Uso de plantas medicinais como alternativa à medicalização em situações de adoecimento por estudantes de graduação da área da saúde

Abstract

Plants are important components of biodiversity, both in forests and in urban areas, whose use can soften or cure disease symptoms, and this applicability is one of the oldest forms of medicinal practice in humanity. However, due to the great consumption and ease of access to certain medications, the use of medicines without medical prescription becomes increasingly banal. Being driven by constant advertisements on social media and allied to easy access in pharmacies, stimulating the indiscriminate use of medicines. Therefore, the World Health Organization has been promoting the use of traditional medicines, comprising practices and knowledge that incorporate plant-based medicines for the maintenance of well-being, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of diseases. In view of the above, this research sought to understand the state of knowledge of undergraduate health students at the Federal University of Santa Maria, with the objective of evaluating the knowledge of higher education students about the use of medicinal plants as an alternative to medicalization in situations of illness. This is a descriptive and exploratory research, with a qualitative approach. To collect information, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the students. The results show that most students use medicinal plants, obtaining knowledge about their applicability mainly with family members. It is noticed that the most used plants are chamomile, billet, lemon balm, rosemary, marcela, fennel, lemon and guaco, being consumed from teas in situations of lives linked to illness. In addition, it was evidenced that the courses do not address the theme in compulsory subjects, which is considered very important for students. They claim that the study of traditional medicine would contribute beneficially to their future professional practice, in the same way directly influences their individual use of medicinal plants. In this context, the production of a bibliographic material, in booklet format that presents the main species of medicinal plants and their applied uses, can help students in a situation of illness, which is an alternative to self-medication. It is expected that this research will contribute to discussions and reflections, elucidating possible gaps of knowledge, fostering new research on the subject. Keywords: Well-being. Traditional Knowledge. Public health.