendors, or because of the plant product itself, eg only the root being sold. This research indicates that detailed information about the collection of medicinal plants in northern Peru is unavailable by the time the plants reach these markets, although they were sourced relatively locally and supplies of some plants are scarce. Addressing the issues raised here will benefit the region by protecting a resource which is an important part of healthcare and also important to the region economically.

INTRODUCTION

In Peru a rich biodiversity and long use of traditional medicines in both remote and urban communities The northern cities of Chiclayo and Trujillo are located at the center of the ‘Andean health axis’ (Bussmann, Sharon et al. 2007), an area where traditional medical practices, including the widespread use of plants, have maintained their importance to the local community over centuries. A large number of fresh and dried plants are traded in local markets, and they also provide processed herb products and supplies for shamanic practices. Bussmann and Sharon (2007) found some 400 species

traded in these markets and estimate the value of the medicinal plant trade to those cities to be in the region of 1.2mUSD. This is income from market vendors only and excludes income to local healers so the real value to the local economy is likely to be higher.

Previous studies (Villar Velásquez 2007, Revene, Bussmann et al. 2008) have indicated that although the herbs are often harvested in neighboring departments, they may have passed through a number of intermediaries before they are sold in these markets.

Most of the plants are harvested in the wild rather than cultivated and market pressures and the absence of appropriate conservation policies such as replacing seed after collection of flowerheads place some species at risk from overexploitation. In addition, there is evidence that the combination of mining and indiscriminate harvesting is devastating medicinal plant supplies in some areas (Ramirez Vidaurre et al. 2006; Villar Velásquez 2007). These problems are aggravated by poor remuneration of plant collectors, which makes for a fragile market economy (Reverne 2006).

OBJECTIVES

The study was carried out in four markets in two cities of northern Peru, in Chiclayo and Trujillo. The cities are in adjacent departments, 178 km apart. The objectives concerned the knowledge of the market vendors regarding the plants they sell, specifically in terms of

1. Traceability – to establish the extent to which herb sellers in the four markets knew the sources of a selection of plants they sold.

2. Identification - to verify that the selection of plants sold were the botanical species they were claimed to be, i.e. the species with documented medicinal attributes.

3. Conservation status – to establish whether, from the perspective of the vendor, there were problems with plant supply.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The markets selected were Mercados Modelo and Moshoqueque in Chiclayo, Lambayeque and Mercados Mayorista and de la Unión in Trujillo, La Libertad. Modelo, Mayorista and La Unión are daily markets serving the city-centres of Chiclayo and Trujillo. In addition, Sundays at La Unión sees an influx of traders from regional La Libertad, selling foodstuffs and herbs. Moshoqueque is a wholesale market in Chiclayo.

A list of twenty herbs was compiled for investigation, based on the prior knowledge of the researchers and referring also to Bussmann and Sharon (2007), and Mostacero León et al. (2011). Plants were selected using the following criteria:

• Native species • Plants that are in danger of extinction (in particular Ranunculaceae and Burseraceae)

• Plants that are widely used for medicinal actions ( and Valerianaceae) • Plants that are used for strictly medicinal uses as well as for luck (various families)

Market visits were carried out between June and September 2012. Vendors were asked for plant material by common name, samples of plants were purchased and vendors were asked what they knew of the origin of the plants, and their abundance or scarcity. Respondents were informed of the research project in conversation with the researcher’s and gave their verbal permission for the interviews to proceed. Interviews were carried out by native Spanish speakers. Identification samples were purchased and lodged with a local NGO Instituto para el desarrollo local sostenible y la conservación de la diversidad biológica y cultural andino amazónica (Institute for the local sustainable development and conservation of the biological and cultural diversity of the Andes and the Amazon)( INBIA PERU), which works with medicinal plants in Trujillo . No plant samples were taken out of Peru.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The markets of Modelo, Moshoqueque, Mayorista and La Unión are characterized by their informality. Vendors are often asked for their advice on which plant to use and how to prepare it for particular ailments, but also it is not unusual to see customers pass a piece of paper with a list of herbs to a vendor which they wish to buy. In these cases the vendors may suggest substitutes if they do not have the herb listed.

