Ethnobotanical study of knowledge and use of medicinal plants in Buriticupu, Maranhão, Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6008/CBPC2179-6858.2019.006.0028Keywords:
traditional knowledge, folk medicine, ethnobiologyAbstract
The use of plants for therapeutic purposes is a traditional practice widespread in different populations, with specificities of each region. This practice has been present since the dawn of civilizations, and its knowledge has been passed on through the generations. This research aimed to make a survey on medicinal plants used by residents of the urban area of Buriticupu-MA. 110 people were interviewed through semi-structured questionnaires. A total of 82 medicinal plant species were recorded distributed in 43 botanical families. The Lamiaceae and Fabaceae families were the most cited and the species Hortelã (M. crispa), Capim Santo (C. citratus), Erva-cidreira (H. atrorubens), Malva-do-reino (M. sylvestris) and Folha-santa (K. pinnata) presented the highest number of citations, and M. arvensis (vique) was the only one to obtain 100% FRIPS. The leaves (63%) were the most used botanical part in homemade preparations made predominantly by decoction. Among the main diseases treated by medicinal plants, the most prevalent were infectious and parasitic (30%), digestive system diseases (15%) and female reproductive system (15%). The results of correlations between number of children and age are positively linked to the number of plants cited by the informants, while the number of plants cited is negatively influenced by age (p < 0.05). This study confirms that urban residents often use medicinal plants as a treatment for their most common diseases.
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