ETHNOBOTANY: MEDICAL PLANTS OF THE COMMUNITY OF CAMBURY-UBATUBA-SP

Abstract

This paper means to understand the link between the “caiçara” and “quilombola” communities of Cambury, in Ubatuba, the last city on the north coast of the state of São Paulo, and the medicinal plants of the region. It is important to emphasize the importance of preserving these traditional population for the protection of forests, in this case the Atlantic forest, as well as their indispensable contribution to the pharmaceutical industry.

Through bibliographic research and conversation with local natives, it was possible to have access to several herbs used by them and their therapeutic benefits. Throughout all the corners of this rural district, they can be found,  as part of the culture of this people.

Some experiments were carried out with the Santa Maria herb, “terramicina”, “quebra- pedra” and “erva-cidreira”, to compare the results with what was researched. All have been positive, but there must be discipline to prepare the remedies: it is necessary to know which part of the vegetable to use, the dosage and the way of preparation, and to repeat the treatment until the expected effect is obtained. In many cases, natural medicines get better responses than chemicals, as many bacteria get resistance to drugs made in the laboratory.