Medicinal plants in the family farms of rural areas in southern Brazil: ecological and ethnobotanical aspects

Abstract

The objective of this study was to find which medicinal plants were used by family farmers from rural areas located in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, and to characterize the habitat where they are cultivated. This research was conducted in 2011/2012, it included 43 farmers aged from 38 to 92 years of age, and it was grounded on the snowball method. A total of128 species belonging to 60 botanical families were found. Three cultivation areas are discussed, namely, backyard, grass field, and “capão”, a small forest fragment. Herbaceous and shrubby species were most commonly found in the backyard and grass field areas, while tree species were found in the “capão”. Medicinal plants were mostly located in areas that had been modified by farmers.