Popular use of medicinal species of the Verbenaceae family in Brazil.

ABSTRACT

The current work aimed to conduct a literature review about the Verbenaceae family species used in popular medicine in different regions of Brazil. The academic papers employed for the preparation of this research were taken from journals indexed by the Scielo published from 2000 to 2012, and a research in Google scholar tool was also performed. The data were compiled and organized alphabetically by species, followed by the popular name, manner of use, employed part, indications and study area. A total of 85 publications indicating 55 species were found and distributed into eight genera. The species with the highest number of citations was the Lippia alba (Mill.) N.E.Br., with 56 records. From the plants described in the literature, the leaf was the most cited part of the vegetables, and the tea was the most widely used preparation method. Among the categories of medicinal recommendations, the highlighted plants were the ones related to the treatment of diseases of the respiratory and the digestive systems. It was observed that Rio de Janeiro was the state in which the largest number of publications in the area was concentrated. The use of medicinal plants is increasingly present among several communities. Thus, the information in this work will be applied to assist in database development on how to use the plants belonging to the family Verbenaceae with medicinal potential found in Brazilian states.

Keywords
Plant Resources; Traditional community; Medicinal plants