"Ethnobotany of Cannabis sativa L. in Brazil"

Abstract

Cannabis sativa L. has been used for centuries by traditional communities around the world. Its medicinal uses, recorded in pharmacopeias, have been confirmed by pharmacology, counting almost 80,000 articles, according to SCOPUS. Although there are records concerning the traditional uses of this plant by traditional people from the past and present in Brazil, they are not systematized. The aim of this proposal is to do so, in collaboration with the group of researchers responsible for CANNUSE, an Ethnobotanical Database of C. sativa, created by the Botanical Institute of Barcelona. Consultations to institutions (collections, museums, databanks and libraries) of the main countries of Europe in search of these records in historical sources will promote this access, since many of them were carried out by chronists and naturalists who were in Brazil between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. In addition, other institutions will be consulted in Brazil, searching or historical sources and current publications on the issue. The data obtained describing records about: culture/ethnicity using the plant; part used; use; dose; duration of use; contraindications; and adverse reactions, will be analyzed within categories of use: food; medicinal; narcotic; and fibers. The data collected here serve to broaden our knowledge about the traditional knowledge of the plant in a systematic and democratic way, since in addition to a book to be written in Portuguese, they will be disseminated through the projects and courses of UNIFESP; as well as during scientific events. Finally, the data collection is expected to contribute with the world scientific knowledge about this plant, expanding the possibilities of study and future advances, especially in the fields of human health.