Quality control of teas marketed as plantain: chemical and anatomical inquiry

Abstract

Herbal form an alternative route for synthetic drugs, either by the lower cost, lack of access to common remedies or lack of confidence in allopathy. However, there is a deficit in Brazil of scientific studies to confirm the correct composition and botanical identification of medicinal plants. This fact can be confirmed by the genus Plantago. The Brazilian society mainly uses four distinct species of this genus (P. major, P. lanceolata, P. australis and P. tomentosa) with the same popular name: Plantain. This may cause problems, since the present compounds for each species differ. This work aims to carry out a quality control of the material marketed for the preparation of infusions, through similarity analysis, taking into account the chemical and anatomical aspects.