Ethnobotany of polyherbal formulations in the Mount Slamet Region, Central Java, Indonesia
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Abstract. Hartanti D, Wahyuningrum R, Rachmani EPN. 2026. Ethnobotany of polyherbal formulations in the Mount Slamet Region, Central Java, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 9 (1): y090122. https://doi.org/10.13057/asianjethnobiol/y090122. Though the locals around Mount Slamet, Central Java, Indonesia, have extensive traditional knowledge about polyherbal remedies, this knowledge has not been systematically documented, and, because of this, their ethnobotanical and therapeutic potentials remain largely unexplored. The present research was an effort to document the species forming the basis of the local polyherbal formulations, to measure their relative importance, and also to reveal their composition, medicinal uses, and the major clinical applications. Information from 42 local informants, who were purposively selected, was obtained through semi-structured interviews in the period from September to November 2022. The cultural significance of the plant constituents was measured by Species Use Value (SUV) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) indices. A total of 98 polyherbal formulations, including 84 plant species from 34 families, were identified. Zingiberaceae was the most represented family, with Curcuma longa (SUV = 1.05, RFC = 0.74), Zingiber officinale (SUV = 0.83, RFC = 0.64), and Kaempferia galanga (SUV = 0.76, RFC = 0.67) being the main medicinal plants in the area. The therapies were aimed at postnatal care, digestive problems, and immune-related disorders. They used 2-13 plant species prepared as decoctions or infusions. A high correlation between SUV and RFC reflects the agreement between cultural consensus and therapeutic application. Leaves, rhizomes, and fruits were the most commonly used plant parts, which were mainly prepared by boiling for oral consumption. Because of this, these polyherbal formulations are a reflection of the optimized botanical assemblage that is determined by local ecology and medicinal requirements. The use of dominant Zingiberaceae species with specific therapeutic targets offers a strong foundation for further pharmacological validation and drug development.
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