On Monday, April 15th, the presentation event for new herbal remedies based on marigold and cat's claw was held at the Gininho Marchió Library and Student Center in Jardinópolis. These remedies are the result of research conducted among the University of Ribeirão Preto, the University of São Paulo, and the Nature Pharmacy - Terra de Ismael, located in Jurucê city.

The event was attended by Professor and Researcher Ana Maria Soares Pereira, coordinator of the Biotechnology Unit at Unaerp; Professor and Researcher Juliana Coppede from the Biotechnology Unit; Professor and Researcher Fábio Carmona from the University of São Paulo; Daniel César Nunes Cardoso, a federal civil servant from the Ministry of Health and the visionary behind the implementation of Living Pharmacies in the Unified Health System (SUS); and Ivanice Cestaria, the Secretary of Health of Jardinópolis, along with healthcare professionals.

The herbal remedies were developed in partnership with Unaerp, USP, and the Nature Pharmacy

Carmona emphasized that diseases such as Herpes Simplex and Zoster, Arthritis, and Inflammations, which will be treated by the new herbal remedies, have expensive treatments and symptoms that cause significant suffering to patients. "The university has a social role that goes beyond educating new professionals or conducting scientific research. The university has an obligation to extend services to the community. In this sense, USP and Unaerp have been working through the Nature Pharmacy, not only offering medical and herbal consultations but also developing new technologies to create new products to be made available in SUS."

Daniel César Nunes Cardoso, a federal civil servant from the Ministry of Health, stated that it is necessary to leverage biodiversity and traditional knowledge for the creation of new types of medications. "I bring with me the commitment to support the implementation of phytotherapy in SUS." He further added that it is essential for universities to support living pharmacies and phytotherapy as extension activities. "Certainly, extension is the most visible arm, because you really go into the field. It's the fact that the University is out there, bringing in and taking knowledge out. It's a very rich exchange that exists, but we must not forget about teaching."

The launch event took place at the Gininho Marchió Library and Student Center in Jardinópolis

Finally, Ivanice Cestaria, the Secretary of Health of Jardinópolis, highlighted the importance of the partnership between universities, the municipality, and the community. "The University provides continuing education, which is extremely important because it helps to train our professionals to work in the network alongside the patient. This agreement only adds value, and we also have to think about the training of these professionals who are in university." At the end of the event, the professionals received a sample of the herbal remedy "Cat's Claw Cream," which contains Uncaria tomentosa, an endangered species preserved in the Tissue Culture Laboratory at Unaerp.