RESUMO -(Plantas medicinais e seus usos pelos sitiantes da Reserva Rio das Pedras, Mangaratiba, RJ, Brasil). Os sitiantes que residem na Reserva Rio das Pedras, localizada no município de Mangaratiba, Estado do Rio de Janeiro, têm origem nos meeiros que trabalhavam nas plantações de banana da antiga fazenda Goiabal. Atualmente, esta fazenda corresponde ao Club Méditerranée, na cota próxima ao oceano Atlântico e à Reserva Rio das Pedras, acima da Rodovia Rio/Santos (BR-101), sendo um remanescente de Floresta Ombrófila Densa no Estado. O objetivo deste estudo foi resgatar informações sobre o uso de plantas medicinais pelos sitiantes que ainda residem nesta Reserva. Através de entrevistas estruturadas e semi-estruturadas aplicadas junto à comunidade, pôde-se fazer um levantamento das plantas presentes ao redor das casas dos mesmos. Ao todo foram citadas 36 espécies medicinais, distribuídas em 34 gêneros e 25 famílias. Estas espécies estão relacionadas a 28 usos medicinais, organizados em sete categorias. Predominaram espécies de plantas herbáceas (21 spp.) seguidas das arbustivas (oito spp.) e arbóreas (cinco spp.). Constatou-se que a folha foi a parte mais utilizada e o modo de preparo do remédio foi o decocto. Quantificou-se o número de citações por informante para cada táxon, possibilitando a indicação das espécies mais utilizadas na área, como a erva-de-santa-maria (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.) e a pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.). Palavras-chave: etnobotânica, plantas medicinais, sitiantes, Reserva Rio das Pedras (RPPN)ABSTRACT -(Medicinal plants and its uses by the ranchers from the Rio das Pedras Reserve, Mangaratiba, RJ, Brazil). The ranchers who live in Rio das Pedras Reserve, which lies in Mangaratiba County, State of Rio da Janeiro, came from sharecroppers who worked at the banana plantation of the farmer Goiabal farm. Nowadays, that farm corresponds to the Méditerranée Club in the area next to the Atlantic Ocean and to Rio das Pedras Reservation, above the Rio/Santos highway (BR-101), it is a remainder of the Dense Ombrophylous Forest in the State. The aim of this study was to collect information about the use of medicinal plants by the ranchers who still live in that Reservation. A survey of the plants, which could be found in the area surrounding their houses, was done through the use of structured and semi-structured interviews. In all, 36 medicinal vegetal species distributed in 34 genera and in 25 families were mentioned. Those species are related to 28 medicinal uses, organized in seven categories. The herb species (21 species) prevailed, followed by shrubs (eight species) and arboreal (five species). The leaf was found to be the part of the plant most used and the mode of preparation of the medicine was the decoction. The number of citations by the informants for each taxon was quantified, making it possible to indicate the worm seed (Chenopodium ambrosioides L.) and pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) as the most used species in the area. IntroduçãoA Floresta Atlântica, juntamente com a Floresta Amazôni...

