Chás na cultura sergipana: aceitação, consumo, usos terapêuticos, crenças e atitudes entre jovens universitários de Aracaju

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants is an habit that comes from popular knowledge, passes from generation to generation and, when complemented with scientific research, helps the identification of plant species and/or active agents important for the treatment of several pathologies. The present study aimed to identify the acceptance, consumption, therapeutic uses, attitudes, and beliefs of young university students from Sergipe, regarding the use of teas both as a common drink and for therapeutic use. A total of 140 university students from two universities in Aracaju participated in the research. Respondents' attitudes and beliefs in relation to teas were assessed through seven sentences which individuals assessed on a Likert scale (1=strongly disagree; 7=strongly agree); acceptance on a 7-point verbal hedonic scale, and consumption on a 5-point verbal scale. Data were evaluated using means, frequency distributions, Chisquare, and ANOVA tests. Of the 140 volunteers who participated in the survey, 52.5% of those enrolled in a private institution (UNIT) and 62.1% in a public institution (UFS) declared that they liked tea between moderately and a extremely. The most consumed tea was fennel (Pimpinella Anisum L.), followed by chamomile tea (Matricaria recutita), boldo (Peumus boldus) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Sixteen plant species were mentioned by the respondents as used to treat diseases, among them: boldo for gastric disorders, star anise for colds and flu, lemon balm as a sedative, fennel for diarrhea, peppermint for indigestion and bay leaf for gastrointestinal disorders. Knowledge of the therapeutic uses of each herb came mainly from parents (51.4%), grandparents (36.4%) and the internet (24.3%). Approximately 65.8% at UFS and 49.2% at UNIT reported having from 3 to 4 episodes of diarrhea in the last 12 months, a statistically significant difference at p=5%. Water and food (52.8%) were the probable cause of diarrhea. To treat the disease, respondents reported using mainly boldo, chamomile, lemon balm and fennel teas. Approximately 66% of respondents from the public institution and 57% from the private institution strongly agreed that teas are beneficial to health; between 74 and 77% of the respondents agreed between moderately or to a greater degree agree that tea helps digestion. Between 70.4 and 73.4% agreed that tea is rich in vitamins and minerals, which is true for minerals, but not for vitamins, considering their thermal degradation in the preparation of the drink. Between 55.8 and 62.1% agreed that tea prevents aging, and approximately 59% of respondents from both institutions agreed that tea lowers cholesterol, a concept confirmed by several scientific studies. In general, our study confirmed that, in the population studied, the habit of consuming tea as a gastronomic beverage and for the treatment of diseases was present, with a positive attitude of the respondents towards the beverage and attributing to it, positive effects on health. These facts open opportunities for the beverage industry in Sergipe explore the introduction of new tea-based products in the State.