Traditional uses of plants in the Colombian Orinoquia

Abstract

In the Orinoco river region, there is diversity of plants that can be used to obtain products for use and consumption. The main traditional use given by for generations at one vegetal specie is the starting point for developing of new effective products. This job is a report of plant species in the region and its main traditional use, in order to identify and prioritize further studies to determine its agro-industrial potential. Cities and municipalities were visited in three departments of the Orinoco region to interview native habitants, with 40 years old and farming as their main occupation. We inquired about common name of plants, their use, dispersion, production, commercial exploitation and marketing. We identified 70 species including 11 biocides, 4 were found to treat cancer, 10 analgesic and anti-inflammatory, 11 for the treatment of kidney and liver diseases, 9 heart problems, 7 tranquilizers, 15 for human and animal consumption, 11 as flavoring and dyes additives and 8 for hair and skin cosmetic purposes. Some plants have duplicated use but could be observed correlation between them. Most of these plants do not have a formal commercial exploration, are free collection and occur wild throughout the year. Related species have recognition but have little or neither exploitation, which justifies conducting further studies for the development of species and products.