Medical ethnobotany in Artigas, Uruguay

Abstract

This article presents botanical and medical knowledge in the department of Artigas, Uruguay. The research was carried out between 2017 and 2018. Information through observations and interviews with different social actors linked to the practice of popular medicine was collected to systematize and analyze. In Artigas, 142 plant species belonging to 65 botanical families were identified, with Asteraceae, Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, Apiaceae and Lamiaceae as the most recurrent ones. Of these species 131 are used as medicinal. The remaining have other ethnobotanical uses, such as food, seasoning, timber, body paint, and native traditions. Medicinal plants are mainly used to treat disorders of the digestive system (23%), sensory system (13%), genitourinary system (12%) and respiratory system (11%). The main form of consumption is through infusion (46%) and the part used are mainly leaves (48%). Likewise, a great diversity of popular medicine practices were identified, resulting in an ethnomedicine characterized on the use of medicinal plants.