Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Sete Cidades, Azores Archipelago: First Ethnomedicinal Report
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plants Article Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Sete Cidades, Azores Archipelago: First Ethnomedicinal Report Pedro T. M. Silva 1, Marta A. F. Silva 1 , Luís Silva 1,2 and Ana M. L. Seca 3,4,* 1 Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Azores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal 2 InBIO, Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, CIBIO-Açores, University of the Azores, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal 3 cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group & University of Azores, Rua Mãe de Deus, 9501-801 Ponta Delgada, Portugal 4 QOPNA & LAQV-REQUIMTE, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: + 351-296-650-174 Received: 29 June 2019; Accepted: 28 July 2019; Published: 30 July 2019 Abstract: Knowledge about folk medicines is limited to elder community members of remote communities, like Sete Cidades in the Azores. The Azores, 1300 km west of Portugal, are nine volcanic islands, totalling 2330 km2 of land dispersed by 173,200 km2 in the North Atlantic Ocean. The present study aims to scientifically document the uses of plant species for medicinal purposes, in the Sete Cidades. Twenty-eight community members from 40 to 84 years of age, of whom half were 55 to 64 years old, were interviewed. Twenty-nine taxa were reported as being used for medicinal purposes, ten of which have not been previously reported for ethnomedicinal use in Portugal, with a first record of the use of Morella faya. Leaves were the most used plant part (55%), and decoction the most common preparation mode. The five reported taxa with both the highest use value (0.71–0.25) and relative frequency of citation (0.14–0.11) were Clinopodium menthifolium subsp. ascendens, Aloysia citriodora, Mentha x piperita, Citrus limon and Rosmarinus officinalis. The traditional uses of some of the reported plants are supported by scientific studies, confirming their ethnomedicinal value and the need to preserve local knowledge of folk medicine practices. Keywords: ethnobotany; ethnomedicine; medicinal plants; plant diversity; use value; Clinopodium menthifolium subsp. ascendens; Morella faya; Azores 1. Introduction Knowledge about the medicinal properties of plants has been transmitted from generation to generation, and is directly linked to the local culture, faith and other beliefs, and is now the study object of ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology [1,2]. Nowadays, in rural societies and developing countries, the use of medicinal plants is both a necessity and valuable resource, providing an alternative for primary health care systems, income generation and livelihood improvement, while in developed countries, traditional medicine is used as a complementary therapy, and the demand for it is increasing [3–5]. However, this cultural knowledge is under threat of extinction because it is limited to a small portion of society, mostly residents in remote regions, and because of the degradation of the local ecosystems [6]. Thus, the assessment of the traditional knowledge of plant uses through ethnopharmacological surveys, and its documentation, is essential for the conservation of the local culture and of natural resources, being also an incentive to research the use of plants with a view to providing scientific substantiation of reported medicinal applications. The Azores Archipelago (Portugal) is one such remote regions where, although already under risk, there are still aged communities in isolated rural areas, for whom the use Plants 2019, 8, 256; doi:10.3390/plants8080256 www.mdpi.com/journal/plants Plants 2019, 8, 256x 22 of of 23 20 aged communities in isolated rural areas, for whom the use of folk medicines is very relevant, but whereof folk systematization medicines is very of relevant,the associated but where ethnopharma systematizationcological of information the associated has ethnopharmacological not been undertaken. informationThe archipelago has not been of the undertaken. Azores is composed of nine small islands located in the North Atlantic OceanThe (Figure archipelago 1), nearly of the2330 Azores km2 of is land composed dispersed of ninealong small 557 km islands in the located east-west inthe direction, North Atlanticand 311 2 kmOcean in the (Figure north-south1), nearly direction, 2330 km atof about land dispersed1370 km west along of557 Portugal km in and the east-west4100 km east direction, of New and York 311 [7].km in the north-south direction, at about 1370 km west of Portugal and 4100 km east of New York [7]. Figure 1. Photo of Sete Cidades village, its position on the map of São São Miguel Island, Azores, and the relative position of Azores