Potencial das plantas medicinais: diversidade específica e utilização em Valença do Piauí

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants throughout history has been a natural and low-cost alternative that brings several benefits to health and from the perspective of traditional popular knowledge. Therefore, this study aims to identify the species of medicinal plants used by the population of the urban area of ​​Valença do Piauí, as well as the knowledge associated with them. In addition, it aims to collect, herborize and identify the taxa present in the study area, presenting their indications and methods of use for the prevention and cure of diseases. The study also seeks to identify the plant parts used, the methods of preparation, and quantify the ethnospecies in categories of native, introduced or cultivated, recording and systematizing ethnobotanical knowledge. What methodology was used? Briefly, how were the data collected, recorded and analyzed? The results of the socioeconomic survey revealed that the majority of the interviewees were female, with a predominant age range between 41 and over 55 years old. Regarding ethnobotanical research, the main form of acquisition of medicinal plants was through exchanges with neighbors and family members, and the leaf was the part of the plant most used by the interviewees. Several methods of preparing the medicines were reported, however, the use of teas presented the highest preference index (100%). Given the applicability of the procedures of the proposed methodology, the plant species and their parts used for therapeutic purposes present in the urban area of ​​Valença do Piauí, with their respective methods of preparation and indications, a reliable list was obtained with several native medicinal plants and a vast popular knowledge about them.