"The plants have axé": investigating the use of plants in Afro-Brazilian religions of Santa Catarina Island

The influence of exotic and native plants on illnesses with physical and spiritual causes in the semiarid region of Piauí, Northeast of Brazil

BACKGROUND

Local medical systems (LMS) include native and exotic plants used for the treatment of diseases of physical and spiritual nature. The incorporation of exotic plants into these systems has been the subject of many studies. In this context, an analysis was conducted on the influence of the origin of plants on diseases of physical and spiritual nature in order to evaluate the therapeutic versatility of native and exotic species in these therapeutic targets, to investigate whether exotic plants mainly fill gaps not met by native plants (diversification hypothesis), and identify which species are prioritized in the redundant targets in these two therapeutic groups in the rural community of Morrinhos, Monsenhor Hipólito, Piauí.

METHODS

Data collection took place in 2 stages. First, free lists and semi-structured interviews with local residents (n = 134) were conducted to survey plants used for therapeutic purposes and the associated illnesses. Then, another phase of interviews was carried out to evaluate the prioritization between native and exotic plants in redundant therapeutic targets. To test the diversification hypothesis (DH) in each group of illnesses, data were analyzed using generalized linear models (Poisson and Binomial GLMs); versatility was measured by the number of therapeutic indications and compared between resources using the Mann-Whitney test, and prioritization in each group was verified by comparing the proportions of native and exotic plants with the χ2 test.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty-two species of plants were surveyed, being 71 exotic and 61 native, with indications for physical and spiritual illnesses. The results revealed that the diversification hypothesis did not explain the inclusion of exotic plants in the local medical system to treat physical or spiritual illnesses and that the therapeutic versatility of exotic and native resources in the two groups was also similar (p > 0.05). However, exotic plants were prioritized in illnesses with physical causes and native plants in illnesses with spiritual causes.

CONCLUSIONS

The local medical system presents similar and distinct patterns in the therapeutic targets, depending on the perspective evaluated. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the patterns of use of medicinal plants in different sociocultural contexts in order to broaden the debate about the role of plant origin in the selection of treatments for illnesses with different causes.

Local and traditional knowledge systems, resistance, and socioenvironmental justice

In this essay, for the debate series of Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, I argue against the oversimplified causal argument that the maintenance of local and traditional knowledge systems is related to less advantaged circumstances. This statement is based on a colonialist perspective of what a less advantageous circumstance is, which is being questioned by several authors. It also ignores the struggles and resistance of traditional knowledge holders and the urgent call for socioenvironmental justice. As an ethnobiologist, I argue that we must face this reality to build science with justice and inclusiveness.

The woman who chose the terreiro. Lay care and medical landscapes in mental health care in Rio de Janeiro

Brazilian mental health care reform understands mental health as a complex social process. There is a large literature production within the country focused on deinstitutionalization policy, social determinants of mental health and human rights, however, with little recognition beyond Latin American borders. In addition, cultural dimensions of mental suffering have been neglected in Brazilian debates which limits an expanded understanding of health care and users' inclusion. This paper aims to discuss the role of cultural determinants in mental health care in Brazil. We followed a patient in the city of Rio de Janeiro who opted for therapy based on her religious beliefs-using ayahuasca in the context of the Afro Brazilian religion of Umbanda-over the treatment-as-usual in mental health. We draw on the notions of autoatención (self, domestic, and group-care in lay contexts) and medical landscapes to examine how therapeutic negotiations reflect embodied cultural traits and both social and political determinants shaping therapeutic spaces. We argue that recognizing sociocultural differences and therapeutic negotiations are key elements in making a more inclusive health practice. Moreover, this recognition enables identifying and reasoning the broader social processes framing health practices. This debate is relevant to the Brazilian mental health context and to other scenarios, especially those where local and global knowledge and practices in mental health are entangled.

Caracterização da saúde e saneamento de uma comunidade quilombola no entorno da capital do Brasil: um scoping review

RESUMO A comunidade quilombola Mesquita possui uma identidade intimamente relacionada com a terra; todavia, atualmente, as relações entre saúde e saneamento apresentam-se de forma precarizada devido à expansão do agronegócio e do mercado imobiliário. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os aspectos de saúde e saneamento da comunidade quilombola Mesquita da Cidade Ocidental do estado de Goiás, Brasil. Esta revisão foi estruturada no método de um scoping review elaborado com a finalidade de síntese de evidências auxiliando no direcionamento de políticas públicas e na tomada de decisões práticas para o território. Os principais resultados encontrados nos aspectos de saúde foram a importância da Unidade Básica de Saúde, da agroecologia e das terapias alternativas. Já nos aspectos de saneamento foram o abastecimento de água e o tratamento/disposição de resíduos sólidos. Constata-se que o fortalecimento e a interdependência da saúde humana e ambiental, da cultura e da ancestralidade da história africana e o reconhecimento dos direitos territoriais potencializarão o cuidado coletivo com o suporte de diferentes atores sociais. É notório que o enfrentamento da escravidão no Brasil ainda existe no Quilombo Mesquita, pela invisibilidade e inassistência refletidas atualmente pelas ações governamentais.