Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the use of natural stimulants of the central nervous system by undergraduate medical students in a private University of Sergipe (SE), checking the profile of users, prevalence, frequency, reasons for use and consequences. Methods: This is a descriptive study, with a qualitative and quantitative approach, with 281 medical students from the 1st to the 6th year. For data collection, a questionnaire related to natural stimulants was used. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the aid of the R Core Team 2020 software. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: It was evidenced that: 93.6% of the sample reported had already used it, in which 62.98% were women and 30.60% were men. It was observed that 37.4% use it daily, 22.8% had a strong desire and that the biggest reason for use is associated with the attempt to obtain better academic performance (63.9%). Conclusion: The conclusion is that the consumption of these substances is prevalent and frequent in the studied group and there is a strong desire to consume them. The motivation for use was to try to improve academic performance, however, losses were observed in relation to sleep quality and mood.