Traceability

Sixty of a possible sample of 80 plants were collected (maximum of 20 species from each of four markets), and these were identified by the vendors as originating from a district within a department (state), a department, or by locale (see Table1). Locale might include reference to a herb from ´south of Lima’, although more commonly these references were to the Andes. Herbs commonly came from ‘altitude’, or ‘sierra’ in a particular department, or ´jalcas’ which refer to areas above 3000m, or from mountain lakes. It was not possible in this project to definitively relate abundance/scarcity to specific altitude or other geographic indicators.

In nine (9) cases the plant was sourced in the market but its origin was unknown by the vendor. Of the remaining samples, less than half the plants were identified as originating from a particular district (23 ) and the rest were identified by department (15) or by less specific geographic information (11). The departments identified in our study were Cajamarca, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Piura, Ancash and Huánuco.

Most of the plants traded in these markets were from the department of Cajamarca (21) although (the high country of) Lambayeque, Piura, and Ancash were also represented. Mercado de la Unión, was visited on a Sunday when peasants visit from local regions, and all medicinal plants were from that department - La Libertad.

INSERT TABLE 1

Botanical identification

Of the 20 plants considered, one was not identified on either a species or genus level, and five were identified only at the genus level, rather than the species level.

• Hierba de la sonrisa is identified by Bussmann and Sharon (2007) as Tetragonia crystallina, but the samples purchased at Mercado Modelo and Mercado Moshoqueque were not that species, and were unidentifiable at a genus or species level. • Hierba del oro, Stelis eublepharis , was of the Stelis genus, but not S. eublepharis . The species was unidentifiable, and our informants were unclear about its conservation status. • Hórnamo amarillo, Senecio chionogeton , was found to be of the Senecio genus, but not S. chionogeton . Supply is understood by our informants to be scarce. • Hercampuri , alborosea, was found to be of the Gentianella genus but not G. alborosea. Supply is understood by our informants to be scarce. • Three species from the Valerian family were included in our list – these were Hierba de la estrella, Phyllactis rigida , and Hierba de las lagunas, Valeriana spp and Valeriana, Geum peruvianum . Of these, only P. rigida , Hierba de la estrella, was identifiable at a species level. This herb is sold as the fresh or dried root, without any above-ground parts, so species identification is not possible.

Conservation status

With regard to conservation status of the twenty (20) plants we surveyed our informants told us that seven were available in large quantities (‘abundant’), 10 were scarce or threatened, and three were of unknown status. (See Table 2)

Of particular concern are plants that are endemic, that is, specific to those regions and not found elsewhere. This is the case for Hercampuri Gentianella alborosea , and some of the Valeriana species, discussed below.

• Hercampuri Gentianella alborosea is endemic to the Huánaco region of Peru only (Brako and Zarucchi 1993), and our informants in the markets told us that the plant is available only in small amounts. The plants we were sold as G. alborosea were not G alborosea . However, at the time of writing, encapsulated hercampuri claiming to be G. alborosea , is being offered on eBay ‘to prevent hangover and dissolve fat´ (Bioamazonic 2012). This suggests that plant supplies may be under threat. • Pagra-pagra Laccopetalum giganteum is a plant which according to our informants used to be common, but is now rare. It grows with a single flower- head, which is consumed, seeds and all, meaning that harvesting does not allow for the plant to reproduce.

• There are 75 species of Valerian found in Peru. Of these 75 species, five are listed as medicinal in Mostacero León et al. (2011), and four of these are endemic to Peru (Brako and Zarucchi 1993). Forty-four of the 75 species of Valerian are endemic to Peru, and sixteen of these endemic species are found in Cajamarca and La Libertad.

