The knowledge and the use of medicinal plants (MP) were investigated in 372 people interviewed in the Bauru (São Paulo) area in 1981. The majority of the people was from a low social status. More than 95% of the people interviewed know MP, with a high use of 2 to 4 varieties. Only 10,8% did not use these plants. The MP are obtained at the house yard (first choice) or at the pharmacy (second choice). Almost 118 different MP were cited. From these only 9,3% did not have a correspondent scientific name and 17% did not have pharmacological properties described in the medical literature. Almost 70% of our observations are in accordance with the literature considering at least one symptom or one disease. The authors also discuss the reasons of the increment of domestic medicine, and some aspects of the industrial production and trade of drugs made of medicinal plants. They emphasize the necessity of pharmacological research in order to provide knowledge on the therapeutic use of the brazilian medicinal flora.
