Plants in Candomblé rituals in the health of the body, mind and spirit

highlighting the municipality of Ituiutaba, MG

Abstract

The use of plants to treatment diseases and spiritual ills in religious rituals of African origin is extremely important, especially in Candomblé. In the terreiros these plants can have different names, as well as their medicinal and spiritual effects, being indicated orally and maintained through the traditional knowledge. A bibliographic survey was carried out on four data platforms, 24 references were found and five were selected to compose the study. From them, 73 plant species used in Candomblé rituals were obtained. Most of these species were raised in the municipality of Ituiutaba, MG, and it was possible to observe that the plants used in the Candomblé terreiro for curative purposes, also were present in the backyards and gardens of urban and rural populations, mostly indicated for digestive, respiratory and  circulatory problems. The intense use of these plants is also related with traditional knowledge being disseminated among the population, reinforcing the importance of tradition and its valorization.