ESTUDO BIBLIOGRÁFICO DE PLANTAS MEDICINAIS INDICADAS PARA O TRATAMENTO DE DOENÇAS DO SISTEMA RESPIRATÓRIO

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants for therapeutic use goes beyond millennia of human evolution. One of the ways to study and investigate the use and tradition of plants is through ethnobotany. In Brazil, the use of plants for therapeutic purposes and in religious rituals has its origins in different cultures, represented by the traditions of native peoples, African and European cultures. Of all the world flora, about a third is represented in Brazil. Although there are several medicinal plants that have been very well studied and investigated in the Brazilian biota, most of them have not yet been scientifically studied. According to the Ministry of Health, as chronic respiratory diseases (DRC), they reflect one of the biggest health problems in the world and cause great economic and social impact. In order to carry out a literature review on medicinal plants used in the Brazilian Territory with indications for the treatment of respiratory diseases, electronic consultations were carried out on the CAPES/MEC Journal Portal, on the Web of Science and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO). 325 species were found, distributed in 77 families, being Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Asteraceae the most representative, and Plectranthus amboinicus (large mint), Punica granatum (pomegranate) and Hymenaea courbaril (jatobá), as the most cited species. Among the most common types of preparations are infusion and decoction, and the most used parts of plants are leaves, bark and roots. This study may facilitate the interest of future research and pharmacological studies of the species mentioned, in addition to collaborating with the appreciation of popular knowledge, facilitating access to safety information for both a population and professionals in primary health care programs meeting the encouragement and appreciation of traditional therapies by the World Health Organization (WHO).