Hipótese da diversificação: evidências etnobotânicas em duas áreas de caatinga, Altinho, Pernambuco

Abstract

Given the high biodiversity and wealth of knowledge about plants for use in animals and people, need to document this information and guide future strategies for bioprospecting flora. In this sense, some studies have emerged to try to understand what factors lead to the introduction of certain plants in local pharmacopoeias. On this, the exotics species have been the target of investigations because of its cultural importance, because they believe that they are included to diversify the local therapeutic stock. Therefore, the present work aimed to test the hypothesis of diversification using as model antiparasitic uses of plants. Ethnobotanical data collection was conducted from semi-structured interviews with experts in medicinal plants and livestock farmers in two rural communities in the municipality of Altinho (state of Pernambuco, NE Brazil). The results show that there is an overlap of exotic and native species listed against parasitic infections in humans and animals, and parasites differents groups, endoparasites and ectoparasites. From plant popularly indicated in the two communities against the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini) (Acari: Ixodidae), the only native species Nicotiana glauca Graham and Croton blanchetianus were efficient in testing sensitivity larval and engorged females of tick. Overall, the presence of exotic species in the pharmacopoeias has contributed to increase the chances of treatment, and they do not seem to influence the diversity of native species cited against parasites. The native species have demonstrated their importance against ticks, whereas that they dominated the list of species for this purpose and some were effectives in the tests. These data helped to select plants and indicate extracts with insecticide activity, thus contributing with information about the use and exploitation of medicinal plants of the caatinga.