Context: Given the growing public health crisis caused by viral diseases, traditional medicine stands as one of the fundamental pillars for the study and discovery of phytometabolites with antiviral properties. It is necessary to investigate and evaluate these compounds, mostly phenolic, that could be used as drugs. Aims: To identify the polyphenols by UPLC-MS/MS and the potential in silico antiviral activity of medicinal plants in Trujillo, Peru. Methods: The ethnobotany of the eight most widely used medicinal plants in the city of Trujillo was described (Azadirachta indica A. Juss. “paradise”, Caesalpinia spinosa (Molina) Kuntze “tara”, Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck “lemon”, Clinopodium pulchellum (Kunth) Govaerts "panizara", Cordia lutea Lam. "overo", Ocimum basilicum L. "basil", Schinus molle L. "molle", and Taraxacum campylodes G.E. Haglund "dandelion"). The phytometabolites responsible for the antiviral activity were identified by LC-MS and evaluated in silico against the viral proteins NS2B/NS3 (DENV-2), NS5B (HCV), and ICP27 (HSV-1) by molecular docking using Chimera 1.16 software and molecular interaction by Maestro 13.1 software to identify the position and type of interaction. Results: Five polyphenols (chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, and rutin) were found, and in the in-silico test, the antiviral activity of chlorogenic acid stood out against DENV-2 and HCV, rutin against HCV and HSV-1, rosmarinic acid against DENV-2 and HCV. Conclusions: It is demonstrated that the medicinal plants studied contain phytometabolites that make them possible antiviral candidates, which would support their use in the traditional medicine of the province of Trujillo, Peru.

Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E. Br. ex Britton & P. Wilson is an aromatic medicinal plant widely used in traditional medicine for the management of digestive, inflammatory, and infectious disorders. The present study aimed to investigate the ethnobotanical relevance, chemical composition, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, and molecular docking properties of L. alba essential oil (EOLA). Ethnobotanical information was collected through semi-structured interviews with herbal vendors. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and chemically characterized by GC–MS and GC–FID, leading to the identification of 27 volatile constituents. The chemical profile was dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes (83.83%), with (−)-carvone (63.79%) and dihydrocarvyl acetate (17.74%) as the major compounds, confirming a carvone chemotype. EOLA exhibited moderate antioxidant activity, with values of 24.1 mg TE/100 g and 34.5 mg TE/100 g in the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. Furthermore, the essential oil demonstrated significant concentration-dependent antifungal and antibacterial activities against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus. At the highest concentration tested, the antimicrobial activity approached that of the reference drugs. In silico ADMET analysis predicted favorable pharmacokinetic and drug-likeness properties for the major volatile constituents. Molecular docking studies revealed relevant interactions between several compounds, particularly α-gurjunene, alloaromadendrene, trans-α-bisabolene, and (−)-β-bourbonene, and molecular targets associated with oxidative stress and microbial inhibition, providing mechanistic insights into the biological activities observed experimentally. Overall, these findings support the ethnopharmacological use of L. alba and highlight its essential oil as a promising natural source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial potential for future phytopharmaceutical applications.

(1) Background: Clinopodium pulchellum (Kunth) Govaerts (Panizara) is an aromatic Andean medicinal plant traditionally used in Peru to manage nervous disorders, insomnia, and digestive complaints; however, its neuropharmacological properties remain poorly validated. This study aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of C. pulchellum and to characterize its phytochemical profile as supportive evidence. (2) Methods: The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC–MS and GC–FID. (3) Results: Fifteen volatile compounds were identified based on retention indices and mass spectral data, with β-caryophyllene (22.9%) and linalool (19.1%) as the most representative constituents, while other compounds were tentatively identified. The aqueous extract showed total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 34.15 mg GAE/g and 29.44 mg QE/g, respectively, and moderate antioxidant activity (DPPH = 2.36 mg TE/g; ABTS = 3.33 mg TE/g). In vivo assays revealed that EOCP at 200 mg·kg⁻¹ significantly increased open-arm exploration in the elevated plus maze and reduced immobility time in the CUMS–forced swim test by 37% compared with the stress group, although the effect was lower than that of reference drugs. Molecular docking analysis indicated favorable binding affinities of β-caryophyllene, humulene, and aromandendrene with serotonergic and ion channel targets, while ADMET predictions suggested suitable pharmacokinetic properties. (4) Conclusions: These findings indicate that the observed neuropharmacological effects may be associated with the presence of bioactive terpenoids typical of Lamiaceae, supporting the traditional use of C. pulchellum. However, further studies are required to confirm the identity of uncommon constituents and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying its biological activity.

Ocimum basilicum L. (‘licorice’ variety) is a plant commonly known as albahaca or basil that is used in a variety of industries around the world. The variability in the chemical composition of the essential oil derived from this plant, gathered in different growing months, is reported herein. The aerial parts, those parts exposed to the air, of O. basilicum L. yielded an average of 0.3% ± 0.25% of the essential oil in the four month period of the evaluation. Using GC-MS analysis, 107 components were detected in the essential oil, 102 of them were identified (95.3%) and 15 showed a greater than 1% relative yield. Estragol, at 40.6%, and linalool, at 17.8%, were the most important components of the essential oil. According to the refractive index (1.5230), the essential oil could be classified into the Reunion Type. Based on the relative percentage of the two most important components, estragol and linalool, the essential oil could be classified as European Type 1, and considering the possible chemo type based on the percentage of estragol, the classification corresponded to the BA Type. This is the first time that an evaluation of the changing chemical composition of the essential oil derived from O. basilicum over four consecutive months has been published.

Objetive: To determine the relationship between medical prescription and drug use in patients of the Regional Teaching Hospital of Trujillo. Methods: Quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive-correlational study. A total of 302 prescriptions of SIS patients attended in the hospitalization pharmacy were evaluated by means of structured questionnaires and data collection, contrasted with the WHO indicators of rational drug use. Results: The level of medical prescription was good in 41.39%, fair in 34.77% and poor in 23.84%. Medication use was adequate in 57.62% and inadequate in 42.38%. Conclusion: Medical prescription is significantly related to the use of medications in hospitalized patients affiliated to the Comprehensive Health Insurance in the study hospital. Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre la prescripción médica y el uso de medicamentos en pacientes del Hospital Regional Docente de Trujillo. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo, no experimental, descriptivo-correlacional. Se evaluaron 302 recetas de pacientes del SIS atendidos en la farmacia de hospitalización, mediante cuestionarios estructurados y recolección de datos, contrastados con los indicadores de uso racional de medicamentos de la OMS. Resultados: El nivel de prescripción médica fue bueno en 41,39 %, regular en 34,77 % y malo en 23,84 %. El uso de medicamentos fue adecuado en 57,62 % e inadecuado en 42,38 %. Conclusión: La prescripción médica se relaciona significativamente con el uso de medicamentos en pacientes hospitalizados afiliados al Seguro Integral de Salud en el hospital de estudio.