Ethnobotanical study of the use of medicinal plants in the indigenous Pijao community in Natagaima, Colombia

Abstract

Semi-structured interviews (80) were applied in order to document the medicinal plants used by the Pijao indigenous community in Natagaima, Colombia. As a result, a total of 110 species distributed in 54 families were registered, Asteraceae and Fabaceae (9% each) being the most important families. Regarding the parts of the plant, the most used structure was leaves (46.7%), the main form of preparation was infusion (32%), and the most used way of administration was oral (77.8%). The value of use of the species by informants (VUis), the relative importance of medicinal species (IRE) and the index of cultural value of medicinal species (IVUs) were determined. The most important species according to their value of use were: Tamarindus indica L., Psidium guajava L., Mentha x piperita L., Moringa oleifera Lam. The most reported ailments were gastrointestinal problems such as stomach pain and diarrhea, general aches, headache, fever, swollen liver, and respiratory problems.