Ethnobotanical survey in the medicinal plants collection of the Recife Botanical Garden, PE

Abstract

The nature has been a source of medicinal resources for thousands of years and a large number of medicinal compounds have been isolated from plants. The use of medicinal plants has always been present throughout human history, and remains to this day as part of the culture of different communities population. The use of medicinal plants also has important socio-economic impact, since the use of these species, mostly native to your region, or grown in your backyard, you can reduce spending on synthetic drugs. Some Brazilian families mainly low-income, often have children and the elderly at home, and the acquisition of these synthetic drugs are a very heavy item in the household budget. The collection of medicinal plants of the Botanical Garden of Recife contains native and exotic species of flora, used in therapy of various types of pathology by mankind in various dosage forms, such as teas, syrups, alcoolatura, ointment, capsules, juice, tinctures and ointments . This study aimed to carry out ethnobotanical survey of species present in the collection of medicinal plants of the Botanical Garden of Recife, to effective cataloging of its kind, recognizing their biological identity (taxonomic identification), its origin and ethnobotanical treatment (indication for use from traditional knowledge). The survey of species present in the collection was conducted through the collection and identification of individuals present in the beds between the months of February and March 2011. The identification was made with the aid of taxonomic keys for identification and comparison with the literature. After the removal of species, was carried out photographic record of them. The species were characterized according to their therapeutic assignments ethnobotanical, family, place of origin and common name. These features were assigned to the query from the relevant literature. We identified 44 species belonging to 38 genera and 24 families. The Lamiaceae families were represented, with eight species, and Asteraceae, with six species (Table 1).The survey revealed that the collection is comprised of 28 native and 16 exotic species of Brazil. The species have their origins in Europe, Asia, Africa, India, East and South and Central America. Most species occur in the Amazon. With regard to the role of species of ethnobotanical collection of the Botanical Garden of Recife, the largest number of species has indicated for the treatment of diseases related to respiratory and digestive systems. All species have more than one indication. The collection of medicinal plants had higher ethnobotanical indication for diseases in the respiratory and digestive systems. This result is similar to results found in studies conducted in Brazil and Latin America, which indicates a tendency to use information on traditional knowledge, in refers to the use of medicinal plants. Plants that have such information may be the most suitable for the production and marketing, because they have high acceptability among the general population.