Synergy in ethnopharmacological data collection methods employed for communities adjacent to urban forest

ABSTRACT

Several ethnopharmacological techniques used for sampling and data collection cannot be used as they are for different areas and cultural groups. This study combined and adapted reported ethnopharmacological research techniques for sampling and data collection of medicinal plants in forests adjacent to urban areas, and evaluated their potential applicability. The areas considered in this study included the neighborhoods adjacent to the Botanical Garden of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil. Application of combined ethnopharmacological research techniques ensured a practical strategy and reliability in the collected data. Preliminary interviews with 303 questionnaires constituted the general sampling of the population, and interviews with eleven people knowledgeable of medicinal plants constituted specific sampling. Using the two techniques, it was possible to identify sixty species, which are stored in the CESJ Herbarium. Given the lack of specific ethnopharmacological research tools in the context of multi-cultural urban communities located adjacent to forest areas that require preservation, this study shows that the synergistic use of techniques provides more reliable and reproducible data. The combined use of these techniques provides safety and simplifies the tools for future use in similar studies.