Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal species used by farmers of rural communities of Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The present work carried out an ethnobotanical survey in rural communities in the municipalities of Barra de Santa Rosa, Cuité and Nova Floresta (Western Curimataú), Baraúna, Picuí (Eastern Seridó), and Jaçanã (Borborema potiguar) in Rio Grande do Norte. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied with 50 residents, with socioeconomic and ethnobotanical questions about the main medicinal plants used, their indications, form of preparation and origin. A total of 82 plant species were distributed in 44 families. The Fabaceae family stands out for the greater number of species used, comprising ten species, followed by the Euphorbiaceae family with six species. The families Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Verbenaceae and Poaceae were distinguished in relation to the largest number of species citations, inferring a total of twenty citations for the thick leaf mint (Plectranthus amboinicus), twenty citations for Erva cideira (Lippia thymoides), eighteen citations for cumaru (Amburana cearensis), and seventeen citations for Capim santo (Cymbopogon citratus). The use of medicinal plants is widespread in the regions surveyed. It is of the utmost importance that traditional phytotherapeutic knowledge has space in society more effectively, not only referring to rural areas, but also providing space in cities as a way to establish health and the culture of the region.