Abstract

CASANOVA-PEREZ, Cointa; DELGADO-CABALLERO, Carina Edith; CRUZ-BAUTISTA, Patricia  and  CASANOVA-PEREZ, Lorena. Medicinal plants used among the Tenek in the Huasteca, Mexico. CienciaUAT [online]. 2022, vol.16, n.2, pp.40-58.  Epub May 16, 2022. ISSN 2007-7858.  https://doi.org/10.29059/cienciauat.v16i2.1576.

The Tének culture is an indigenous group from Mexico that still performs traditional medicine practices which reflect their interaction and connection with nature, as well as their worldview, and identity. Nevertheless, this knowledge is being eroded. The present research aims to determine the different species of medicinal plants used by Tének to treat symptoms associated to illnesses and injuries. A survey was administered to 189 persons form 5 different rural localities in the Huasteca region from Veracrúz, specifically Tantoyuca municipality, Additionally, 19 indigenous, traditional medicine doctors were interviewed. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics. As a result, 152 species were detected, which belong to 63 different botanical families. 48 % of the identified species belonged to 10 of these botanical species, the predominant biological form being herbaceous. Likewise, 45 % of the identified species are wild. Thus, medicinal plants play an important role in the healthcare system of the rural areas studied. These plants are part of their biocultural heritage, therefore their germplasm and associated traditional knowledge must be conserved in the face of conditions such as climate changes and land use, poverty, and the migration of the youngest; particularly because this traditional knowledge has basically been inherited through oral tradition.

Keywords : medicinal plants; biocultural heritage; traditional health system; conservation strategy.