Medicinal plants used in the Santo Antônio dos Pretos quilombola community (Codó Municipality, Maranhão, Brazil)

Abstract

We performed an ethnobotanical survey of the medicinal plants used by the Santo Antônio dos Pretos quilombola community, located 50 km away from the urban perimeter of Codó municipality, Maranhão state, northeastern Brazil. We interviewed 20 residents: 14 females and 6 males, with ages ranging from 18 to 80 years. The plant species reported by residents were collected and photographed. We identified a total 62 medicinal plant species from 34 botanical families. Lamiaceae was the most representative family, followed by Fabaceae and Rutaceae. The most cited species were: Dysphania ambrosioides (‘Mexican tea’), Sansevieria trifasciata (‘Snake plant’) and Gymnanthemum amygdalinum (‘Bitterleaf’). The predominant preparation method was tea, especially by decoction (40%) and infusion (17%). The most used plant part was the leaf (40%). The majority of species were reported to be used for treating digestive diseases, followed by diseases associated with inflammation, pain and fever. We found that the quilombola residents have a deep knowledge on medicinal plants and their uses. Our findings therefore reveal the need for more ethnobotanical studies on the use of those plants, as well as for the valorization of popular knowledge.