Uso e conhecimento tradicional de plantas medicinais utilizadas pelos moradores da Comunidade Praia do Gado, Lábrea-AM

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been used since the beginning of humanity and act in the process of preventing and curing illnesses. The study of Ethnobotany seeks to study the connections and interactions that man has regarding the use of plants. It is through it that the profile of a given community is studied, as well as its habits and individualities. This work aimed to carry out an ethnobotanical study in the Praia do Gado community in the municipality of Lábrea-AM. The research was carried out between March 2023 and 2024, and involved the participation of 55 residents. A semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed questions was used to verify the profile of residents (10 questions) and the ethnobotanical data of the medicinal plants used (11 questions). There were a total of 110 plant species mentioned by residents, distributed in 51 botanical families, the most representative of which were: copaíba (Copaifera langsdorffii Desf.), andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.), corama (Kalanchoe pinnata Lam.), alfavaca (Ocimum basilicum L.), blackberry (Portulaca pilosa L.), jambu/cress (Acmella oleraceae (L.) R.K. Jansen), mint (Mentha spp.), boldo (Peumus boldus Andrews.), mastruz (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf). The most used form of preparation was decoction, the most used part of the plant was the leaves and the most recommended diseases were those of the immune system such as (anemia, high blood pressure, malaria, covid, dengue, among others), respiratory (pneumonia, flu, colds and sore throat) and digestive (gastritis, cirrhosis, stomach pain, among others). Therefore, the use of medicinal plants in riverside communities in the Amazon becomes the only access resource for the population to be healthy.