Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants in province of Orellana, Ecuador

Anna Dvořáková

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

In Ecuador, over 65 percent of people use medicinal plants instead of drugs to treat themselves. Therefore medicinal plants play a significant role there.Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and their use by indigenous healers is veryimportant for drug development and health care.The aim of the study: The aim of the thesis is an inventory of medicinal plants andfinding their healing effects in the province of Orellana in Ecuador.Methods: Ethnobotanical data was collected by free listing interviews with randomlyselected informants of different ages. The questionnaires were based mainly on issuesrelating to medicinal plants, their acquisition and use by the local population. The datawas tabulated and analysed using four quantitative ethnobotanical indices: Medicinaluse value (MUV), Use value (UV), Use reports (UR) and family importance value (FIV).Results: A total of 68 medicinal plant species belonging to 66 genera, 27 order and 42botanical families of 66 angiosperms, 1 fern and 1 equisetophyta were reported to beused for treating human ailments in study area. Families Annonaceae (6 species, 8.82%) and Boraginaceae (5 species, 7.35 %) were found to be best represented in area. Atotal of 43 people (65 % women, 35 % men) have the highest knowledge aboutmedicinal plants people in the age group 41-50 years. The vast majority of people usetraditional medicine more than 10 years. There were mentioned more than 50diseases belong to 22 categories, according to FAO (mostly mentioned Disease ofdigestive system and Disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue). About 29 % ofpreparations were reported to be obtained from leaves. The best representedapplication was oral (over 85 %). Highest UR and FC has Ilex guayusa Loes., whichmeans, that it is the most useful plant in province of Orellana.Conclusion: The study revealed that province of Orellana is rich in medicinal plantdiversity and associated indigenous knowledge. People in rural areas have moreknowledge than people in the city. Younger generation is less interested in knowledgeabout medicinal plants.

Keywords

Medicinal plants, Traditional medicine, Ethnobotany

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 3. 5. 2017

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: doc. Dr. Ing. Eloy Fernández Cusimamani
• Reader: Eduardo Alberto Lara Reimers, M.Sc.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences

Bachelor programme / field:
Agricultural Specialization / Agriculture in Tropics and Subtropics