Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by southern community of san andrés in the ecuadorian Amazon

The rescue of ancestral knowledge on the use of medicinal plants, through local ethnobotanical studies, is emerging as an alternative in its rescue. The objectives of this study are: i) to identify the medicinal plant species that are part of the cultural heritage of some families; ii) to determine the uses and applications of medicinal species; iii) to propagate the species of greatest medicinal use and importance, to strengthen ancestral knowledge in the community. To this end, information was collected from 25 families in the area. For the ethnobotanical tables, part of the plant used, route of administration, preparation, categories of use, among others, were established. Twenty-two species of medicinal plants were identified, the most used plant organ is the leaf, the form of preparation is infusion (64%) and the most used route of administration is the beverage. Based on the use value indexes and the level of significant use TRAMIL, two plant species were identified. The species used in propagation were Ginger (Zingiber officinale); Escancel (Aerva sanguinolenta L.); Lemon verbena (Cymbopogon citratus); Aloe (Aloe vera L.).