Etnobotânica e classe de metabólitos secundários em Vanilla palmarum (Orchidaceae) no Cerrado de Mato Grosso, Brasil

Abstract

The study of ethnobotany brings to science the importance of traditional communities' knowledge in pursuit of empirical understanding that highlights the connection between plants and humans. This work aims to recover knowledge regarding the use of plants by residents of these communities, with an emphasis on ethnobotanical aspects. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in communities in the municipalities of Cuiabá, Rosário Oeste, and Cáceres in the state of Mato Grosso, specifically in the following communities: 1) Passagem da Conceição; 2) Vale das Pedras (Alto Paraguai); 3) Bauxi (Alto Paraguai); and 4) Carne Seca (Cáceres, Pantanal) - MT, Brazil. The methodology was both qualitative and quantitative. In the qualitative phase, a pre-test, semi-structured and unstructured interviews, photographic records, guided tours, oral history, and direct observation were conducted. The collections took place from December 2023 to March 2024. In the quantitative phase, the informant Consensus method was used, which evaluated the Fidelity Level (FL), Correction Factor (CF), and the relative importance of use agreement (Pcup) among the informants. A total of 176 plant species were cited, distributed across 62 botanical families, with 743 citations regarding various uses of the plants mentioned. The families with the highest representation were: Fabaceae (n=16), Lamiaceae (n=14), Myrtaceae (n=13), Rutaceae (n=8), Rubiaceae (n=7), Solanaceae (n=7), Anacardiaceae (n=6), and Arecaceae (n=6). In this same study, I conducted a phytochemical analysis of Vanilla palmarum (A) and Vanilla palmarum (B) species collected at UFMT-Cuiabá and in the municipality of Bauxi-MT. It is important to note that phytochemical analyses are necessary for pharmacology, as they bring new compounds to be used. Among the compounds found in the crude plant extracts, the tests were positive for the presence of tannins, phenols, steroids, and triterpenoids in both plant species, as well as in different extracts (polar hydroalcoholic) and in the extract containing the apolar part (diclorometano).