Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in a Caatinga area, in the municipality of Crato (Ceará, Brazil)

The objective of this study was to carry out an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal species and verify the versatility of these species. The research was carried out in the municipality of Crato, in São Bento neighborhood, from semi-structured interviews seeking information on the use of medicinal plants and their therapeutic indications in the region. Versatility was achieved through relative importance. A total of 21 species were described (most of which are exotic), distributed in 16 families. From the total of species, there were 04 with great versatility regarding the use of Mentha spicata L., Chenopodium ambrosioides L., Ruta graveolens L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. The most representative families were Lamiaceae and Rutaceae. The main parts used of the plants were leaves (42.31%), bark (30.76%), inner bark (7.69%), root, flower, and fruit (3.85% each). The most frequent forms of preparation were infusion (54.55%), lambedor (24.24%), sauce (12.12%), pulp (6.06%) and juice (3.03%). The plants are used for various health problems like flu, fever, headache, and inflammation in general. The data show that local populations hold knowledge that may be useful as a subsidy for ethnopharmacobotanical and phytochemical studies that may lead to the discovery of new herbal medicines.