Inventario etnobotánico en la Comunidad Nuevo Amanecer en la provincia de Napo

A study was carried out to determine the state of local knowledge about the use of medicinal plants in agricultural communities in rural areas of the Archidona parish, Nuevo Amanecer community, Napo province, Ecuador. This study adopted the Gentry method refers to a systematic and careful approach to collecting, identifying and preserving botanical specimens. This method involves following standardized procedures to record relevant information about each species, such as location, collection date, morphological characteristics, among others. The rigorous application of the Gentry method guarantees the integrity and quality of the botanical collection, which is essential for scientific research and the conservation of biodiversity. On the other hand, the “Snowball” method is used in the selection of informants in qualitative and ethnographic research. This method consists of identifying a key informant and then asking him or her to recommend other informants who can provide relevant information for the study. However, surveys were carried out on different people where there were no significant differences in the knowledge of the species according to the sex and age of the speaker. On the other hand, eleven plant species used for medicinal purposes could be identified, the leaves were the composition most used (76.7%) and the form of preparation was infusion (83.7%). The most common drug category is gastrointestinal (44.2%). The most important medicinal plants for the local population are: Sangre de drago (Croton lechleri), Mariapanka (Piper peltanum), Ayahuasca (Banisteriopsis caapi.) and Wayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes).