The use of medicinal plants was investigated for the 15 days preceding the interview, and this variable was obtained from the following question: “Did you drink any tea or use medicinal plants in the last 15 days?”.
The use of medicinal plants was investigated for the 15 days preceding the interview, and this variable was obtained from the following question: “Did you drink any tea or use medicinal plants in the last 15 days?”. The name, the portion used (leaf, root, stem, bark, flower, and sachet), and the indication of use for each medicinal plant were identified. The identification of the medicinal plants used, and their respective indications of use was based on the respondent’s self-report, without the researcher’s interference. The intake of fresh products, herbal medicines, and teas was considered as the use of medicinal plants. After self-reporting, the plants mentioned by their common or popular name by respondents were cataloged and identified by their scientific name by two independent researchers, with the support of the online tool Tropicos® version 3.4.2 ( www.tropicos.org). The researchers organized the plants according to their family, species, and authority.