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The ethnobotanical uses of the medicinal plants in the Murocomba protected forest and its area of influence, located in the Valencia canton in Ecuador, were determined in this article; Fifty-six analytic types of surveys were applied in five locations. To obtain information on plant propagation, 20 surveys were carried out in forest localities. For the identi-fication of the commercialization processes, 40 surveys were carried out with herbalist in the surrounding cantons. Fifty-one species, 44 genera, and 26 families were recorded. Cymbopogon citratusshowed the highest absolute frequency. The locality with the highest number of species and individuals was Isla de la Libertad with a diversity of 3.42 according to the index of Shannon, and 0.9569 according to the index of Simpson. The Jaccard similarity index presented more interaction between El Dorado and Isla de la Libertad. The analysis of variance (Anova) showed significant differences in the frequency of species among the localities. C. citratus and Ocimum americanum, obtained higher values in the use value index (UVI), relative knowledge index (RKI), and Significant Use Tramil index (SUT). The propagation of eight species with the highest SUT was made through seeds, cuttings or plant divisions. The medicinal plants in herbalist shops with the highest demand were: Ruta graveolens, Matricaria chamomilla, and Peumus boldus. Finally, the medicinal plants with the highest SUT identified three types of added value: plants in pots, essential oils, and dehydrated plants, with commercialization costs ranging from 1.00 to 10.00 USD. |
