Scope

Ethnopharmacology, as a specifically designated field of research, has a relatively short history. The term was first described in 1967 as the title of a book on hallucinogens. It considers the pharmacological activity of plants, fungi and other organisms used in traditional medicine used locally or traditionally as a medicine or to improve health.  It applies a unique approach in pharmacology, in that it also considers the traditional, and therefore anthropological context of the drug’s origin.

The following subjects are covered in this section:

• Clinical studies, pharmacokinetics and public health
• Safety of traditional remedies and toxicology
• Quality and composition traditional medicines, metabolomics and genomics
• Anthropological and historical studies in ethnopharmacology
• Treatment of dermatological conditions including ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology
• Ethnopharmacology of the respiratory, gastro-intestinal, cardiovascular, endocrine and central nervous systems
• Ethnopharmacology in obstetrics, gynecology, and urinary-tract disorders
• Anti-infective agents
• Anti-inflammatory agents, and ethnopharmacology of the musculoskeletal and joint diseases
• Malignant disease and immunosuppression
• Ethnopharmacology of metabolic disorders
• The interface of food and medicine, and nutrition in ethnopharmacology

Submissions must include a short explanation of the traditional use of the medicine. Although the section is interested in all diseases, studies focusing on the toxicology or clinical studies of medicinal plants, and research on “diseases of poverty” and those common in “low and middle income” countries are particularly welcome.

Clinical Trial articles will be accepted for review only in the case that they are randomized, double-blinded, and placebo controlled. Statistical power analysis or a justification of the sample size is also mandatory.

This Section also subscribes to the taxonomic standards laid down most importantly at the Kew MPNS portal or an alternative source as stated in this source.

All manuscripts submitted to the specialty section Ethnopharmacology must follow the best-practice assessment criteria defined as “The Four Pillars of Ethnopharmacology” to be considered for peer review. Please note, all submissions to the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology using plant extracts or preparations must also adhere to these Four Pillars to be considered for peer review, regardless of the specialty section, as a baseline standard for sample characterization. Additional criteria may be applied in other specialty sections where appropriate.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY

These are a set of mandatory guidelines designed to maintain the scientific, cultural, and ethical integrity of the Journal, and describe what the leading journals in the field consider as the basic aspects of good research (see here). “The Four Pillars of Ethnopharmacology” are summarized below for convenience, but please refer to the FULL VERSION of these guidelines before submitting a manuscript to this section.

1. Pharmacological Requirements

   a) Traditional context - The focus of the pharmacological experiments needs to be linked to the traditional context and must be described in the introduction

   b) There must be clear evidence (based on a review of the published literature) for the novelty of this study

   c) Credible experimental models – Methods must be state of the art, or a credible alternative.

In general, network pharmacological studies must be conducted in combination with experimental pharmacology (in vitro or in vivo) or are based on a sound body of experimental pharmacology. Network pharmacology studies must critically assess the pharmacological evidence to evaluate the potential effects of a preparation / herbal (medical) product and the limitations of the evidence.

   d) Dose - ranges must be therapeutically relevant

2. Requirements Specific to the Composition of the Preparation

The reproducibility of ethnopharmacological experiments relies on a sufficiently detailed description of the preparation(s) used. Whether the material under investigation is a crude plant extract, a multi-herbal preparation, a single compound from a commercial source or extracted from plant, chemical and botanical composition must be explicitly stated using established standards.

3. Basic Experimental and Ethical Requirements

a) The study must contribute substantially to the existing literature

b) Compliance with all international ethical standards including compliance with biodiversity regulation is essential

c) The use of animals must be justified

d) The effects of traditional medicinal preparations must be testable in scientific terms

4. Article-type Specific Requirements:

Specific requirements apply for different article types. These are:

• Field Studies
• Safety of traditional remedies and toxicology
• Reviews
• Systematic Reviews
• Meta Analyses

Submission

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