A study was carried out in the communities of Pau D'Arco and São João Batista - municipality of Santa Bárbara do Pará, which aimed to document the knowledge about therapeutic plants held by local residents, in order to demonstrate their importance in the context of folk medicine. The collection of data, as well as of botanical material, was carried out from October 2003 to January 2004 and April/May 2004, respectively. After searching for theoretical support, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 informants - all women - with a mean age of 51 years. Information was gathered about the popular name, how it is obtained, its indication, the parts used for the plant and how it is prepared, as well as personal information such as gender, age, education, and origin. The 65 species surveyed are distributed in 40 families, being Piper callosum Ruiz et Pav. (paregoric elixir/100%), Mikania bookeriana Dc (sucurijú/lOO%), Portulaca pilosa L. (amor crescentI78%), Rufa grateolens L. (rue/78%), Mentba sp (boldoI78%), Bryopbyllum calicinum Salisb (pirarucuI78%), Plectrantbus barbatus Benth. (anador/Zl %). Aloe vera (L.) Burman (babosa/71 %), Gossypium berbaceum L. (cotton/5 7%), Cinnamomum zeylanicum Nees (cinnamon/57%), Eucalyptus sp. (eucalyptus/57%), Cbenopodium ambrosioides L. (mastruZ/57%), Himatbantus succuba (Spruce) Woodson (sucuuba/50%) showed higher citation frequency. Most of the plants used by the community are cultivated in the backyard, and some are collected in the forest. In addition, we observed the exchange of species among family and neighbors, and eventually the purchase in markets. The main problems treated with medicinal plants were headache, flu, fever, stomach problems, inflammation, and diarrhea. The leaves are the pharmacogen most used in home preparations, among which teas and baths prevail. It was observed that the exchange of information with relatives and friends is one of the ways of transmitting knowledge about the use of plants.
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