Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine of the Pantanal
Claire Zabel
I read Oliveira et al.’s paper on ethnobotany and
traditional medicine amongst inhabitants of the Rio-Negro region of the
Pantanal[1]. They used questionnaires to document the
traditional medical practices on eight farms and 12 raizeiros. Their survey
revealed the rich diversity of medical flora recognized by native inhabitants
of the Pantanal. Residents used 25
botanical families, 45 genera, and 48 species of plants to treat kidney
disturbances, inflammation, urinary disturbances, stomachaches, respiratory
problems, sprains, wounds, diarrhea, and fever. Asteraceae, a family which includes asters,
daisies, and sunflowers, was used most.
The families surveyed infused hot water with these plants,
creating hot tea which they often mixed yerba mate leaves to create a medicinal
“chimarrão" or "mate quente."
Others were made into poultices and cold teas. Usually, the medicines were consumed
publicly, in social settings with friends and family.
(A traditional “chimarrão” beverage)
Raizeiros used
far more exotic species than the traditional pantaneiros. Perhaps the number of foreign plants is
increasing due to increasing invasive species, greater knowledge of and access
to diverse plants, or immigration of new human populations accustomed to
different medicinal practices.
(“Boldo,” or p.
barbatus, was the most commonly used medicinal plant, although it is not native to the Pantanal).
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