Use and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants at Sertao do Ribeirao, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

(Use and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants at Sertao do Ribeirao, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil.). The aim of this research was to do an ethnobotanical study on the use and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants at Sertao do Ribeirao, an Azorean community, inserted in the Atlantic Forest domain and located within the boundaries of Lagoa do Peni Municipal Park. A total of I 3 interviews were made with residents of Sertao do Ribeirao, identifying 114 species of medicinal plants, distributed in 48 botanical families. The diversity of medicinal plants known at Sertao do Ribeirao is quite high and the collection of plants by the community suggests a strong correlation between use and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and the possibility of local gathering. Ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants does not differ between women and men and the use of industrialized medicine and medicinal plants indicates a complementarity between modern and folk medicine. Knowledge transmission within the community, with parents/grandparents and neighbours, shows a rich local cultural heritage of medicinal plants.