“Preferencia del tratamiento convencional frente al tratamiento con plantas medicinales en la comunidad lacón del cantón ambato”

Abstract

The province of Tungurahua is one of the most culturally diverse areas of Ecuador, with a wealth of ancestral knowledge and Andean beliefs, which highlights the systematic use of traditional medicine with plants, in parallel with the conventional health system. The objective of the research was to analyze the preferences of conventional treatment versus treatment with medicinal plants in the community of Lacón del Cantón Ambato. A questionnaire composed of 22 questions was applied to the entire population, represented by 49 informants, one for each existing household in the community. From the analysis of results it was obtained that conventional treatment is selected for its effectiveness in treating acute somatic and traumatic problems. In visceral pain and to cure non-physical problems such as fright, bad air and evil eye, the population prefers treatment with plants, due to its accessibility at any time of the day. Relevance to conventional medicine is assigned to treat and prevent the complications of acute and chronic health somatic problems. It is concluded that conventional medicine has benefits in the majority of health problems and traditional medicine with plants, represents an effective practice to treat some somatic conditions and diseases of supernatural cause.