Medicinal plants and health care in the community

conversation circle as a shared management tool

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants calls for broad perspectives on health, from which unique care practices emerge. By affirming these practices as collective devices for analysis, we affirm the public dimension of the Unified Health System (SUS). This proposal is based on the need to broaden communication between managers, workers and users and to open a dialog about the use of medicinal plants in the Patrimônio da Penha/ES community. It reports on the experience of a conversation circle which produced questions about the management of work processes. Popular education and the circle method were the tools used to lead the exchange of knowledge. Medicinal plants served as a catalyst for broader perspectives on health, revealing different relationships with the body, well-being and life. The circle experience demonstrated how a collaborative and inclusive approach can redefine the dynamics of care in Primary Health Care, bringing professionals and the community closer together in a space of mutual learning. The initiative highlights the importance of creating dialogue spaces that integrate different perspectives and knowledge for a broader approach to health, stimulating the transformation of services and the formation of networks in the SUS.