Herbal remedies used by residents of the urban areas fron city of Bandeirantes, Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

The present study had the objective of collecting data about herbal remedies from residents of the central urban area fron the city of Bandeirantes, Paraná. The data were collected from February to December 2003, through interviews done with people aging over 40 years old, chosen considering the knowledge about the medical use of herbal species, based on indication done by local residents. The interviews were kept using a form with questions related to the interviewed one and to the herbal medicine mentioned. Each interview was recorded using a cassette recorder and pictures for a later transcription. Vegetal samples were collected as often as possible and the samples were herborized, then exsicats were prepared for later botanical identification. After the identifications, the exsicats were incorporated to the herbaceous border of FALM Botanical Garden (Faculdades Luiz Meneghel, Bandeirantes, Paraná). 31 plants (herbal remedies) were indicated, distributed among 19 families. The Lamiaceae contributed with the highest number of species, followed by Rosacea, Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae. Leafs were the most used part for the medical preparation and the most common way of preparation was the infusion. The most mentioned therapeutic indications were: headaches, stomachahes, fever, stomach cramps and infection.