Local health practices and the knowledge of medicinal plants in a Brazilian semi-arid region: environmental benefits to human health

Zank, Sofia; Peroni, Nivaldo; Araújo, Elcida de Lima; Hanazaki, Natália

doi:10.1186/1746-4269-11-11

Cited by 16 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Estudos etnobotânicos podem contribuir para entendimento das relações entre saúde ecossistêmica e saúde humana, já que estes estudos investigam os conhecimentos, práticas e percepções das próprias comunidades em relação ao processo de saúde (Zank et al, 2015). O método de mapeamento participativo pode ser uma ferramenta poderosa para identificar áreas importantes para a gestão da saúde ambiental e humana.…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Compreendendo a relação entre saúde do ambiente e saúde humana em comunidades Quilombolas de Santa Catarina

Zank

Ávila

Hanazaki

2016

Rev. bras. plantas med.

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RESUMO:Neste artigo investigamos a relação entre a saúde humana e saúde do ambiente em comunidades quilombolas do litoral de Santa Catarina, analisando a situação de saúde destas comunidades, as percepções sobre elementos que influenciam a saúde humana, as plantas medicinais conhecidas e o mapeamento de ambientes que trazem benefícios para a saúde. Foi realizado entrevistas e listagem-livre de plantas medicinais com 184 adultos (63 no Morro do Fortunato, 56 na Santa Cruz e 65 na Aldeia), e uma reunião comunitária para a realização do mapeamento participativo em cada comunidade. As comunidades quilombolas percebem diversas influências na saúde, sendo que os elementos de cuidado com o corpo foram os mais citados. A qualidade da água/ar e recreação/lazer foram os benefícios mais reconhecidos das áreas florestais para a saúde humana. Foram identificadas 152 espécies de plantas medicinais, sendo que as espécies mais citadas são plantas cultivadas e/ou que ocorrem espontaneamente próximo às moradias. O mapeamento de serviços ambientais revela áreas prioritárias para a saúde, que estão localizadas em florestas e próximo aos corpos d'água, ressaltando a importância de conservar estes locais e de construir estratégias para garantir o acesso a eles pelas comunidades.Palavras-chave: serviços ecossistêmicos, etnobotânica, plantas medicinais, saúde eco-cultural. ABSTRACT:The forest gives us health: relationships between environmental health and human health in Maroon communities of Santa Catarina. In this article we investigate the relationship between human health and environmental health in maroon communities of Santa Catarina, analyzing the health situation of these communities, the perceptions of elements that influence human health, medicinal plants known and mapping environments that bring health benefits. We conducted interviews and free-listing of medicinal plants with 184 adults (63 in Morro do Fortunato, 65 em Santa Cruz and 56 in Aldeia), and a community meeting for the realization of participatory mapping in each community. Maroon communities realize diverse influences on health, and the elements of care with the body were the most cited. The quality of the water/air and recreation/leisure were the most recognized benefits of forests to human health. 152 species of medicinal plants have been identified, and the most cited species are cultivated plants and/or occurring spontaneously near the houses. The mapping of environmental services reveals priority areas for health, which are located in forests and near the water bodies, emphasizing the importance of conserving these places and build strategies to ensure access to them by communities.

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Section: Introductionunclassified

Compreendendo a relação entre saúde do ambiente e saúde humana em comunidades Quilombolas de Santa Catarina

Zank

Ávila

Hanazaki

2016

Rev. bras. plantas med.

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“…Six case studies were conducted in northeastern and southern Brazil. In the northeastern region, case studies were conducted in the rural communities of Macaúba, Cacimbas, and Maracujá, situated in Chapada do Araripe (Zank et al 2015). The other three case studies were carried out in Quilombola communities of Morro do Fortunato, Santa Cruz, and Aldeia, situated in the southern coast of Santa Catarina State (Ávila et al 2015(Ávila et al , Zank et al 2016Fig.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As placed-based systems, THS respond to the influence of internal and external factors (or drivers of change) based on their own mechanisms of adaptation. For example, ecosystem services at the community level play an important role as endogenous factors generating multiple benefits such as medicinal resources (e.g., plants), recreation, and water quality (Zank et al 2015). The status of these services directly affects the capacity of THS to respond to changes and crises.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The maintenance of knowledge and use of medicinal plants depends on the cultural importance that the wild and managed ecosystems have to communities. When communities recognize and protect ecosystems as a source of cultural values and benefits to their health and well-being, it also functions as a resilient property connecting them with the natural environment (Zank et al 2015.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resilience and adaptability of traditional healthcare systems: a case study of communities in two regions of Brazil

