Abstract

CARBONO-DELAHOZ, EDUINO  and  DIB-DIAZGRANADOS, JUAN CARLOS. Medicinal plants used by the Cogui at Palomino river, Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta (Colombia). Caldasia [online]. 2013, vol.35, n.2, pp.333-350. ISSN 0366-5232.

To document indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants among the Cogui or Kággaba in the Palomino river basin, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, the use of the flora was assessed via application of a quantitative ethnobotanical technique. Using interviews with mamos or indigenous priest- chiefs, during guided walks through wilderness areas, cultivated areas and orchards across different climatic zones of the watershed, information was obtained for 189 useful species in 162 genera and 77 families, including method of use and the form of preparation for the treatment of common diseases. The families Asteraceae and Leguminosae had the largest number of useful species. Based on the relative importance index (IR), Ladenbergia moritziana (Rubiaceae), Stevia lucida (Asteraceae), Aniba sp. (Lauraceae), Erechtites hieracifolia (Asteraceae) and Carex sp. (Cyperaceae) are species with high importance values. Eighty-nine percent of all useful plants are collected from the forest, suggesting a broad knowledge of the local plant diversity and the continuous use of an ethnomedical practice.

Keywords : Traditional knowledge; ethnobotany; Cogui indigenous; medicinal plants; Sierra Nevada of  Santa Marta.

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