Available online 2 May 2017
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Ribeirinhos in the North Araguaia microregion, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- a Department of Basic Sciences in Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), 78.060-900, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- b Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Mato Grosso (IFMT), Advanced Campus of Lucas do Rio Verde, 78.455-000, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- c Curso de Farmácia, Faculdade do Noroeste de Mato Grosso - AJES, 78.320-000, Juína, Mato Grosso, Brazil
- Received 1 December 2016, Revised 19 April 2017, Accepted 19 April 2017, Available online 2 May 2017
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological importance
Currently,
in many traditional communities, such as the riverine community in the
North Araguaia microregion (Mato Grosso, Brazil), plant knowledge and
use represent the main, if not the only, therapeutic resource for the
maintenance of health and/or treatment of diseases. This study aimed to
identify and document species of medicinal plants used by local experts
from riverine communities in the North Araguaia microregion in Mato
Grosso State, and to further chemical and pharmacological studies on
species selected based on searches in the relevant literature.
Materials and Methods
This
is a cross-sectional ethnobotanical study, with non-probabilistic
sampling (n = 60), that applied the snowball method to select local
riverine experts who understand medicinal plant use. Socio-demographic,
ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological data (vernacular name, uses,
geographical origin, habit, method of preparation and part used) on
medicinal plants were collected during semi-structured interviews. The
results were analyzed by descriptive and quantitative means: indices of
use-report (UR) were used to select plant species with therapeutic
potential.
Results
In total, 309
plant species belonging to 86 botanical families were cited; 73% were
native to Brazil, and Fabaceae was the most representative family
(11.3%). Arboreal was the predominant life form (37.2%). The leaf was
the most used part (28.9%). Infusion was the most commonly reported
method of preparation (31.3%). The plants reported in the survey were
indicated for 18 of the 22 ICD-10 disease categories. The disease
categories most commonly cited were the infectious and parasitic
diseases (IPD, 718 UR), digestive system diseases (DSD, 565 UR) and
respiratory system diseases (RSD, 504 UR), representing 16.6%, 13.1% and
11.7%, respectively of the total UR. Dysphania ambrosioides L. was the most sighted in the IPD category 50 UR. Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (133), Lafoensia pacari A. St.-Hil. (131), and Cecropia pachystachya Trécul (126) were the species with the highest UR. Bidens pilosa L., Vernonia ferruginea Less, and L. pacari, respectively, were the most cited native plants used to treat such diseases. Of the 8 investigated native plants, C. langsdorffii, and Brosimum gaudichaudii
are the most prominent: in addition to having been widely studied, in
terms of phytochemical and pharmacological, these species have been
marketed as pharmaceutical products, with associated patent deposits.
Conclusion
Local
riverine experts from the North Araguaia microregion use a wide variety
of medicinal plants in self-care health, especially those species used
to treat IPD. The therapeutic potential of some of these plants has been
scientifically validated; however, there are other species whose
pharmacological effects and safety remain to be properly investigated.
Thus, the present study, aside from being a basis for future chemical,
pharmacological and agronomic bioprospecting studies, may contribute to
the development of the management, conservation and sustainable use of
medicinal flora in the microregion studied.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- Ethnobotany;
- Snowball-sampling;
- Riverine Population;
- Medicinal Plants;
- North Araguaia microregion
