Sá Alexandre, Mateus Teresa Letra, Brito Nuno V, Vieira Cristiana, Ribeiro Ângela M
Technological Center for AgriFood Sustainability (NUTRIR), CISAS-Center for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo, Monte de Prado, 4960-320 Melgaço, Portugal.
Veterinary and Animal Research Centre (CECAV), UTAD-Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e alto Douro, Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal.
Plants (Basel). 2024 Oct 9;13(19):2824. doi: 10.3390/plants13192824.
Mountains matter. Rural subsistence communities living in areas with high biodiversity, such as mountains, are hotspots of ecological knowledge. However, modern lifestyles may threaten this unique cultural heritage. Our study aimed to document and analyze information on plants used to fulfill the everyday needs of the people in three rural communities in NW Portugal. Fieldwork was carried out for a period of one year and information was collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. A total of 98 species, belonging to 46 families, were identified, and 142 vernacular names were recorded. Ethnobotanical richness was similar among the studied communities. The five most frequently cited species were: , , , and . Phanerophytes and hemicryptophytes comprise nearly 81% of the list. The top three uses categories (total 14) were: medicine, fuel and ritual. Digestive, skin and respiratory symptoms were the most often conditions treated with plants. Medicinal plants were used fresh and dried, mostly as infusions. The insights gathered here are important for the preservation of the cultural heritage of the local communities. Moreover, the data are of considerable scientific interest because it provides the fundaments for future studies that aim to validate/invalidate specific uses.
山区至关重要。生活在生物多样性高的地区（如山区）的农村自给自足社区是生态知识的热点地区。然而，现代生活方式可能会威胁到这一独特的文化遗产。我们的研究旨在记录和分析葡萄牙西北部三个农村社区中用于满足人们日常需求的植物信息。实地调查进行了一年，通过面对面的半结构化访谈收集信息。共鉴定出98种植物，分属46科，并记录了142个俗名。各研究社区的民族植物学丰富度相似。被提及频率最高的五种植物是： ， ， ， 和 。高位芽植物和地面芽植物占所列植物的近81%。前三大用途类别（共14种）是：药用、燃料和仪式。消化、皮肤和呼吸道症状是最常使用植物治疗的病症。药用植物使用时新鲜和干燥的都有，大多制成浸剂。这里收集到的见解对保护当地社区的文化遗产很重要。此外，这些数据具有相当大的科学价值，因为它为未来旨在验证/否定特定用途的研究提供了基础。
