Abstract
An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Sobradinho community, Luís Correia, Piauí, Brazil was undertaken to recover and document traditional knowledge with the aim of supporting chemical, biological, agronomic, pharmaceutical and socio-economic studies related to the region's biodiversity. Fifteen research visits to the community were made between March 2013 to January 2014 involving 31 respondents from the community, the majority (74.4%) being women aged between 27 and 84 years. The methodology used was interview by the snowball method using questionnaires. Analysis of the data gathered was based on use value and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index. Botanical voucher specimens were made of the species cited by informants and deposited at the HDELTA herbarium. 57 species belonging to 33 families were identified, of which 56% were native and 44% exotic. The best represented families were Fabaceae (14%), Lamiaceae and Myrtaceae (9% each). The leaves were the most frequently used plant parts (69%), followed by the stem (22%), fruit (4%), flower (2%), root and seed (1%). The species that showed the highest use value (VU) were Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf (capim-santo) and Morinda citrifolia L. (noni) with VU = 0.26. The Shannon-Wiener index value was highest for the elderly group (n=15, 48% of total respondents), but young people were not represented among the informants. A total of 67 different medicinal indications were recorded, the highest number of species being used to treat medical conditions associated with inflammation, pain and fever. Informants claimed to have learned the use of medicinal plants from older members of the community and there was little interest evident among young people in acquiring this knowledge. Community informants are the holders of medicinal plant knowledge of the local flora and its practical application. Key words: Biological diversity, ethnobotany, floristics, medicinal plants, Piauí.
Highlights
Local community knowledge in the use and management of natural resources and their ethical, biological and cultural implications are relevant and important factors in the management of both the development and the conservation of protected areas (Fonseca-Kruel and Peixoto, 2004; Miranda and Hanazaki, 2008)
According to the last author, women had higher involvement with cultivated plants in backyards and gardens as this required less concerted effort, while men focused on collecting medicinal plants in the wild, guided by popular knowledge
The species showing the highest use values, that is, species with the greatest potential for use by the community, were Cymbopogon citratus and Morinda citrifolia with a use value of 0.26, and Ximenia americana and Lippia alba with a use value of 0.23 (Table 2). These results suggest that the species with the highest use values are or potentially important to the rural population of the region and in the case of native species, important to consider in strategies for local biological conservation
Summary
Local community knowledge in the use and management of natural resources and their ethical, biological and cultural implications are relevant and important factors in the management of both the development and the conservation of protected areas (Fonseca-Kruel and Peixoto, 2004; Miranda and Hanazaki, 2008). It is known that popular knowledge of medicinal plants has been diminishing over time, because of the extinction of indigenous peoples who left no written records, due to new social habits and better access to modern medical services, which leads to a preference for science-based therapies introduced from outside local cultural traditions (Amorozo, 2002). Ethnobotanical research covering various areas of Brazil has increased noticeably over recent decades and has both demonstrated the importance of local plant knowledge and highlighted the need for further scientific studies (Hanazaki et al, 1996; Silva-Almeida and Amorozo, 1998; Silva and Proença, 2008; Chaves and Barros, 2012; Sousa et al, 2012; Povh and Alves, 2013; Carvalho et al, 2013; Viganó et al, 2013; Cavalcante and Silva, 2014; Nascimento, 2014; Ribeiro et al, 2014; Baliano et al, 2015). Popular knowledge of plant uses, accumulated over centuries, often represents the only therapeutic resource for many communities and ethnic groups with very low disposable incomes and poor access to modern industry-based medicine
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