Levantamento etnobotânico das espécies vegetais cultivadas e utilizadas com fins medicinais no município de Cuité, Paraíba.

Abstract

Brazil has a rich collection of plants with therapeutic properties, but in some areas there is still a paucity of data to report on what the main plant species used by the communities. This study aimed to the realization of an ethnobotanical survey of the main species grown and used for medicinal purposes in the municipality of Cuité, Paraíba, in order to rescue the popular knowledge about the use of plants and at the same time make a comparison between the data recorded with scientific data. Methodology was used semi-structured questionnaires, which were applied to 19 persons knowledgeable of medicinal plants. The study was conducted in urban areas and according to research, the knowledge about the use and preparation of medicinal plants by the respondents was obtained mainly through family. The survey resulted in a total of 33 plants, between which 21 were collected and identified botanically, and the determination of the botanical remaining species was made according to their characteristics and based on the literature. Among the botanical families registered, Lamiaceae stood out among the others in having the highest number of species for medicinal purposes. Among the species mentioned, the instructions for use were for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory, digestive, circulatory, integumentary, nervous to rheumatic problems and kidney. The most commonly used species is in agreement with the literature (87.5%), but 12.5% are used indiscriminately as the risk of toxicity present, requiring a supplement to the popular with the scientific knowledge to a more secure their jobs therapeutic uses.