Percepções dos alunos do ensino fundamental II sobre plantas medicinais da Escola Municipal Olavo Bilac no Município de Benjamin Constant – Amazonas

Abstract

Medicinal plants are vegetables that have been used since ancient times, mainly to treat or alleviate illnesses. The Benjamin Constantense population, due to their socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, is closely familiar with medicinal plants, which are a low-cost alternative and a viable solution for alleviating their pain and treating their illnesses. Therefore, the objective of this work was to understand the perceptions of elementary school II students about medicinal plants. The study took place at the Escola Municipal Olavo Bilac, located in the municipality of Benjamin Constant, Amazonas, where the target audience was 121 students distributed among 7 (seven) classes from the 6th to the 9th year of Elementary School II, with ages ranging from 11 to 15 years old. Data collection took place: a conversation with students, creation of a mind map and application of a questionnaire. In which a total of 64 (sixty-four) medicinal plants were recorded that are known or used by students, backyards stand out as the main source of obtaining these plants, with leaves and fruits being the most used parts, predominating, among students, the use of medicinal plants in the form of tea, in relation to therapeutic indications, it was observed that plants are most frequently used to treat diseases of the respiratory and digestive system, finally, it was found that traditional knowledge is transmitted mainly in the family environment, where girls have deeper knowledge compared to boys, with parents and grandparents being the main disseminators of ethnoknowledge. It is concluded that medicinal plants play an important role in the health and culture of students, with emphasis on domestic and traditional use, especially in the form of tea, the dissemination of knowledge occurs mainly in the family environment, highlighting the importance of older generations, especially parents and grandparents, in the maintenance and dissemination of ethnoknowledge.