Abstract

Introduction: The use of medicinal plants, as a therapeutic practice of traditional medicine, is a viable resource for the maintenance of health and for the prevention and treatment of diseases. This practice in healthcare is common in forest regions in Amazon, Brazil.

Objective: To know the therapeutic itinerary and the sociocultural aspects that involve the use of medicinal plants during the health-disease process in the riverside environment.

Methods: Quanti-qualitative study with a cross-cultural approach with a Leininger theoretical reference, carried out with 8 expert informants in medicinal plants in the community of Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Boam in Coari (Amazonas, Brazil) and 11 informal informants responsible for health care in the household. Data collection took place from Jan/Mar 2015 through ethnographic technique, using semi-structured and structured interviews. Thematic analysis was performed to obtain categories of discussion.

Results: The present study showed that the concepts of health and disease go beyond symptomatic and pathological processes; that popular herbal medicine is the main resource used in the therapeutic itinerary of riverside families; healing is mostly practiced by women, whose transmission of knowledge is oral and interparental; and it involves cultural values and beliefs that go beyond economic aspects and access to health services.

Conclusion: This study made it possible to approach the riverside reality, providing an understanding of their difficulties regarding access to health services and the reasons inherent to the use of medicinal plants, where the understanding of the cultural dimension by the professional is essential to offer the health care for riverine people and their community.

Keywords: Medicinal Plant; Folk Medicine; Ethnography; Transcultural Nursing; Population Health Management

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