ETHNOBOTANICAL KNOWLEDGE OF HEALING PLANTS IN A COMMUNITY IN NORTHERN ALAGOAS, NORTHEAST BRAZIL

Abstract

In popular medicine, many people seek ways to cure their illnesses using the knowledge of elders who recommend some plant for their treatment. This knowledge is mainly disseminated through the spoken word, which is responsible for the transmission of this knowledge through space and time as collective memory is an element of great importance to traditional peoples and communities. Thus, the aim of this research was to conduct a survey of the medicinal plants used by the inhabitants of the village of Lages, municipality of Porto de Pedras - AL, Northeast Brazil. From semi-structured questionnaires, data on the use of medicinal plants was collected. A total of 105 interviews were conducted: five with local experts and 100 with the general public. The specialists were between the ages of 55 and 86 years old and mentioned 84 plants. Among the general public, 87 women and 13 men were interviewed and they cited 105 plants. These plants are known both by the local experts and by the general population, with mothers and grandmothers being mainly responsible for the process of cultural transmission of knowledge about medicinal plants in the area, and there is a consensus of use among several of those plants.