UTILIZAÇÃO DE PLANTAS MEDICINAIS E FITOTERÁPICOS NO TRATAMENTO DE PACIENTES ONCOLÓGICO: UMA REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AND PHYTOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Resumen

Medicinal plants play a fundamental role in the recognition of phytotherapy as an integrative and complementary therapeutic approach to health. Over time, it became evident that the use of these species gained prominence mainly due to the influence of popular wisdom, economic deprivation and difficulty in accessing medical and pharmaceutical care. This scenario has revealed a valuable alternative for treating various health conditions, including cancer. Patients undergoing oncological treatments often resort to complementary approaches to mitigate adverse reactions associated with conventional therapies, such as antineoplastic drugs, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy and surgery. Therefore, the objective of this scientific article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the use of medicinal plants and herbal medicines by patients undergoing cancer treatment. This investigation is justified by the increasing prevalence of cancer, which constitutes a significant challenge for public health worldwide. Brazil, as the country with the greatest biodiversity on the planet, is home to a wealth of traditional knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants, enriched by its ethnocultural diversity. Therefore, this study contributes to filling a gap in the understanding of herbal practices adopted by cancer patients in a widely diverse healthcare context. Methodologically, this research takes the form of a qualitative literature review with a descriptive approach, allowing an in-depth analysis of the aspects involved in the use of medicinal plants by cancer patients.