Objectives: Many species of the Caatinga flora are used as medicines in local communities. In recent decades, the knowledge and use of these species has been expanding within this region.
The present work seeks to quantify the knowledge of two rural communities in the semi-arid region of the state of Pernambuco (northeastern Brazil) concerning two species of native medicinal plants: “aroeira do sertao”, ˜ Myracrodruon urundeuva (Engl.) Fr. All. (Anacardiaceae) and “angico”, Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan (Mimosaceae).
: Many species of the Caatinga flora are used as medicines in local communities. In recent decades, the knowledge and use of these species has been expanding within this region.
It is well-known that humans have used medicinal plants for millennia, but as a defined field of scientific research called ethnopharmacology, it has a relatively short history.