Abstract

David Picking1, Wendy Torres-Avilez2, Lionel Germosén-Robineau3, Katherine Smith4
,

Jannette Gavillán Suárez5
1 Senior Research Fellow, Caribbean Centre for Research in Bioscience (CCRIB), The University of the West
Indies, Jamaica
2 TRAMIL Editorial Committee (CETRA), Program of Applied Research on Medicinal Plants in the Caribbean
(TRAMIL), Mexico
3 TRAMIL Ethnopharmacological Surveys Coordinator, Program of Applied Research on Medicinal Plants in
the Caribbean (TRAMIL), Dominican Republic
4 Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator, Ana G. Méndez University, School of Naturopathic
Medicine, Puerto Rico
5 TRAMIL General and Scientific Coordinator, Program of Applied Research on Medicinal Plants in the
Caribbean (TRAMIL), Puerto Rico
Introduction
The Pan-American Compendium of Medicinal Plants is a collaborative initiative across the Americas launched in 2023 to address the longstanding absence of an inter-American unified pharmacopoeia. While countries such as China and India have long-established national pharmacopoeias to support the documentation, regulation, andeconomic development of their medicinal plant resources, the Americas have yet to consolidate their rich ethnobotanical traditions into a coordinated reference system.
This abstract presents the Caribbean islands contribution to this effort, drawing on data and methodology from TRAMIL (Traditional Medicines in the Islands), a well-established program that has documented and scientifically evaluated medicinal plant use across the Caribbean Basin for over four decades.
This review was undertaken in response to the conference organizers’ request to identify Caribbean native species for which some level of evidence from human studiesis available.

Methods
TRAMIL employs a ten-step methodology encompassing community-based identification of health priorities, statistically representative ethnopharmacological surveys, botanical
authentication, critical literature review, and original pharmacological or toxicological studies when needed. This process results in classification of uses as [SIG] (significant use), [REC](recommended use), or [TOX] (toxic use).

For this review, all [SIG] native species reported in 19 island territories were reviewed, and a structured PubMed search was conducted to identify peer-reviewed human studies. Filters included randomized clinical trials, clinical trials, observational studies, and case reports involving humans. Species were classified based on native distribution as follows: native to both Caribbean
island(s) and bordering continental countries (N); native exclusively to continental countries surveyed that border the Caribbean Sea (NEC); native exclusively to the Caribbean island territories surveyed (NEI). While NEC species are included for context, this review focuses on species from Caribbean island territories (N and NEI).

Results and Discussion
TRAMIL surveys across both island and continental territories have identified 273 [SIG] medicinal plant species, of which 167 are native. Among these, 36 native species were found to have at least one peer-reviewed human-use study. Eighteen of these are native to both Caribbean islands and continental countries bordering the Caribbean Sea (N), occurring in at least one of the island territories surveyed. One species is native exclusively to the islands (NEI). The five species with the greatest number of published human studies are Phyllanthus amarus (14 studies), Phyllanthus niruri (8), Capsicum frutescens (6), Bidens pilosa (5), and Senna alata (5). These results underscore the high research and therapeutic potential of several culturally important species and justify
their potential prioritization for detailed Pan-American monograph development.

Conclusions
TRAMIL’s systematic, territory-based approach offers a tested model for integrating traditional knowledge with biomedical evidence. The contribution from the Caribbean
islands is a foundational part of the first volume of the Pan-American Compendium and illustrates the importance of documenting, validating, and elevating native species
across the Americas. In the absence of a unified pharmacopeia for the Pan-American region, this initiative marks a critical step toward building inclusive, evidence-based
TCIM policy and unlocking the health and economic potential of its diverse medicinal flora.

Keywords: Medicinal Plants; Ethnopharmacology; Caribbean Region; Evidence-Based
Practice; TRAMIL