INSERT TABLE 2

In addition, the correct species of many Valeriana spp cannot be identified from market samples given that the root is the part used and the above-ground material, necessary for identification, is not available. The implications for consumers of such confusion among species of the genus Valerian are unknown, as there is little information available about the differences in medicinal actions between species. There is evidence that some species are understood by local healers to be interchangeable (Ramirez Vidaurre, Terán Saucedo et al. 2006, Villar Velásquez 2007), The vulnerability of the plant populations of specific species, especially those which are endemic, and the influence of harvesting on such populations, is not known.

CONCLUSIONS

We have found that even in situations where plants are harvested relatively close to the point of sale, specific information about the source of the plant, and the conditions of growth and harvest, are quickly lost. There is no system of traceability which means that the route to consumers is unknown. We have also provided examples where plant species are substituted for one another particularly in the Valeriana and Gentianella families. Further, these issues of traceability, botanical identification and conservation were not of specific concern to market vendors.

Trade in medicinal plants in northern Peru is not only economically important to the region, but provides needed medical assistance to many hundreds of people on a daily basis. However, the absence of a workforce educated about issues of traceability, sustainability and correct botanical identification , apparently casual harvesting practices and low profit margins do not engender confidence in its long term viability. Continuing research is required to determine the most appropriate ways to overcome these difficulties and will need to include initiatives in education, provision of incentives and possibly regulation.

These problems outlined here are not unique to Peru, but are causing concern globally. One approach which has been developed to address the issues is the European based Fairwild Foundation ( www.fairwild.org ), a certification program for wild harvested plants, establishing traceability and appropriate botanical identification, sustainable collection and fair trade. An examination of this initiative may be useful to inform Peruvian approaches.

REFERENCES

Bioamazonic (2012). "Hercampuri Herb." Retrieved 19 December 2012, from http://www.ebay.com/itm/HERCAMPURI-HERB-liver-tonic-burn-fat-hangover-60- caps-/180592719601. Brako, L. and J. Zarucchi (1993). Catalogue of Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. St Louis, Missouri Botanical Gardens. Bussmann, R. and D. Sharon (2007). Plants of the four winds; the magic and medicinal plants of Peru. Trujillo, Editorial GRAFICART. Bussmann , R., et al. (2007). "Health for sale: the medicinal plant markets in Trujillo and Chiclayo, Northern Peru." Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 3(37). Marshall, E. (2011). Health and wealth fom medicinal aromatic plants. Diversification Booklet no 17. Rome Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Mostacero León, R., et al. (2011). Plantas Medicinales del Perú. Trujillo, Asamblea Nacional de Rectores. Ramirez Vidaurre, J. d. P., et al. (2006). "Ethnobotany of «valeriana» (Valeriana spp.) in the Jalcas of Cajamarca, Peru." Arnaldoa 13 (2). Revene, Z., et al. (2008). "From Sierra to Coast: Tracing the supply of medicinal plants in Northern Peru – A plant collector’s tale." Ethnobotany Research and Applications 6: 015-022. Villar Velásquez, C. (2007). Diagnóstico de la cadena de plantas medicinales en la región Cajamarca. Lima, PeruDiverso.

Table 1 Vendors information re the origin of listed herb by market and location

Market Modelo M’queque Mayorista Unión Total

Located by Department 4 herbs 3 herbs 7 herbs 1 herb 15 herbs

Located by District 7 herbs 4 herbs 3 herbs 9 herbs 23 herbs

Located by locale & 5 herbs 6 herbs 2 herbs 0 herbs 13 herbs Department

Locale only 1 herb 1 herb 3 herbs 0 herbs 5 herbs

Source unknown 3 herbs 2 herbs 0 herbs 4 herbs 9 herbs Herb not found 3 herbs 5 herbs 5 herbs 6 herbs 19 herbs

Total number of herbs 23 herbs 21 herbs 20 herbs 20 herbs 84 herbs

*This adds to more than 80 because some vendors gave more than one location for the origin of a herb.

