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The therapeutic potential of medical cannabis has garnered significant attention in recent years, prompting an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness across various health outcomes. This article presents an Evidence Map that systematically summarizes clinical evidence on the use of medical cannabis, including the health conditions it addresses, the interventions employed, and the resulting clinical outcomes. The objective is to map the effectiveness of medical cannabis in relation to a wide range of health outcomes. The systematic review process involved two independent, blinded literature researchers who screened the search output using Rayyan software. For studies deemed relevant, full texts were obtained to clarify inclusion or exclusion criteria, and any disagreements were resolved through group discussion. Out of 1,840 initial references, 279 potential studies were selected and read in full, resulting in the inclusion of 194 studies in this evidence map. The results highlight the use of various cannabis formulations, including those based on isolated cannabidiol (CBD). Seventy-one distinct health outcomes were identified in the systematic reviews, with the most reported outcomes being related to various types of pain and patient safety. Other frequently studied outcomes included appetite regulation, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and muscle spasticity. Notably, 278 out of 489 descriptions of treatment effects for these health outcomes reported either “Positive” or “Potentially Positive” effects. When considering only high-quality systematic reviews, as evaluated by the AMSTAR 2 tool, 42 out of 67 descriptions of treatment effects for up to 20 health outcomes were classified as “Positive” or “Potentially Positive.” These outcomes included pain, insomnia, seizures, anxiety, muscle spasticity, multiple sclerosis, urinary incontinence, anorexia, and patient safety. This evidence map provides a comprehensive overview of the current clinical evidence on medical cannabis, highlighting its potential therapeutic benefits across a range of health conditions and emphasizing the need for further high-quality research.

Schistosomiasis is a tropical disease transmitted in an aqueous environment by cercariae from the Schistosoma genus. This disease affects 200 million people living in risk areas around the world. The control of schistosomiasis is realized by chemotherapy, wastewater sanitation, health education, and mollusk control using molluscicidal agents. This work evaluates the effects of a nanoemulsion containing essential oil from Myrciaria floribunda leaves as a molluscicidal and cercaricidal agent against Biomphalaria glabrata mollusks and Schistosoma mansoni cercariae. The Myrciaria floribunda essential oil from leaves showed nerolidol, β-selinene, 1,8 cineol, and zonarene as major constituents. The formulation study suggested the F3 formulation as the most promising nanoemulsion with polysorbate 20 and sorbitan monooleate 80 (4:1) with 5% (w/w) essential oil as it showed a smaller droplet size of approximately 100 nm with a PDI lower than 0.3 and prominent bluish reflection. Furthermore, this nanoemulsion showed stability after 200 days under refrigeration. The Myrciaria floribunda nanoemulsion showed LC50 values of 48.11 µg/mL, 29.66 µg/mL, and 47.02 µg/mL in Biomphalaria glabrata embryos, juveniles, and adult mollusks, respectively, after 48 h and 83.88 µg/mL for Schistosoma mansoni cercariae after 2 h. In addition, a survival of 80% was observed in Danio rerio, and the in silico toxicity assay showed lower overall human toxicity potential to the major compounds in the essential oil compared to the reference molluscicide niclosamide. These results suggest that the nanoemulsion of Myrciaria floribunda leaves may be a promising alternative for schistosomiasis control.

As plantas medicinais são utilizadas na medicina popular para o tratamento de diversas doenças ocupando uma posição importante, pois se estima que 80% da população faz uso destas ervas. O uso incorreto pode ser prejudicial; existem formas específicas de uso e a ação terapêutica é totalmente influenciada pela forma de preparo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar como ocorre a utilização de plantas medicinais pelas participantes dos clubes de mães no município de Palotina, PR. Assim foram entrevistadas 71 mulheres através de questionários pré-elaborados para se obter as informações sobre o uso das plantas medicinais nestes clubes. Do total de mulheres entrevistadas, 98% afirmaram fazer uso de plantas medicinais, sendo que as espécies usadas mais frequentemente são Mentha spp., Chamomilla recutita, Cymbopogon citratus, Plectranthus barbatus, Plantago major, Achyrocline satureioides, Mikania glomerata e Maytenus ilicifolia. Das participantes entrevistadas, 69% afirmaram consumir as plantas em forma de chá por infusão e 40% preparam o chá por decocção. A forma de consumo mais frequente pelas participantes é por via oral (91%), sendo que 62% relataram o uso das ervas para solucionar problemas da digestão. Quanto à forma de obtenção das plantas, o cultivo em casa é realizado por 91% das entrevistadas e a compra em supermercados/farmácias representa apenas 31%. A indicação terapêutica é feita, na maioria das vezes, por parentes, amigos ou vizinhos (79%). O fato de serem produtos naturais e fazerem efeito é o que justifica o consumo de plantas pelas entrevistadas e, portanto, não há preocupação sobre interação com medicamentos alopáticos. Observou-se também que 10% das participantes afirmaram sentir efeitos indesejáveis ao consumir plantas medicinais. Muitas participantes dos clubes de mães relataram que usam as plantas mesmo possuindo dúvidas sobre a sua ação terapêutica ou forma de uso. Assim, os resultados mostraram que a comunidade, apesar de possuir conhecimentos a cerca da utilização das plantas, ainda é carente de informações que orientam o correto modo de preparo e de propriedades medicinais.