Catalogação etnobotânica das espécies de plantas aromáticas ocorrentes na zona urbana do município de Zé Doca, Maranhão, Brasil

Abstract

Aromatic plants (PAs) are vegetables, made up of active principles, formed entirely or partially by essences due to their aroma capable of transmitting pleasant sensations to our olfactory memory. They have great economic, food, pharmaceutical and perfumery importance. The number of species involved in dietary health is extensive and sometimes goes unnoticed in our eyes, as is the case with aromatic plants. They are part of a segment that even today contemplates popular wisdom, regionally causing some confusion between the species, their popular names and their possibilities of use. This type of herb has been used since ancient times, not only to give flavor and smell to food, but also to increase shelf life with its antiseptic properties. It has great importance in history due to the countless beneficial properties, derived from its photochemicals, which provide the use of their extracts and essential oils as natural remedies. The objective was to recognize the importance of using aromatic plants by the community living in the urban area of the municipality of Zé Doca/MA. The research was carried out through visits to homes, the method used to collect the information was through a form, containing nine open and closed semi-structured questions. Fifty interviews were carried out with older residents (men and women) from two neighborhoods in that city. 97 citations were recorded, in which the use of different plant parts for different purposes was reported, with 23 species identified, distributed in 12 botanical families. 5 ways of preparation were mentioned, 5 most used parts Through research, it was possible to observe the importance of traditional knowledge of the use of PAs, where it was found that aromatic plants are part of customs, culture and also contribute to supplementing the community's family income. This demonstrates how important ethnobotanical research is in preserving species and traditional knowledge. In addition to allowing recognition of the diversity of aromatic plant species and the potential for food use