Zank¹,

Araujo²,

Hanazaki³

2019

E&S

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The traditional healthcare systems (THS) of communities in two different regions of Brazil were investigated through the lens of social-ecological resilience, assuming that the resilience of THS and of the communities influence each other. We analyzed what has sustained and changed in the trajectory of THS of different rural and coastal communities in Brazil during the last seven decades, focusing on the domains of social biodiversity (especially on plant diversity for medicinal use), health practices learning, and social organization. The THS analyzed refer to three rural communities in northeastern Brazil, and three Quilombola communities on the southern coast of Brazil. Data were obtained through participatory methods, interviews, and secondary sources. The main drivers affecting the THS were the (1) development of national and regional infrastructure, (2) access to public healthcare, (3) implementation of protected areas, and (4) recognition of Quilombola territories (Quilombos). The components of social biodiversity, learning, and social organization contributed to the adaptive capacity and resilience of the systems through the continuity of knowledge transmission, use of local biodiversity for healthcare, request for local specialists, recovery of cultural practices, and institutional development of local organizations and partnerships. Challenges concerning the resilience of the THS are explained by the urbanization processes, restriction of access and use of some native plants, decrease in economic dependence on local biodiversity resources, and the need to improve social capital. After assessing the factors affecting the resilience of THS, we recommend actions that could enhance socialecological resilience in different communities and under different situations.

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“…The establishment of the proposed protected area can guarantee this community's territory, allowing for the maintenance of their traditional livelihoods in the Areais da Ribanceira region, which contributes directly to the mosaic of environments observed and serves as a source of medicinal plants. In addition to the farmers of ACORDI, the surrounding communities also have benefits from the creation of SDR, such as the maintenance of an area to provide ecosystem services that can be related to regional whole health and well-being (Zank et al 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

Participatory Approaches and Conservation of Medicinal Plants: Identifying priority species in the community of Areais da Ribanceira (Brazil)

Zank

Hanazaki²,

Mello³

2015

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Using a participatory approach, we aimed to identify medicinal conservation priority plant species in a region where a sustainable conservation area is being proposed. Local farmers consensually selected 10 ethno-species represented by 11 scientific species (Calea uniflora Less., Equisetum giganteum L., Aristolochia triangularis Cham., Zollernia ilicifolia (Brongn.) Vogel, Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek, Stachytarpheta cayennensis (Rich.) Vahl, Mikania laevigata Sch.Bip. ex Baker, Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC., Lepidium didymum L., Dioscorea altissima Lam., and Picrasma crenata Engl. in Engl. & Prantl), which were the focus of two participatory tools: four-cell analysis and matrix of plants and environments. Most plants were classified as having high environmental availability and as being under intense extraction pressure. Both natural areas (restinga and hillside forest) and cultivated areas (croplands and homegardens) are important for the acquisition of native medicinal plants. This participatory process tends to facilitate the incorporation of research results by the community, according to its local demands, as well as allowing for a collective learning experience. The use of a participatory approach also allowed the gradual increase in the awareness of the community related to their medicinal plants, contributing to their own decisions about the management and conservation of these resources. IntroductionIncorporation of traditional knowledge and involvement of local communities on in-situ biodiversity conservation strategies have been advancing significantly. Local development and research participatory methodologies are fundamental in this process (De Boef & Thijssen 2007, Gaventa & Cornwall 2006 for conservation in the last decades, promoting the use of local knowledge in conservation actions (Albuquerque 2010, Hanazaki et al. 2010. Much of local participation in ethnobotanical studies is still dedicated to data collection and validation, rarely focusing on concerns with local demands such as empowering communities for resource management . In order to collaborate with the process of community empowerment, it is necessary that the researcher begin to act more as a facilitator in participatory learning systems, letting go of the control in research development and allowing for the participation, action, and reflection from the communities studied (Geilfus 2008).Among biodiversity recognized and managed by local populations, medicinal plants are highlighted for their species richness (Begossi et al. 2002, Chowdhury & Koike 2010, Fonseca-Kruel & Peixoto 2004) and for their importance in the maintenance of community health. Considering the value of these species as a therapeutic resource and a source of economic revenue, it is important to carry out investigations on local actions and reflections, aiming to conciliate the use and conservation of species to social development and well-being.Protected areas (PA) of sustainable use allow for the conciliation of biodiversity conservation an...

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Local health practices and the knowledge of medicinal plants in a Brazilian semi-arid region: environmental benefits to human health

Cited by 16 publications

References 24 publications

Compreendendo a relação entre saúde do ambiente e saúde humana em comunidades Quilombolas de Santa Catarina

Compreendendo a relação entre saúde do ambiente e saúde humana em comunidades Quilombolas de Santa Catarina

Resilience and adaptability of traditional healthcare systems: a case study of communities in two regions of Brazil

Participatory Approaches and Conservation of Medicinal Plants: Identifying priority species in the community of Areais da Ribanceira (Brazil)

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