Daiany Alves Ribeiro

Ethnopharmacology of medicinal plants of carrasco, northeastern Brazil

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE The goal of this study was to conduct an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal species from the carrasco vegetation of the Araripe National Forest, state of Ceará, Brazil, as well as determining species with bioprospecting potential MATERIALS AND METHODS The ethnobotanical data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a free list. The relative importance of the plants cited was assessed, as well as species that stood out with respect to bodily systems, on the basis of informant consensus. RESULTS A total of 32 species belonging to 29 genera and 20 families were recorded. Of this total, six species (19%) showed great versatility regarding their uses in regard to up to seven bodily systems. The therapeutic indications were grouped into 14 categories of bodily systems. Circulatory and genitourinary disorders, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, and undefined pain or disease showed the greatest consensus between informants. CONCLUSIONS Ximenia americana, Himathantus drasticus, Stryphnodndron rotundifolium, Bowdichia virgilioides, and Hymenaea courbaril were the species warranting more in-depth study, on the basis of versatility and informant consensus on the uses of the species.

Medicinal Plants: versatility and concordance of use in the caatinga area, Northeastern Brazil

This study aims to investigate the diversity of native medicinal plants in a caatinga area, verifying the versatility of species and concordance of use among the informants, in the Angico de Cima community, in the city of Aurora, Ceará, Brazil. Ethnobotanical data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with key informants, adopting the snowball technique. The Relative Importance (RI) and Consensus Factor among Informants (ICF) were analyzed to indicate the most versatile species with the highest agreement of use, respectively. Within the 35 registered native species, eight presented great versatility, with a RI> 1, standing out Ziziphus joazeiro Mart. (1.86) and Heliotropium indicum (L.) Lehm (1.67). The 60 therapeutic indications were grouped into 13 body systems categories, of which Genitourinary System Disorder and Nervous, had the highest agreement of use with ICF from 0.8, each. Some species, such as Heliotropium indicum, have a high RI, are scarcely indicated for therapeutic activities in caatinga and require studies that prove their medicinal properties.

Conservation priorities for medicinal woody species in a cerrado area in the Chapada do Araripe, northeastern Brazil

Current ethnobiological studies can offer positive aspects when they include the knowledge of traditional communities in developing different strategies for biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to classify medicinal woody species for priority conservation site in an area of cerrado disjoint in Chapada do Araripe, northeastern Brazil. The availability of woody medicinal plants and conservation priority scores were achieved by the relative density of the sampled forest fragment and ethnobotanical information obtained through semi-structured interviews with 50 local informants. Sixty-one woody medicinal plants were recorded, belonging to 26 families and 59 genera; 29 of these were available and have the use of bark and inner stem bark associated (46.6%). Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel, Caryocar coriaceum Wittm., Ximenia americana L., Croton zehntneri Pax & K. Hoffm., Hymenaea courbaril L., Copaifera lansdorfii Desf., Sideroxylon obtusifolium (Roem. & Schult.) T.D.Penn., Anacardium ocidentale L. and Dimorphandra gardneriana Tull. are some of the priority species needing attention in carrying out conservation measures, in order to ensure the perpetuation of these species and the sustainability of traditional therapeutics practices.