A diagnostic approach on phytotherapy in the Health Pastoral Care

Abstract

Phytotherapy is mixed with the inner history of mankind, and its ancient reports come from 2800 years bC. Besides of prejudices of lot of researches, the use of medicinal plants is now approved by the World Health Organization – WHO, since near 80 % of the global population use herbal medicines. This paper aimed to make a bibliographic review on the use of herbal medicines, to state the profile and the objectives of phytotherapy in three sites of Health Pastoral Care - HPC, and to list the plant species, the kind of making procedures and of herbal medicines they use. Information data were obtained by means of interview formularies and field-work studies proceed in the three sites chosen. The language used in the description of the results intended to preserve the way of expression of volunteers of HPC. The list of 84 plant species used in herbal medicine production may come from familiar hortus, from well-recommended people or may be bought when it were necessary. All of the plants got were dried and stoked in glass recipients. As it is assumed by the sites of HPC, herbal medicines included tees, macerates, tinctures, ointments, oils, mellitus, cataplasm, and powders. However, when those presentation forms are compared to those sated by Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, they may not be qualified as phytomedicines, since they are not standardized and they do not fit the requirements of obtaining processes leading to the dose control. In fact, WHO has approved and recommended the world-wide spread of herbal medicines. Concerning the Brazilian scenery, any of these initiatives coming from civil society must be in conformity with the principles of the National Unique Health System, and the role of HPC should fulfill the general aim of formulation and development of an effective pharmaceutical care program applied to phytotherapy.