RESUMO:O presente trabalho visou o levantamento etnobotânico das plantas medicinais, verificando a versatilidade das espécies utilizadas e o consenso de uso e/ou conhecimento entre os informantes, do Distrito de Aratama, no Município de Assaré, Ceará. As informações etnobotânicas foram obtidas através de entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas com os moradores locais. Foram citadas 116 espécies com fins medicinais pertencentes a 103 gêneros e 58 famílias com destaque para Fabaceae (10ssp.), Asteraceae (7spp.) e Lamiaceae (6spp.). Entre as espécies levantadas, Mentha spicata L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Allium sativum L., Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.), Ximenea americana L., se destacaram como as mais versáteis dentro da comunidade. As indicações terapêuticas citadas foram agrupadas em 16 categorias de sistemas corporais, dos quais as Desordens mentais e comportamentais, as Afecções ou dores não definidas, os Transtornos do sistema respiratório, as Doenças de pele e do tecido celular subcutâneo, e os Transtornos do sistema sensorial (ouvidos), mostram maior concordância entre os informantes na utilização de espécies para tratar um sistema corporal especifico. Os resultados mostraram elevada riqueza da flora medicinal presente na caatinga. Neste sentido, torna-se necessária a intensificação de estudos que avaliem e consolidem as propriedades químicas e farmacológicas destas espécies.Palavras-chave: Etnobotânica, semiárido, Importância Relativa, Fator Consenso de Informantes.ABSTRACT: Therapeutic potential and use of medicinal plants in an area of the Caatinga in the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. This study is about an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants, checking the versatility of the species used and the consensus of use and/or knowledge among informants from the Aratama District, in the municipality of Assaré, state of Ceará, Brazil. The ethnobotanical information was obtained through structured interviews and semi-structured interviews with local residents. Approximately, 116 species were mentioned for medicinal purposes, belonging to 103 genera and 58 families, especially Fabaceae (10ssp.), Asteraceae (7spp.) and Lamiaceae (6spp.). Among the surveyed species, Mentha spicata L., Rosmarinus officinalis L., Allium sativum L. and Bauhinia cheilantha (Bong.) Ximenea americana L. stood out as the most versatile in the community. The therapeutic indications mentioned were grouped into 16 categories of body systems; the mental and behavioral disorders, disorders or pain not defined, disorder of the respiratory system, skin diseases and subcutaneous tissue disorder, and disorder of the sensory system (ears) showed greater agreement among informants in the use of species to treat a specific body system. The results showed a high species richness of the medicinal flora present in the Brazilian Caatinga. Thus, it is necessary to intensify and consolidate studies assessing the chemical and pharmacological properties of these species.

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Most of the species cited by the key informants are well known scientifically, but it is interesting that some have been studied little or not all with regard to confirming their purported medicinal properties and can contribute substantially to pharmacological and phytochemical investigations in the search for new drugs.

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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.

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