Abstract

GHENO-HEREDIA, Yaqueline Antonia; NAVA-BERNAL, Gabino; MARTINEZ-CAMPOS, Ángel Roberto  and  SANCHEZ-VERA, Ernesto. Medicinal plants used by the "Nahuatl xihuitl" organization of traditional indigenous doctors and midwives, Veracruz, Mexico, and their cultural meaning. Polibotánica [online]. 2011, n.31, pp.199-251. ISSN 1405-2768.

Data were collected on the cultural significance of medicinal species used by the "Nahuatl xihuitl" Organization of Traditional Indigenous Doctors and Midwives for primary health care through a quantitative ethnobotanical approach. Participatory tools were used, and two ethnobotanical indices were identified: the Fidelity of Friedman et al. (1986), which includes use value, range of priority (ROP) and range of popularity (RPL), and the Use Value Index of Gómez-Beloz (2002) for parts of plants. The results indicate that the families best represented were Compositae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Solanaceae and that the most important genera were Amaranthus, Plantago, Piper, Smilax and Urtica with two species each. The most culturally significant species were Cestrum nocturnum L., Chenopodium ambroisoides L., Chenopodium graveolens L., Urtica mexicana Liebm., U. urens Lie-bm. and Lepidium virginicum L. (r = 0.95) (ROP=100 y 90.9). The most useful plant parts were the leaves of Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck, Oncimun selloi Benth., Salvia po-lystachya J.G. Ortega, Psidium guajava L., Plantago lanceolata L., Plantago major L., Plantago australis L., Polygonum acumina-tum Kunth, Ruta graveolens L., Sambucus nigra var. canadensis (L.) Bolli, Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wigg., Tithonia tubiformis (Jacq.) Cass., Urtica chamae-dryoides Pursh and the genera Ageratina and Ageratum (Use Value Index = 35.32). Our analysis of the information on the participant group's own species and cultural significance strengthens the current process and dynamic of traditional medicine in the central part of the State of Veracruz.

Keywords : ethnobotanical knowledge; use value; indices; quantitative ethnobotany and patterns of use of plants.

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