Plantas medicinais e o cuidado em saúde em famílias descendentes de pomeranos no sul do Brasil.

Abstract

Medicinal plants are part of everyday life, in the scope of the family this knowledge is spread, most often orally. Thus, in some cultures, medicinal plants become the first therapeutic resources used to treat and prevent diseases besides promote health. The aim of this study was to know the health/disease process and the use of medicinal plants in health care for families‟ descendants of Pomeranians in Southern Brazil. It consists of a qualitative study, descriptive and exploratory, which was conducted with five families‟ descendants of Pomeranian immigrants living in the interior of São Lourenço do Sul / RS. Data collection occurred from January to May 2011. Semi-structured interviews were used as tools, followed by a record of the medicinal plants used by the families. All the plants were photographed and georeferenced. Data were analyzed and grouped into two themes: the health/disease process and care and medicinal plants used by descendants of Pomeranians. Respondents cited 105 medicinal plants, including some native to Rio Grande do Sul State and other exotic ones. Different names were assigned to the same plant species, highlighting the importance of correct identification for the effective and safe use of medicinal plants. Health/disease process and care is directly connected to environment and work process. The descendants of Pomeranians seek autonomy in relation to health care, opting first for medicinal plants to make their health care. In contrast, health services are sought when natural resources are depleted. In this scenery, the environment in which families interviewed live provides a place of learning for health professionals, especially the nurse, where the ransom of local knowledge enables to understand new cultural expressions of the health/disease and care.