title: Promising medicinal plants for bioprospection in a Cerrado area of Chapada do Araripe, Northeastern Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traditional medical systems represent an important source of knowledge about the use of biodiversity. Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies can encourage bioprospecting in the pursuit and selection of promising medicinal plants. This study investigated the diversity of medicinal plants in a disjunct area of cerrado in Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil, and assessed the species of interest for bioprospecting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted through free listing, and the informants were recruited using the "snowball" technique. The relative importance and informant consensus factor were analyzed for the selection of plant species with therapeutic potential.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 68 species were recorded and cited for 91 therapeutic purposes. Of these, 10 species showed great versatility of use, including Copaifera langsdorffii Desf., Caryocar coriaceum Wittn., Himatanthus drasticus (Mart.) Plumel, Stryphnodendron rotundifolium Mart., and Dimorphandra garderiana Tull. The therapeutic citations were grouped into 16 categories of body systems, of which Injuries, Poisonings and Other Consequences of External Causes, and Neoplasias showed the highest agreement of use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regarding the diversity of the species, some including Tocoyena Formosa (Cham. & Schlecht.) Schum., Himatanthus drasticus, Caryocar coriaceum, Roupala montana Aubl. and Stryphnodendron rotundifolium showed both high relative importance and strong consensus among informants, and although many have already been investigated scientifically, others are almost unknown with respect to their medicinal properties and can be targets for bioprospecting.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil. Electronic address: daiany_ars@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Daiany Alves
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Liana Geraldo Souza de
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Delmacia Gonçalves de
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Macêdo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Química Biológica, Laboratório de Farmacologia e Química Molecular, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Irwin Rose Alencar de
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Química Biológica, Laboratório de Pesquisa de Produtos Naturais, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Galberto Martins da
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Arlene Pessoa da
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sírleis Rodrigues
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Lacerda
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional do Cariri, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Botânica, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marta Maria de Almeida
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Souza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D019448:Ethnobotany; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cerrado; Ethnobotany; Ethnopharmacology; Herbal medicine; Traditional knowledge