Table 2 Availability of plants, their identity and conservation status according to vendor

Names, family Plant Traceability availability Market Department Region Locale Modelo Cajamarca

Vira vira Lambayeque Incahausi Senecio Moshoqueque Cajamarca Combayo canescens Abundant Mayorista Cajamarca (Asteraceae) Union La Libertad Otuzco Pagra pagra Modelo La Libertad Altitude Laccopetalum Previously nr giganteum plentiful but Trujillo (Ranunculaceae) now very Moshoqueque La Libertad Sierra nr little Trujillo Mayorista Ancash Unión La Libertad Huamachu co Carqueja Modelo Cajamarca Baccharis Moshequeque Cajamarca Chota genistelloides Abundant Mayorista Cajamarca Sierra (Asteraceae) Unión La Libertad Otuzco Escorcionera Unknown Modelo Altitude Perezia Moshoqueque Altitude multiflora Mayorista Altitude (Asteraceae) Union La Libertad Otuzco Hierba del oro Unknown Modelo Cajamarca Stelis sp. Moshoqueque Unknown (Orquidiaceae) Mayorista Cajamarca Unión Not found Corpus huay Abundant Modelo Cajamarca Gentianella Lambayeque bicolor Moshoqueque unknown (Gentianaceae) Mayorista Cajamarca Unión La Libertad Otuzco Huamachu co Hercampuri Very small Modelo Unknown Gentianella sp. quantities Moshoqueque South of (Gentianaceae ) found Lima Mayorista Huánuco Unión Unknown Hierba de la Scarce. Modelo Cajamarca High fortuna lakes

Hypericum Moshoqueque Cajamarca Miracosta laricifolium Mayorista Altitude (Clusiaceae) Unión unknown Valeriana Abundant Modelo Unknown Valeriana spp. (Valerianaceae) Moshoqueque Cajamarca Altitude Mayorista Cajamarca Altitude Unión La Libertad Otuzco Hierba de la Scarce Modelo Cajamarca Jalcas estrella Moshoqueque Piura Mishahua High Phyllactis rigida nca nr country (Valerianaceae) Huancaba mba Mayorista Altitude Unión unknown Hierba del Scarce Modelo Cajamarca Jalcas carnero Moshoqueque Not found Puya hamata Mayorista Not found (Bromeliaceae) Unión unknown Gencianas Abundant Modelo Not found Gentianella Moshoqueque Cajamarca dianthoides Lambayeque Incahausi (Gentianaceae) Mayorista La Libertad Huamachu co La Unión La Libertad Otuzco Lirio de valle Modelo Not found Werneria Origin Moshoqueque Not found nubigena unknown. Mayorista La Libertad Huamachu (Asteraceae) co Santiago de Chuco Unión La Libertad Huamachu co Otuzco Hórnamo Scarce. Modelo High amarillo country Senecio sp. lakes (Asteraceae) Moshoqueque Cajamarca Altitude Mayorista Not found Unión Not found Contoya Rare . Modelo Lambayeque Incahuasi, Siphocampylus Salas angustiflorus Moshoqueque Not fouind (Campanulaceae) Mayorista Cajamarca Unión La Libertad Otuzco Pasuchaca Abundant. Modelo Cajamarca High Geranium country

ayavacense lakes (Geraniaceae) Moshoqueque Cajamarca High country lakes Mayorista Piura Huancaba mba La Unión Unknown Purún rosa Abundant. Modelo Not found Bejaria aestuans Moshoqueque Cajamarca Altitude (Ericaceae) Mayorista Cajamarca La Unión Not found Hierba de las Very little Modelo High lagunas available country Valeriana spp. lakes (Valerianaceae) Moshoqueque Not found Mayorista Not found Unión Not found Palo Santo Rare . Modelo Piura Bursera Moshoqueque Not found graveolens Mayroista Not found (Burseraceae) Unión Not found Hierba de la Scarce Modelo Cajamarca Mishuang High sonrisa o country Unknown species lakes Moshoqueque Cajamarca Chota Mayorista Not found Unión Not found

*Plant that are marked ´not found´were not found in the market when we visited. The vendors of those marked ‘unknown’ were unable to give us any details as to their origin.