"The plants have axé": investigating the use of plants in Afro-Brazilian religions of Santa Catarina Island.

Summary

Afro-Brazilian religions on Santa Catarina Island, Brazil, use plants not only for spiritual purposes but also for their medicinal properties. Interviews with 27 spiritual leaders from Candomblé, Umbanda, and Ritual de Almas e Angola terreiros identified 93 plants (86 species) used in 14 categories. Liturgical ritual use was most common (59%), followed by general diseases (32%) and digestive diseases (27%). Sixteen plants were cited across all terreiros, indicating a culturally important set of species. Direct contact between plant and patient occurs in many liturgies, such as baths and smoke cleansing. The authors suggest these plants warrant pharmacological investigation for external use and emphasize valuing ancestral Afro-Brazilian knowledge and its broader, spiritual view of health.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Cultural and religious practices of African origin have decisively influenced traditional health practices in the Americas since the African diaspora. Plants are core elements in the religions of African origin. Compared with other parts of Brazil where the Afro-Brazilian presence is widely recognized, in Southern Brazil, these cultural practices are often socially invisible. Yet, there are several terreiros of three Afro-Brazilian religions: Candomblé, Umbanda, and Ritual deAlmas e Angola. We hypothesize that the importance of plants in Afro-Brazilian religions is linked not only to spiritual and magical issues but also to the medicinal properties of these plants. We seek to answer the following questions: (a) Which plants are used in the terreiros and what are their indications for use?; (b) Are there plants that stand out culturally in these religious groups?; and (c) What is the importance of the adaptive maintenance and replacement process in the use of plants in these religions, considering the Neotropical and African plants? We performed a census of the existing terreiros on the Island of Santa Catarina to collect information on the knowledge and use of plants. In all terreiros that consented to participate in the research, we collected data through semi-structured interviews, guided tours for plant collection, and participant observation. We identified the botanical species through expert consultations and botanical literature. We interviewed 27 spiritual leaders, who cited 93 plants belonging to 86 botanical species. We identified 14 categories of use, with emphasis on liturgical ritual use (59%), general and unspecified diseases (32%), and digestive diseases (27%). In most liturgics uses, direct contact between plant and patient occurs, as in the case of bathing and the cleansing use of smoke. Sixteen plants were cited in all terreiros, configuring a set of species that can be considered as culturally important plants for these religious groups. These groups have extensive knowledge about a highly consensual set of therapeutic plants that should be further investigated pharmacologically to understand the effect of their external use. Also, we emphasize the importance of recognizing and valuing this ancestral Afro-Brazilian knowledge and learning also from these people about their broader vision of health which also adds more spirituality in health care.