Medicinal plants: uses and beliefs of elderly carriers of arterial hypertension

Abstract

The therapeutic use of the plants has raised the interest of the enfermagem, since around 80% of the world population already had some use experience with preventive or curative ends. We aimed to verify which the plants used by elderlys in the prevention of the elevation of the blood pressure or in the reduction of values already high, verify the knowledge on preparation way, recognition, obtaining and conservation of the plant and with who the elderly learned to use such plants. The descriptive study was carried out with 23 elderly of a group linked to a health center of Fortaleza/CE, between April and July of 2003, with the collection carried out by means of structured form. They were cited 14 different plants. The group showed to use some plants correctly, in other words, with the purpose of to prevent, to control or to reduce the alterations blood tension values, comparing with the pharmacologycal studies. However, we didn't find references to some of the plants cited. The greatest identified ignorance, and for which the professionals of health should attempt, it was regarding the preparation way for use. From the identification of those behaviors, the nurse should accompany and to motivate the therapeutic use of the plants, remembering that such practice should be consolidarted in the scientific knowledge and in the evidences of scientific researches.