MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN THE BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST WITH POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HERBAL DRUGS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Brazilian Northeast has a rich native flora used for therapeutic purposes in folk medicine. National Policies and Programs encourage the use of folk medicine plants in their Health System, prioritizing local species as a strategy to make herbal medicine more credible among users. However, the lack of knowledge of plants by health professionals, the emphasis on allopathic medicine and the lack of knowledge of plant species on official lists in different regions of the country are some of the factors identified as barriers to the success of such programs. This research reviewed the literature on ethnobotany in order to know the main species of native medicinal plants used in this region and with potential for phytotherapy. After consulting the Virtual Health Library (BVS) and PubMed, 58 articles published between January/2015 and December/2019 were selected, with 590 species of medicinal plants cited in ethnobotanical studies being recorded. 129 (22%) were cited between 5 to 35 studies and 35 (27%) of the species have authorization for use as herbal medicines, of which only 11 species (31.43%) are native. We found that of the 71 species listed in the National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Unified Health System in Brazil, 60 are used by human communities in the Northeast, reinforcing the region’s contribution to the theme. 57 native species are presented that still do not have authorization for simplified registration as herbal medicine, but are used in folk medicine. These data seek to minimize the lack of knowledge about native species and value their use in regional phytotherapy. It is suggested to encourage research in partnership with local communities that analyze the therapeutic action of medicinal plants and encourage their use in Primary Health Care, in accordance with Law 13.123/2015, in order to protect access to traditional knowledge.