Ethnobotanical study of knowledge and medicinal plants use in Santa Luzia, Maranhão, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6008/CBPC2179-6858.2018.005.0002Keywords:
Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Traditional medicine, Traditional knowledgeAbstract
The use of plant species as traditional medicines provides a real substitute in healthcare services for rural communities. The study of medicinal plants reveals locally important plant species often useful for the discovery of new drugs. The aim of this study was to know the use of medicinal plants in Santa Luzia, Maranhão State, Brazil, and to evaluate the social and economic patterns in relation to the use of phytotherapy. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews in which 53 dwellers (15 men and 38 women) randomly selected informants participated. A total of 123 medicinal plant species were recorded together with their medicinal uses. Among the most cited families, the Fabaceae came out as a leading family with 14 medicinal species followed by Apiaceae with 7 species. The leaves are the most commonly used parts of plants and the decoction, the method of preparation. Among the main disorders treated with medicinal plants, infectious and parasitic diseases and digestive diseases were the most cited. The results of the correlations between the number of people per household and the age of respondents are positively related to number of plants cited. The study revealed that the area harbors a diversity of medicinal plants, and associated knowledge. Local communities depend on medicinal plants to meet their basic health care needs
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