Perceptions and use of medicinal plants by an elementary and high school community in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil

Plants have been used for centuries as therapeutic resources for various pathological conditions and are occasionally considered as the only resource available to some communities. However, knowledge on the potential of traditional medicinal plants have been lost over the years. Strategies that can guarantee the prospection of popular knowledge regarding medicinal plants to stimulate the spread of information between generations are therefore of enormous value. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the use and knowledge on medicinal plants of students from a public school in Vila Velha (Brazil) and their associated community, including parents. In this urban locality, data were obtained by the application of a semi-structured questionnaire to 206 people from the school community. Although homegrown cultivation seems to be an uncommon practice in urban contexts, the use of medicinal plants by the sampled population was significant (80%), as well as the interviewees’ confidence on its therapeutic action (90%). It is worth mentioning that more than 70% of the respondents presented their parents and/or grandparents as their main source of information, highlighting the importance of popular knowledge valorization.

几个世纪以来，植物一直被用作治疗多种病症的治疗资源，对于部分社区而言，植物有时甚至是唯一可获取的治疗手段。然而，传统药用植物的潜在应用价值相关知识，在多年的岁月流逝中逐渐遗失。因此，能够保障民间药用植物相关知识得以发掘、留存，并推动代际间信息传播的策略，具备极高的研究与应用价值。本研究旨在调查巴西维拉韦利亚（Vila Velha）一所公立学校的学生及其所在社区（包括家长群体）对药用植物的使用情况与认知水平。在该城区范围内，研究团队通过半结构化问卷（semi-structured questionnaire）对该校206名社区成员开展了数据采集。尽管在城市环境中，自主栽培药用植物似乎并不常见，但受访人群中使用药用植物的比例高达80%，且90%的受访者对其治疗功效抱有信任。值得一提的是，超过70%的受访者表示，父母和/或祖父母是其获取药用植物相关知识的主要来源，这凸显了民间知识传承与价值弘扬的重要性。