Natalia Montellano Duran2026-03-222026-03-22202310.1201/9781003377801-16https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003377801-16https://andeanlibrary.org/handle/123456789/83159Plant sources have various potentials due to the variety of ecosystems in which they can be found. Different bioactive molecules with antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antihyperglycemic, antihypertensive, and anticancer properties, among others, have been found in various Latin American plants. Many of the discoveries of these biological properties are due to the culture of ancestral medicine and the attempt to rescue that knowledge to insert it into modern society. From Mexico to Argentina, ancestral knowledge has been used to create cosmetics, medicines, and foods with biological activities of interest to modern society. Food and traditional medicine are full of bioactive molecules that in modern times have been maintained by tradition, but beyond tradition, pharmacognosy has helped us to know how these foods are improving the quality of life in the region. Each molecule and its variant in Latin American plant sources is rescued by researchers. This chapter identifies these molecules, their mechanisms of action, and their traditional use in Latin American countries.enGeographybook-chapter