Plantas medicinais utilizadas no tratamento de animais domésticos, Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The scarcity of ethnoveterinary research in Brazil, especially in the Northeast region, results in losses in the field of veterinary medicine and in the scientific documentation of cultural traditions about the use of plants in the treatment of diseases in domestic animals. This study aimed to carry out a survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of domestic animals in a region of the Northeast known as the Crajubar Triangle, located in the state of Ceará, and to indicate the species with potential for bioprospecting. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews with application of form with animal breeders in rural areas, as well as veterinarians, sellers of herbs from open markets and public markets and animal protectors in urban areas. The data obtained were analyzed quantitatively using relative importance, the informant consensus factor, use value, agreement regarding the main uses and the statistical methods of Spearman correlation and Shannon-Wiener index. The 59 participants indicated 47 species for the treatment of various diseases that affect animals, distributed in 26 families, with the most cited species of the Fabaceae family. Only 17 plants were common to both areas. The species with the highest UVs for urban areas were Dysphania ambrosioides, Myracrodruon urundeuva and Aloe vera, and for rural areas were Dysphania ambrosioides and Anacardium occidentale. In urban areas, Myracrodruon urundeuva and Aloe vera had higher RI and in rural areas they were Allium sativum, Dysphania ambrosioides, Aloe vera and Citrus lemon. The plants that obtained the highest MUA values were Dysphania ambrosioides in urban areas and Anacardium occidentale in rural areas. Diseases, grouped into 9 categories of use, showed greater consensus for Musculoskeletal System Disorders and Wound Healing, respectively, in both areas. This work contributed to the scientific documentation of popular knowledge and to the organization of an inventory of potentially promising species for bioprospecting, in addition to supporting the development of new research in the field of ethnoveterinary in Brazil, especially in the Northeast.