Uso de plantas medicinais e fitoterápicos por uma comunidade escolar do interior do Rio Grande do Sul.

Abstract

This document details an ethnopharmacological study that investigated the use of medicinal plants and herbal remedies by the community of a school in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul. The objectives were to identify the main types of medicinal plants, the parts of the plants used, and their herbal indications, as well as to promote the rational use of medicinal plants and herbal remedies. The proposed methodology involves a descriptive research approach, being an exploratory field study that presents qualitative, quantitative, and contextual nature. A total of 55 (fifty-five) people participated in the research, including 33 (thirty-three) males and 22 (twenty-two) females, with ages ranging from 18 (eighteen) to 76 (seventy-six) years, with the age of 18 (eighteen) years being the most prevalent (n=27). Regarding ethnicity, 45 (forty-five) individuals identified as white and 10 (ten) as black. The school community casually uses medicinal plants when faced with an illness, particularly using the leaves of the plants and preparing them as tea through the infusion technique. Consumption is generally influenced by parents, being acquired within the family, from friends, and acquaintances, who have their own production. The ethnopharmacological research on the use of medicinal plants and herbal remedies showed that out of the 58 (fifty-eight) medicinal plants mentioned in the data collection instrument, there was a higher prevalence of mint (n=44) and yerba mate (n=40), especially because they are known for their medicinal properties and/or by the gaucho culture. To contribute to the school community, a brochure on the rational use of medicinal plants and herbal remedies was developed.