Ethnobotany and popular culture in the use of plants in settlements on the southern edge of southern Pantanal Mato Grosso

Abstract

Popular culture and its relationship with plants has been the subject of scientific studies and brought significant contributions to science. In this assessment, developed in two settlements in Corumbá and Ladário, Mato Grosso do Sul, was evaluated the use of plants for medicinal purposes. A structured questionnaire was administered to 10 raizeiros, residents of the area, asking which plants were used by them, their methods of preparation and therapeutic indications. Fifty-five plants from 28 families were catalogued among plants native to the region and of exotic and/or external origin, only 40% were native. The predominant form of use is tea (41 citations), followed by infusion (16 citations). The most used parts are the leaves, with 43 citations, followed by flowers (6 citations). There is a predominance of the type of problem for which the plant is used, with 12 citations for problems in the respiratory system, followed by eight for kidney and liver problems and seven for the stomach. What has been found is a wide diversity of species used for the most different problems, indicating the importance of the use of medicinal plants for the communities studied.