For ages, medicinal plants have played an essential role in the treatment of physical and spiritual diseases of Pastos indigenous people; the experience of their use and management by traditional communities is based on the empirical assessment, which comes from the accumulated experiences of their ancestors. However, this knowledge is impoverished by the appropriation of foreign technologies and the progressive loss of cultural roots. This study is based on the application of behavioral-verbal techniques on the indigenous community located in páramo "La Ortiga". A dialogue with the "taitas" and healers was established through research-action-participation, allowing the observation of their socio-cultural practices and the identification of 98 species used by the natives as traditional medicine. 78 of these species are administered exclusively for medical purposes, 4 for magical-ritual purposes and 16 are used in both ways. The species were recognized in four types of agroecosystems: orchard, farm (chagra), ruderal and páramo, in an altitudinal range between 3,200 to 4,000 mamsl, with four categories of management: wild, tolerated, stimulated and cultivated. We determined the use of 94 plants with potential to treat digestive, liver, kidney, urinary, respiratory, muscular, eye, and nervous system diseases identified; there are both internal and external therapies used depending on the illness to be treated. Moreover, we found that the magic-ritual species are used to prevent and alleviate spiritual-cultural diseases such as "espanto", "malviento" and "malora". They also serve in sacrifices and in protection against evil spirits. The main characteristic of these species is their aroma, which emanates during the entire phenological cycle. In addition, we created a local herbarium of identified species, giving their scientific and local names, information on parts used, forms of use and admixtures (substances of vegetable or animal origin). This herbarium currently serves of the resguardo's health service providers who use traditional medicine.
