Levantamento etnofarmacológico de plantas medicinais na comunidade quilombola de São Bento, Santos Dumont, Minas Gerais

Abstract

With their stories and strategies of resistance, descendants of slaves have deep knowledge about the natural world. The objective of this study was to conduct a ethnopharmacological study in community “quilombola” St. Benedict on the Atlantic Forest, the city of Santos Dumont/MG, Brazil. Interviews were conducted in all the houses of the community through semi-structured forms, which raised social and ethnopharmacological data. 92 plant species were identified in a total of 46 families. The predominant families were Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Rutaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Myrtaceae. The 30 species with the highest number of citations according to their respective categories of disease were selected for scientific coincidence. Frequency (FR), Use Value (UV) and Percentage concordance between informants (CUPc) of such species and confidence in their use was calculated, beyond the pharmacological coincidence with the scientific literature. The plants with higher UV are: Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Plecthrantus barbatus Andrews, Ruta graveolens L. The medicinal plants are still the first therapeutic option used in the community, but most plants are exotic and used this knowledge is not always passed on. A book containing the 23 plants most often cited by respondents was built, as well as information about the history and characteristics of the community which will be returned to the same. This study provides subsidies for future pharmacological studies and underscores the need for rapprochement between the folk wisdom and scientific knowledge.