Abstract: This paper supplies and facilitates access to information regarding medicinal plants from spontaneous flora, to rural people from Ţara Haţegului; their harvesting is possible provided the laws for nature protection are observed. In this way, agriculturists can make better decisions regarding the opportunities for new sources of income. The research method relies on collecting information based on a survey applied to people from the researched rural area; thus, a new image on the level of information regarding the use and valorisation of medicinal plants in the research area has taken shape. The locations where we carried out research are Fărcădin, Tuştea, Densuş, Hăţăgel, and Sălaşul de Jos. Because of the ageing population in the research area, the survey was also applied to the elderly to see how knowledge on the use and valorisation of medicinal plants is transmitter from generation to generation. Analysis allowed the identification of twenty six genus of medicinal plants from the spontaneous flora that are currently used. There is also proper knowledge of the way medicinal and aromatic plants are used from either scientific or fold sources. Medicinal plants are harvested directly from the nature. However, harvesting does not observe the need for recovering the potential of the natural area (it lacks scientific grounds).

Key words: medicinal plants, folk medicine, spontaneous flora, rural area

Presentation: oral