Levantamento etnobotânico e a influência da cultura popular no uso de plantas medicinais na Comunidade Quilombola de São Sebastião dos Pretos

Abstract

The management of plant species for therapeutic purposes has ancestral roots and remains a significant medicinal approach, especially in traditional community, which find in herbal plants and natural remedies a more accessible form of treatment or relief for certain ailments. This study aimed to conduct an ethnobotanical survey and analize the influence of popular culture on the use of medicinal plants in the quilombola community of São Sebastião dos Pretos, Bacabal-MA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 residents, who authorized data collection and photographs of the species; however, only 39 people mentioned that they use and cultivate plant species (84,78%). The data were coded and entered into a spreadsheet in Microsoft Office Excel 2013. There was a predominance of females (67,40%) an age range of 40 to 59 years (28,30%), an incomplete primary education (30,40%), and a complete secondary education (30,40%). Forty-five species and 22 families were mentioned, with emphasis on Lamiaceae (N=07). The most commonly mentioned illenesses by the community were flu (N=28); fever (N=16) and cough (N=11). The species Hyptis crenata Pohl ex Benth. (58,97%), Pluchea sagittalis (Lam.) Cabrera (35,90%), Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (35,90%) and Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng. (30,77%) were the most cited by the research participants. Traditional knowledge has predominated for several generations within the families, and women play a key role as a source of transmission of this popular knowledge. The results of this study reveal the need to maintain the traditional practices of this people, as well as the need to implement programs and projects that value and enhance popular knowledge and their practices regarding the use of medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes, taking into account all aspects related to public health and the well-being of the population.