BackgroundData from an ethnobotanical study were analyzed to see if they were in agreement with the biochemical basis of the apparency hypothesis based on an analysis of a pharmacopeia in a rural community adjacent to the Araripe National Forest (Floresta Nacional do Araripe - FLONA) in northeastern Brazil. The apparency hypothesis considers two groups of plants, apparent and non-apparent, that are characterized by conspicuity for herbivores (humans) and their chemical defenses.MethodsThis study involved 153 interviewees and used semi-structured interviews. The plants were grouped by habit and lignification to evaluate the behavior of these categories in terms of ethnospecies richness, use value and practical and commercial importance. Information about sites for collecting medicinal plants was also obtained. The salience of the ethnospecies was calculated. G-tests were used to test for differences in ethnospecies richness among collection sites and the Kruskal-Wallis test to identify differences in the use values of plants depending on habit and lignifications (e.g. plants were classes as woody or non-woody, the first group comprising trees, shrubs, and lignified climbers (vines) and the latter group comprising herbs and non-lignified climbers). Spearman’s correlation test was performed to relate salience to use value and these two factors with the commercial value of the plants.ResultsA total of 222 medicinal plants were cited. Herbaceous and woody plants exhibited the highest ethnospecies richness, the non-woody and herbaceous plants had the most practical value (current use), and anthropogenic areas were the main sources of woody and non-woody medicinal plants; herbs and trees were equally versatile in treating diseases and did not differ with regard to use value. Trees were highlighted as the most commercially important growth habit.ConclusionsFrom the perspective of its biochemical fundamentals, the apparency hypothesis does not have predictive potential to explain the use value and commercial value of medicinal plants. In other hand, the herbaceous habit showed the highest ethnospecies richness in the community pharmacopeia, which is an expected prediction, corroborating the apparency hypothesis.

No abstract

No abstract

This study assessed the intracultural knowledge of the use of medicinal plants in an urban-rural community in an Atlantic forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. We examined the importance of native and exotic species and the effects of gender and age on that knowledge. We also compared data obtained from different groups of informants (local experts and general community). We conducted 194 interviews between June 2007 and January 2008, using the freelist technique and semistructured forms to collect ethnobotanical data. Information obtained from the community was compared with that from six local experts who participated in a survey in 2003. From a total of 209 ethnospecies, exotic and herbaceous plants presented higher richness. With respect to the number of citations, women and older informants were shown to know a higher number of medicinal plants. Comparing knowledge of local experts with that of the general community, we noted that experts know a similar wealth of plant families and therapeutic indications, but the community knows a greater species richness. These results indicate that local experts may provide useful information for studies that search for a quick diagnosis of the knowledge of a given community.

The data presented here are relevant to other subject areas, especially modern pharmaceutical research. This study seeks to demonstrate the importance of plant resources in the nineteenth century and aims, through the detailed study of documentary sources, to provide a wealth of new information to modern science. Understanding the practices of the past provides insight into and may lead to improvements in modern pharmaceutical practice.

BackgroundThis article reports historical ethnobotany research conducted from a study of the work Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (Natural History of Brazil), authored by Piso and Marcgrave and published in 1648, with main focus on Caatinga of northeast region of Brazil.MethodsFocusing the content analysis on the section dedicated to plant species with multiple uses, Marcgrave's contribution to the aforementioned work, this research had the following objectives: the retrieval of 17th century knowledge about the food uses of the flora in the northeast region of Brazil, including the taxonomic classifications; the identification of plant parts, their modes of consumption and the ethnic group of consumers; and the verification of the use of these species over time.ResultsThe use of 80 food species at the time of the publication of the work is indicated, some of which are endemic to the Caatinga, such as “umbu” (Spondias tuberosa Arruda), “mandacaru” (Cereus jamacaru DC.) and “carnauba” (Copernicia cerifera Mart.). It is noticeable that among the species listed by Marcgrave, some species still lack current studies indicating their real nutritional value. The present study is an unprecedented work because it introduces, in a systematic way, the food plants described in a study of 17th century Brazil.ConclusionsFinally, this study makes information about plants consumed in the past accessible, aiming to provide material for studies that could develop new food products today.

Wade Davis's study of Haitian “zombification” in the 1980s was a landmark in ethnobiological research. His research was an attempt to trace the origins of reports of “undead” Haitians, focusing on the preparation of the zombification poison. Starting with this influential ethnopharmacological research, this study examines advances in the pharmacology of natural products, focusing especially on those of animal-derived products. Ethnopharmacological, pharmacological, and chemical aspects are considered. We also update information on the animal species that reportedly constitute the zombie poison. Several components of the zombie powder are not unique to Haiti and are used as remedies in traditional medicine worldwide. This paper emphasizes the medicinal potential of products from zootherapy. These biological products are promising sources for the development of new drugs.