SPREADING THE SEED OF TODAY: EXTENSIONIST ACTIONS FOR ACTIVE REHABILITATION

Abstract

From the earliest times, man seeks to make use of nature, especially of the resources derived from the flora, as a medicinal source in the treatment of some diseases. Research carried out on this subject reveals, in this way, an age-old habit of using the power of plants to cure illnesses in an artisanal way, which reveals ways of thinking, being and acting of the man. In this sense, aware of the importance and viability of the use of medicinal plants as one more means of treatment of several health problems, we sought to return the attention of the present study to an institution that aims at the rehabilitation of people with problematic use of licit drugs and/or illicit, the Fazenda do Sol, located in Campina Grande - Paraíba. Thus, activities involving the planting, cultivation, harvesting and rational use of medicinal plants were developed through sensitization techniques and educational strategies. These actions aimed at spreading the principles and practices of phytotherapy, giving the inmates the possibility of implementing small community production methods, such as vegetable gardens around the farm, whose products, after processing, could be used for self-directed consumption. As results, the construction of knowledge about the planting, cultivation and adequate harvesting of medicinal plants by the participants of the extension project, as well as the technical support offered by the extension workers for the farm gardens adequacy, stand out. It is also pointed out that through a questionnaire and the participants' speeches during the meetings, it was possible to identify the main symptoms related to drug abstinence and thus to suggest, based on the contribution of a specific trained pharmacist, the appropriate use of medicinal plants to soften them. In addition, this extension project has raised the need for a work that is developed with these people, in addition to the condition of a person with problematic use of alcohol and other drugs, understanding that the aspects that define them are not only the use of a certain substance , but their experiences, experiences, life histories and the way they stand before them, even recovering their self-esteem.