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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
For a long time, people from the most northeastern Portuguese region, known as Nordeste Transmontano, have been living in particular ecological and socioeconomic conditions and relying on interactions between natural
environment and traditional farming systems, which enabled an adaptative resource management, enhanced local knowledge on plant-use, allowing the survival of a rich and interesting folk medicine.
Ethnobotanical surveys were carried out with informants' permission and cooperation, using fieldwork and
ethnographic methodologies in order to document local knowledge and medicinal plant-use. Moreover, applied
phytochemical research was set out on the most used medicinal plants that have special cultural significance (more
frequently cited, ie. frequency of citation >50%).
Over 175 species represent the heritage of the local folk pharmacopoeia. Quite interesting species and uses were
recorded, such as Tuberaria Bgnosa, a potent anti-inflammatory, and Pterospartum tridentatum against colds and
other infections of the respiratory tract. Experimental data point to phytochemical composition and bioactive
properties which confirm the importance of the empirical use of the studied species and their contribution to a good
health condition. Alongside with traditional medicinal species the use of some modern plants was also reported, such
as Lycium barbarum and Aloe vera, reflecting the dynamics of local knowledge in rural contexts that are undergoing
social, cultural and economic changes.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Carvalho, Ana Maria; Ramos, M.T.; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. (2012). Medicinal plant use in the north-eastern portuguese region: old practices and novel approaches within several rural contexts. In 13th Congress of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology. Graz