Much of the ethnobotanical research involves traditional populations, but urban and small urban centers with rural origins have been currently studied, so an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was performed in the home gardens of Bairro Novo Horizonte, Ituiutaba, MG. Therefore, 40 households were visited and data were collected through semi-structured interviews. We found 72 species of medicinal plants distributed into 33 families, especially Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, by the number of species. The five species that were most frequently mentioned by residents were: Mentha sp. 2, Cymbopogon citratus, Sedum dendroideum, Plectranthus barbatus, and Rosmarinus officinalis. The herbaceous habit was predominant, the leaves were the most used part of the plant, and decoction was the dominant mode of use. Even though there are peculiarities across the various customs and cultures of local communities in Brazil, we are able to see a similarity amongst the results found here in relation to other researches, reinforcing the importance of preserving and disseminating the popular knowledge.
Asteraceae; popular knowledge; ethnobotany; Mentha
