Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological survey on medicinal plants from the municipality of Itaberaba-BA for cultivation

Abstract

The utilization of medicinal plants in the semi-arid regions of Bahia is being studied by a researchers’ team from the Horto Florestal-UEFS, in Feira de Santana-BA. An ethnobiological survey was conducted among urban communities in the municipality of Itaberaba, belonging to the micro-region of semi-arid native of Bahia, near Chapada Diamantina. The medicinal plant species used by the urban communities of the municipal district were surveyed by identifying their main botanical and pharmacological aspects, so that these may be preserved in the Horto Florestal germplasm bank. The data were obtained by means of the application of a questionnaire composed of simple questions regarding the botanical aspects and the utilization forms of plants. The relation between popular and scientific nomenclature was made with the help of a specialized bibliography. A total of 50 species distributed in 27 distinct families were studied, the most representative families being Labiatae (8 species); Leguminosae (5 species); Compositae (3 species); Myrtaceae (3 species). The most cited plants were herbs, being them cultivated or extracted from the dwellers’ backyards, ‘terreiros’ or gardens. Leaves are the most used plant parts. The most used plants were the Spanish needle (Bidens pilosa), the American wormseed (Chenopodium ambrosioides), the bardana (Stryphnodendrom barbatiman), the aloe (Aloe barbadensis), the forskohlii (Plectranthus barbatus), and the Mexican mint (Plectranthus amboinicus). Plants were used to treat disorders of the digestive, respiratory and genito-urinary systems, as well as bruises and traumas, muscular and visceral pains, skin diseases and nervous disorders. These plants will be cultivated and preserved in the Horto Florestal-UEFS.