ABSTRACT Mandacaru (Cereus jamacaru DC - Cactaceae) possesses peculiar physiological and morphological characteristics that allow it to withstand long periods of scarcity and to adapt to different environments. Several uses have also been reported for the species from the 17th century to the present day. Given this history and the importance of the usage of mandacaru, the present investigation aimed to gather information about its uses from different documentary sources, and to perform a comparative analysis between past and present uses. Historia Naturalis Brasiliae by Piso and Marcgrave (17th century) served as the primary source, while information on labels of exsicates in botanical collections, basic scientific literature, and applications for patent filing at INPI, EPO, USPTO, WIPO (until October 2017), served as secondary sources. According to established categories of use, both the primary source and secondary sources revealed that mandacaru has had several applications, among which use for food and medicinal purposes stand out. Other uses, such as ornamental, magical-religious, civil construction and rural fences, were also reported. Despite the numerous references of usage in the documentary sources, knowledge about the potential use of C. jamacaru is not widely spread nor well protected.

Em busca da identificação das plantas utilizadas na medicina do século XIX, este trabalho se deteve à análise dos seis códices intitulados "livros de receitas de medicamentos", depositados no Arquivo do Mosteiro de São Bento do Rio de Janeiro (Brasil). O levantamento foi concretizado através da leitura sistemática dos mesmos visando à elaboração de uma listagem geral dos termos que faziam alusão às plantas usadas na prática diária da enfermaria e botica (farmácia) do mosteiro do Rio de Janeiro, no período de 1837 a 1840, 1860 e 1880. Assim, criou-se uma categoria de nomes populares presentes nas formulações, qual seja, a "referência direta", que passou a agrupar todos os nomes populares que faziam menção diretamente ao nome de um vegetal. Este grupo passou por um processo de identificação por meio de consulta à bibliografia especializada e de especialistas botânicos. Ao final desta etapa pode-se chegar às pistas taxonômicas referentes aos termos ligados às plantas. São, portanto, 150 referências diretas, das quais 92% (138) puderam ser identificadas botanicamente. Ao todo foram identificadas 152 espécies e variedades, pertencentes a 123 gêneros, englobados em 67 famílias. Estes documentos que versam sobre a prática médica brasileira, mais especificamente no tocante às plantas utilizadas em épocas passadas, constituem-se em fontes primárias de informação sobre o repertório de espécies conhecidas.

In order to identify plants used for medicinal purposes in the 19th century, this work analyzed six codices entitled "books of medicinal formulations" kept in the archives of the São Bento Monastery of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The survey was carried out by way of a systematic reading of the six volumes and preparation of a list of terms that refer to plants used on a regular basis in the infirmary and pharmacy at the monastery in Rio de Janeiro from 1837 to 1840, and from 1860 to 1880. It was therefore possible to create a list of popular names from the formulas and this "direct reference" categorized the popular names that made direct reference to a given plant. These plants were then identified by consulting the specialized literature and botanists. At the end of this stage we obtained the taxonomic clues that made reference to the popular names of the plants. A total of 150 direct references to plants were encountered in the codices, of which 92% (138) were identified botanically, representing 67 families comprising 123 genera and 152 species and varieties. These documents record the history of medical practice in Brazil and constitute the primary reference source for information about the traditional repertoire of medicinal plant species used in the 19th century.