Medicinal plants in the experiences of the older of the reference center of social assistance of augustinópolis-to, brazil

Phytotherapy is the art of preventing and curing diseases through the use of natural practices, mainly by medicinal plants. In this sense, this research investigated natural practices of how medicinal plants are used, scientifically or not, for therapeutic purposes used by the elderly of the Reference Center of Social Assistance - CRAS of the city of Augustinópolis, Tocantins, Brazil. This is a descriptive exploratory research of quantitative and qualitative approach, having as an instrument of data collection an applied form for 50 institutionalized elderly women. Through the sociodemographic profile of the surveyed women, it was revealed that the predominant level of schooling revolved around illiteracy and Elementary Education, with a total of 90% of them. Another important fact analyzed in the research was that 80% of the interviewees cultivate these plants in their residences, thus affirming the existing belief regarding the medicinal powers that these plants possess, even in an empirical logic. However, around 53.3% of the plants and their functions known to the elderly are not scientifically proven by the National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance - ANVISA. In this way, the art of using medicinal plants is present in the daily life of people, even though the scientific advances of industrialized pharmaceutical drugs are taking place, this practice becomes paramount for the maintenance of health, reaching all social classes, it is necessary to increase the scientific knowledge so that the use of medicinal plants is safe and not indiscriminate.