Function of the medicinal plants of the mangroves in a society of high marginalization in tabasco, mexico

Abstract

Medicinal plants were studied in 4 communities from the coast of Tabasco; it registered 63 species, which are used to treat 37 local diseases. Those plants have different origins; 81.5% were located in family gardens, and people daily coexist with them; two species were cultivated for consumption, but a secondary use is medicinal. Also 2 species were registered in the fences, and 4 come from mangroves and 2 from paddocks, and 14 are wild. Here we found six biological forms: tree, shrubs, herbs, vines, epiphytes, parasites, and thick vines. Because the soil is very saline, only a few species grow as trees in the orchards. The other species, mainly grasses and vines, are planted in discarded dishes and hung to the trees or arranged in the branches of the same. For these plants, substrate from other agricultural areas of the region is used. It is important to mention that only tree or shrub species are grown in the gardens of family orchards, such as the nance (Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) Kunth.) and the cinnamomum (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn). The rest of the species are usually planted in waste containers such as buckets or frets that no longer fulfill their main function, but the substrate is not from the area; this is because in coastal communities the soil is too saline, due to which many species do not grow in these conditions, so over time the ladies have brought from communities far from the coast fertile soil where watermelon, corn, or sorghum is produced and have used it as a substrate to grow their medicinal plants. The main uses were for treatment of pain, spells, treatment of nerves, expulsion of intestinal parasites, inflammations rash, hair treatment, constipation, emmenagogue, diarrhea, diabetes, and rheumatism, the other treated with two species each.