Perfil etnobotânico de plantas medicinais utilizadas no distrito de Mé-Zochi, São Tomé e Príncipe

Abstract

Since ancient times, man has used medicinal plants as therapeutic resources and this accumulated knowledge about these plants has been passed from generation to generation, improving health and life. On the African continent, 70 to 80% of people consult traditional healers, who collect medicinal plants from nature that they use to treat their patients. In this context, this research aimed to identify the ethnobotanical profile of medicinal plants used by two communities located in the district of Mé-Zochi, in São Tomé and Príncipe. A semi-structured questionnaire addressed the interviewees' profile, knowledge about the use or not of medicinal plants, and the form of use and therapeutic purposes. The results showed that most of those interviewed are women farmers, who use the bark in the form of tea, taken from trees or bushes, and colected from the native forest to treat their illnesses naturally. The most utilized species are Cinchona pubescens and Allophylus grandifolius for the communities of Saudade and Abade, respectively. In these communities, species are cultivated and preserved in an agroforestry system.