Introduction
The Medicinal Botanical Garden “De la Cruz-Badiano” of the National University of Mexico was founded by Biologist Alejandro Villaseñor Becerra on October 25th, 1987 in order to (1,5):
a) Conserve the medicinal flora of the Valley of Mexico;
b) Research the medicinal flora of the Valley of Mexico where the botanic garden is located;
c) Submit medicinal plants to biological tests with the aim to gain knowledge of their pharmacological properties; and
d) Save, by propagation, the most threatened medicinal plants of the region.
The name of the botanic garden comes from the “Libellus De Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis” also called “Codex De la Cruz-Badiano” that was writing by the Aztecan Martin de la Cruz and translated from Nahuatl into Latin by Juan Badiano in 1552. The Libellus is the oldest historical record of medicinal plants in America (2).
Mexican Medicinal Plants and Health Care
Selection of medicinal plants in Mexico has developed gradually over hundreds of years. This selection has contributed to the health care of millions of Mexican people that live in extreme poverty. For example, the Vegetable drug called “Boldo” that is employed in cases of hepatic dysfunction or cholelithiasis (3).
Medicinal plant research
The pharmacological study of the medicinal plants recorded in the Libellus has been seldom developed by Mexican researchers due to lack of funds. For example, there are approximately 2,600 medicinal plants registered in Mexico from which only 10 percent has been studied (4).
1. Villaseñor, B.A. 1991. Medicinal plant conservation and the Medicinal Botanical Garden “De la Cruz-Badiano”. Botanic Gardens Conservation, 1 (9), 62-67.
2. Viesca, T.C. 1992. El Libellus y su contexto histórico. In Secretaría de Salud. Estudios actuales sobre el Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis , México, D.F.: Secretaría de Salud.
3. Villaseñor, B.A. 1993. Medicinal Flora of Mexico. Journal of Herbs, Ápices & Medicinal Plants , 2 (1), 55-91.
4. Estrada, L.E. 1985. Jardín de Plantas Medicinales “Maximino Martínez”. Edo. De Mex.: Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo
5) Botanic Gardens of Mexico: History and Perspectives
6) Biological Conservation Newsletter
7) Convention on biological diversity
