Ethnobotany of Medicinal Plants Among Family Farmers: Therapeutic Itinerary in the South Plateau of Santa Catarina State

Abstract

European immigrants —and those mixed with native people called caboclos— keep in Southern Brazil therapeutic peculiarities derived from the experience with the biodiversity present in highland fields ecosystems, associated with araucaria forests. The study systematized the popular knowledge about herbal medicine practices adopted by family farmers in the South Plateau of Santa Catarina State. Semi-structured interviews were adopted for the collection of information. Also, indices were adopted as estimates. The knowledge of medicinal plants shared by family farmers of the region appears as a sociocultural heritage, which is still present in rural communities in spite of land changes and alterations in land use.