Ethnobotanicalstudyof medicinal plants in theSettlement Oziel Alves, Mossoró/RN, Brazil.
Traditional Knowledge,Rural settlement, Seasonally Dry Forests, semiarid.
Ethnobotanicalstudiesof medicinal plants are increasinglyimportant, as heyenabletheidentification ofplantspecies with therapeutic potential, promoteknowledgeofthe local flora of a givenregion, andcontributetotheconservationofbiodiversity, in additiontotherescueandappreciationoftraditionalknowledgeofpopulations.Theobjectiveofthisstudywastocarry out anethnobotanicalsurveyonthe use of medicinal plantsbyresidentsofthe Oziel Alves/Maisa Settlement, rural areaof Mossoró-RN,a communityinserted in thesemiaridregion, whichpresents a favorablestructure for thedevelopmentofthisstudy, since it containsareas in whichthereistheoccurrenceofplantswith medicinal potential, andthissettlementis close tothe Furna Feia National Park, animportantunitoftheconservationofthe Caatinga biome.Toobtainthe data, thefollowingstrategieswereapplied: socioeconomicquestionnaires, semi-structured interviews, freelists, guided tours anddirectobservation.In thisstudy, 51 specieswerecited, distributed in 29 familiesand 41 genera.The Lamiaceaefamilywasthemostrepresentative.The mostcitedspecieswereCocos nucifera L., Anacardiumoccidentale L., Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. andMalpighia glabra L.The speciesthatobtainedthehighestcorrectedmain use agreement (CUPc) wereCitrus x limon (L.) OsbeckandMalpighia glabra L.Regardingthevalue in use (VU), Cocos nucifera L., Anacardiumoccidentale L., Citrus x limon (L.) Osbeck, Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. andMalpighia glabra L. stood out.The partoftheplantmostusedbytheinformantsistheleafandthemostcitedformofpreparationwastea.The populationstudiedhasanimportantknowledgeabout medicinal plantswhichhaveprovedtoberelevantresources in healthcareand are indicatedtotreatvariousdiseases.