archipelago inin thethe AtlanticAtlantic OceanOcean (Maps(Maps areare notnot toto scale).scale). Many Azorean villages are located in isolated geographic areas, often inside volcanic craters, with populations dedicated to subsistence agricu agriculture,lture, and where the knowledge and tradition of using medicinal plants carry on [8–10]. [8–10]. The The Azorean Azorean vascular vascular plant plant flora flora that that includes includes approximately approximately 1000 vascularvascular plantplant taxa, taxa, with with about about 200 200 to 300to 300 native native species, species, approximately approximately 700 naturalized, 700 naturalized, and many and manymore introducedmore introduced along thealong 500 the years 500 ofyears human of human presence presence [11], provides [11], provides the plant the resources plant resources used as used folk asmedicine folk medicine in the region. in the Inregion. the last In twothe decades,last two accessibilitydecades, accessibility to some of to these some villages of these has villages improved, has improved,allowing easier allowing access toeasier modern access health to caremodern and bringing health aboutcare and changes bringing in the demographic,about changes social in andthe demographic,cultural structure social of theand most cultural isolated structure populations of the mo [12st]. isolated One of populations these changes [12]. is the One higher of these probability changes isof the abandonment higher probability or adulteration of abandonment of the traditionsor adulterati and,on withof the this, traditions the loss and, of with ancient this, knowledge, the loss of ancientsuch as medicinalknowledge, plant such uses as formedicinal primary plant health uses care, for as happenedprimary health in other care, regions as happened around the in world,other (e.g.,regions [6, 13around,14]). Informalthe world, records (e.g., of[6,13,14]). medicinal Informal plant use records exist in of the medicinal Azores [ plant8–10]. use However, exist in no the scientific Azores [8–10].ethnobotanical However, studies no scientific have been ethnobotanical conducted reportingstudies have primary been co datanducted for a geographically-isolatedreporting primary data forrural a geographically-isolated community. On the other rural hand, community. since the settlement On the other of thehand, region since originated the settlement from theof the mainland region originatedPortuguese from population the mainland [15,16], it Portuguese will be relevant population to evaluate [15,16], the similarities it will be andrelevant divergences to evaluate in the usethe similaritiesof medicinal and plants divergences in both regions. in the use of medicinal plants in both regions. The present study, usingusing proper plant use documentation,documentation, unambiguously linked to specimens and qualitative and quantitative analyses of the collectedcollected data, aims to: i) describe and document the uses of plant species for medicinal purposes, in the small and relatively isolated community of Sete Cidades in São São Miguel Island, Azor Azores;es; ii) based on the pharmacologicalpharmacological effects effects and chemical profile profile described in the literature for the most relevant species,species, assess the scientificscientific basis for the traditional applications described; and iii) promote the preserva preservationtion of folk knowledge and local flora, flora, clarifying knowledge about its medicinal use. 2. Results Results 2.1. Informant Informant Characterization Knowledge about the traditional uses of medicinalmedicinal plants was found mostly among female members of the community (89.3 % of the intervie interviewedwed individuals were female), among whom 50% were between 55 and 64 years old (Figure(Figure2 2).). Plants 2019, 8, x 3 of 23 Plants 2019, 8, 256 3 of 20 Figure 2. Age and gender group distribution of the informants (F-female; M- male). Figure 2. Age and gender group distribution of the informants (F-female; M- male). When analysing the source of this “medicinal knowledge”, the majority of informants (78.5%) statedWhen that it analysing came exclusively the source from of this family “medicinal tradition, knowledge”, that is, knowledge the majority transmitted of informants by ancestors. (78.5%) Moreover,stated that many it came of theexclusively informants from mentioned family tradition, that younger that is, people knowledge were not transmitted interested by in ancestors. learning folkMoreover, medicine. many of the informants mentioned that younger people were not interested in learning folk medicine. 2.2. Ethnomedicinal Flora 2.2. Ethnomedicinal Flora In the present work, the informants mentioned a total of 29 plant taxa as utilized in traditional remediesIn the for present the treatment work, ofthe a broadinformants range mentioned of human ailmentsa