Investigação etnobotânica das plantas medicinais utilizadas para o tratamento de faringoamigdalite no CRAS de Cuité - PB.

Abstract

The present work is an ethnobotanical study conducted with elderly CRAS (Reference Center for Social Assistance) investigating folk knowledge on medicinal plants for the treatment of pharyngotonsilitis in Cuité city Curimataú located in the state of Paraíba. This elderly community has a great knowledge regarding the use of medicinal plants. Thus, the study aims to investigate, document and assess whether there is scientific confirmation that the medicinal plants used by this community really possess antimicrobial activities. For this investigation was performed an exploratory research through interviews applying a semistructured questionnaire seeking objective and subjective information about the knowledge of pharyngotonsilitis and plants used to treat it. The sample was composed of thirty elderly. Some respondents reported never having used herbal or never had pharyngotonsilitis, but those who reported the use of medicinal plants cited 14 plant species considered useful for the treatment of disease, the main plant cited for this community that is the Pomegranate (Punica granatum) which exhibited antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes confirmed scientifically. Data showed that the community has knowledge about medicinal plants with antimicrobial activity for the treatment of pharyngotonsilitis.