Ethnobotanical survey in traditional communities of Pedra Suada settlement, Cachoeira Grande municipality, Maranhão State, Brazil

The ethnobotany looks at how different human groups interact with the vegetation. The aim of the job was to conduct a study of traditional community and the relationship of use of plant species in Settlement Pedra Suada, Cachoeira Grande, Maranhão, Brazil. The methodology used was the application of semi-structured questionnaires. Women accounted for 58% of the public identified as having knowledge about use of plants in the settlement. The main activity carried out among respondents was farmer (a), with 64% of the total described occupation. 81 species were recorded, which were identified 42 plant families and one has not been identified. Lamiaceae family is the most represented species, 10 (12,35%), followed by Fabaceae 6 (7,41%), Rubiaceae 5 (6, 18 %), Apocynaceae, Anacardiaceae 4 (4,94%), Arecaceae, Amaranthaceae, Malvaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Bignoniaceae 3 (3,7%), and another 32 families with 37 species (45,68%). Among the species reported 55,6% had the use described as exclusively medical and 43,2% for multiple use. Among the diseases mentioned by the respondents of the digestive tract are the most cited with treatment using plants, associated with local knowledge, representing 18,6%. The form of manipulation of medicinal most used among respondents was in the form of tea (56,9%). The record local knowledge about the uses of native plants in the region will allow the rescue and dissemination of that knowledge