The leaves of Monteverdia ilicifolia (syn. Maytenus ilicifolia), commonly called espinheira-santa, are widely used in South American traditional medicines to treat gastritis and ulcers. Several products labeled as espinheira-santa are sold as dietary supplements in retail stores and via e-commerce. Many different species with similar leaf morphology are often mistaken for Monteverdia ilicifolia and used as espinheira-santa, including Monteverdia aquifolia (Celastraceae), Citronella gongonha (Cardiopteridaceae), Jodina rhombifolia (Santalaceae), Sorocea bonplandii (Moraceae), and Zollernia ilicifolia (Fabaceae). This study aimed to characterize M. ilicifolia and distinguish it from adulterants using morphological and microscopic techniques. In addition, foreign matter and powder characteristics of botanical materials sold as "espinheira-santa" were analyzed. The morphoanatomical studies of the leaves and stems of M. ilicifolia and its five adulterant species have revealed noteworthy features that can help species identification and quality control of commercial espinheira-santa. This study showed that many commercial espinheira-santa materials were adulterated and of inferior quality.

中文翻译：

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通过形态解剖学和显微镜对巴西传统草药“Espinheira-Santa”（Monteverdia ilicifolia）进行鉴定和质量控制。

Monteverdia ilicifolia（同义词 Maytenus ilicifolia）的叶子通常被称为 espinheira-santa，广泛用于南美传统药物中治疗胃炎和溃疡。一些标记为 espinheira-santa 的产品作为膳食补充剂在零售店和电子商务中出售。许多具有相似叶子形态的不同物种经常被误认为 Monteverdia ilicifolia 并被用作 espinheira-santa，包括 Monteverdia aquifolia (Celastraceae)、Citronella gongonha (Cardiopteridaceae)、Jodina rhombifolia (Santalaceae)、Sorocea bonplandii (Moraceae) 和 Zollernia ilicifolia (Fabaceae) ）。本研究旨在利用形态学和显微镜技术来表征 M. ilicifolia 并将其与掺假品区分开来。此外，还分析了以“espinheira-santa”出售的植物材料的异物和粉末特性。对 M. ilicifolia 及其五种掺假物种的叶和茎的形态解剖学研究揭示了一些值得注意的特征，可以帮助商业 espinheira-santa 的物种鉴定和质量控制。这项研究表明，许多商业 espinheira-santa 材料被掺假且质量低劣。