Tropentag, September 18 - 20, 2019 in Kassel "Filling gaps and removing traps for sustainable resources development"

Ethnobotanical Inventory of Medicinal Plants Used in Salamá District, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Fac. of Tropical AgriSciences, Dept. of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Czech Republic

Abstract

Medicinal plants for curing are important for local people in Guatemala, for whom its use is still common for medicinal purposes in their daily lives.
The study was focused on documentation of medicinal plants used in the traditional medicine in Salamá district, Baja Verapaz department of Guatemala. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 50 respondents (56 % women, 44 % men), through semi-open interview and by observations in the fields and speaking with local inhabitants which were randomly selected. The data were evaluated using the following indexes: use reports (UR), medicinal use value (MUV), frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and fidelity level (FL).
A total of 44 species belonging to 41 genera and 26 botanical families were registered. The most dominant families were Lamiaceae (with 8 species; RU=12), Asteraceae (5; RU=11) and Rutaceae (3; RU=4). There were also found 21 categories of various diseases treated with medicinal plants, the largest representation was gastrointestinal disorders (76 %) and breathing system problems (47 %). According to the quantitative data evaluated, Matricaria chamomilla was the species of greatest use and importance (UR= 5; RFC= 0.5; MUV= 0.12; FC=26). The most used parts of the plants for the treatment of different diseases were leaves (55 %) and the used preparation mode was decoction (73 %).
Majority of people were using plants for curing themselves for over 10 years, mainly because of family traditions. People mostly buy those plants on the local market because they are easily available.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, gastrointestinal disorders, Lamiaceae, Matricaria chamomilla, medicinal plants, traditional medicine

Contact Address: Nayla Rodriguez, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Fac. of Tropical AgriSciences, Dept. of Crop Sciences and Agroforestry, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic, e-mail: rodriguezftz.czu.cz