Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used in Salamá, Baja Verapaz, Guatemala

Barbora Fišerová

Bakalářská práce

Abstract:

This work contain study about ethnobotany, which is part of botany which deals with the relationship between community of people and medicinal plants which are used by them and its specific usage in traditional medicine. Using medicinal plants for curing important for local people of Guatemala, from whom the information was obtained. Medicinal plants are still commonly used for medicinal purposes by local people in their daily lives. Aims: Aim of the thesis is inventarization of medicinal plants in Salamá district, Baja Verapaz department of Guatemala.Methodology: This study first documented the information about the medicinal uses of species of Salamá, Baja Verapaz in Guatemala. Data was collected through semi opened questionnaire and fields observations during the time of study with 50 informants (56 % women, 44 % men). For the medicinal plants were calculated following indexes: Use reports (UR), Medicinal use value (MUV), Frequency of citation (FC), Relative frequency of citation (RFC) and Fidelity level (FL). Results: Total number of species is 44 with belonging to 41 genera and number of families is 26, where the most dominant medicinal are Lamiaceae (8 species; 16 %), Asteraceae (5 species; 10 %), Rutaceae (3 species; 6 %), used by local inhabitants to treat 21 categories of various diseases, where the largest representation are of gastrointestinal disorders (76 %) and breathing system problems (47 %) category. Mostly used part was leave (55 %). Preparation modes used were decoction, raw leves or fruit.Highest calculated indexes: UR: Matricaria chamomilla L. and Aloe vera L.; RFC: Matricaria chamomilla L., Eucalyptus gunnii F. Muell., Aloe vera L.; MUV: Matricaria chamomilla L., Aloe vera L.; FC: Matricaria chamomilla L., Eucalyptus gunnii F. Muell. and Aloe vera L. Majority of people use plants for curing themselves more than 10 years, use them because of family straditions and started to use them because of the same reason, family. Most often buy them on the market and are readily available.Conclusions: Guatemala is a country with great genetic diversity. The genetic richness of flora and broad popular knowledge have not been fully exploited so for this reasons is so important to protect local flora and informations about its using in traditional ways in medication. People of middle age in rural zone carry important knowledge about usage of medicinal plnats in traditonal medicine. Thanks to this study, knowledge about the use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine in department Baja Verapaz, Salamá district, Guatemala, is recorded.

Keywords

Baja Verapaz, ethnobotany, Guatemala, medicinal plants, Salamá, traditional medicine

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 20. 4. 2017

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Vedoucí: doc. Dr. Ing. Eloy Fernández Cusimamani

Česká zemědělská univerzita v Praze

Fakulta tropického zemědělství

Bakalářský studijní program / obor:
Zemědělská specializace / Zemědělství tropů a subtropů