Abstract

ALENCAR, Nélson Leal; ARAUJO, Thiago Antonio de Sousa; AMORIM, Elba Lúcia Cavalcanti de  and  ALBUQUERQUE, Ulysses Paulino de. Can the Apparency Hypothesis explain the selection of medicinal plants in an area of caatinga vegetation? A chemical perspective. Acta Bot. Bras. [online]. 2009, vol.23, n.3, pp. 911-911. ISSN 0102-3306.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062009000300033.

This scientific note examines the ability of the apparency hypothesis to explain the selection of medicinal plants by members of a rural community located in the Caatinga dryland region of Pernambuco state. A total of 61 plants considered to be medicinal were examined phytochemically to test the premises of this hypothesis. It was concluded that apparency does not completely explain our findings.

Keywords : ethnobotany; phytochemistry; traditional botanical knowledge; traditional pharmacopeia.