Asian Journal of Ethnobiology

Ethnobotanical study of homegarden by local communities in the urban area of Surakarta City, Central Java, Indonesia

2024-06-25T14:55:25+00:00

Abstract. Ayuningrum LS, Setyaningrum M, Agustin MR, Sabrina MA, Arifiani KN, Nazar IA, Md Naim D, Setyawan AD. 2024. Ethnobotanical study of homegarden by local communities in the urban area of Surakarta City, Central Java, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 79-88. Communities in Surakarta City, Central Java Province, Indonesia, utilize many plants from their homegardens daily. Urban homegardens have the potential to provide biological, social, and economic environmental services. However, documentation and further information on local knowledge of food crops and plant diversity in homegardens is still limited and needs to be presented. This study aims to document and reveal local knowledge of the diversity of homegarden plants for daily life in Mojosongo, Kestalan, and Nusukan Villages, Surakarta City, and homegarden patterns in these villages. Data collection was conducted in December 2023 through surveys and direct interviews using the simple random sampling method, with 72 respondents interviewed, with details of 6 men and 66 women. The majority of respondents have a high school/equivalent educational background. The age range of respondents was dominated by 56-65 years. Plant inventory amounted to 148 species from 55 families, consisting of 73 species of food plants, 19 species of medicinal plants, 18 species of shade, 66 species of ornamental plants, and 2 species of mystical plants. The most common growth form found is the type of tree (54 species), and the family found is Zingiberaceae (11 species), followed by Araceae (8 species) and Solanaceae (7 species). Therefore, the study's results show that homegarden plants used by the community are divided into five categories of use: food, medicine, shading, ornamental, and mystical. Local people use many food plants daily, and a homegarden can be an alternative source of diverse and nutritious food plants for households.

Ethnomedicinal and cytotoxicity study of plants used by Dumagat Tribe in Philippines

2024-07-16T15:56:04+00:00

Abstract. Domingo MLM, Gabales M, Guerra DAA, Lindo JSRM, Brillo SC. 2024. Ethnomedicinal and cytotoxicity study of plants used by Dumagat Tribe in Philippines. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 90-104. Many indigenous tribes lack access to modern medicine and rely on ethnomedicinal plants to treat various medical conditions. This study documented the ethnomedicinal knowledge and practices of the Dumagats in Barangays San Lorenzo, Norzagaray, and Kabayunan, Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan, Philippines. The study identified 22 ethnomedicinal plants used to treat everyday ailments, with leaves being the most frequently utilized plant part, typically decocted and taken orally. Eighteen out of 22 (68.18%) of the plants were identified to be native to the Philippines: Alstonia scholaris, Homalomena philippinensis, Blumea balsamifera, Combretum indicum, Dillenia philippinensis, Pterocarpus indicus, Flagellaria indica, Cyrtandra incisa, Leea philippinensis, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Saccharum spontaneum, Embelia philippinensis, Antidesma bunius, and Buddleja asiatica highlight the predominance of native plants in the area and its utilization by the tribe. The most frequently used plants were Artemisia vulgaris, B. balsamifera, S. spontaneum, and D. philippinensis, with a use value 0.57. The results shed light on the pharmacological characteristics of plant extracts from A. vulgaris, C. amboinicus, and B. balsamifera using brine shrimp lethality and trypan blue assays. Examination of concentration and time-dependent effects revealed cytotoxic properties. Higher concentrations (1 mg/mL) significantly reduced cell viability, while lower concentrations (100 and 10 micrograms/mL) showed varied responses; prolonged exposure exacerbated cytotoxic effects. These findings underscored the importance of documenting ethnomedicinal practices and assessing the cytotoxicity of medicinal plants to understand their potential health impacts, providing practical insights for researchers, botanists, and healthcare professionals interested in ethnomedicine and pharmacology.

Ethno-botanical study on medicinal plant species utilized by Marma community of Wagga Union in Rangamati Hill District, Bangladesh

2024-08-23T00:01:05+00:00

Abstract. Ray TK, Dutta S, Das S, Chakma K. 2024. Ethno-botanical study on medicinal plant species utilized by Marma community of Wagga Union in Rangamati Hill District, Bangladesh. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 105-114. The utilization of medicinal plant species to cure various health-related ailments is a common practice among the ethnic communities of Bangladesh. This study, conducted in Wagga union of Kaptai upazila, Rangamati hill district, Bangladesh, aimed to document indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) regarding using ethnomedicinal plants to cure various diseases. The extensive field data collection and various established ethnobotanical survey methods revealed significant findings. The results recorded a total of 53 medicinal plant species belonging to 53 genera and 38 families from the study area, generally used to treat 51 diseases. The family most widely used in the context of the number of medicinal plant species is Asteraceae (9%), followed by Apocynaceae (7%), Amaranthaceae (6%), and Rubiaceae (6%). The research results revealed that leaves are the most widely used plant part (40%) utilized by the local Marma community to make herbal medicine, followed by the whole plant (17%) and roots (14%). The results showed that ethnomedical plants were most widely utilized to treat fever (13.21%) and jaundice (11.32%). This study emphasizes the significance of documenting the indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) of sustainable natural resource management in biodiversity-rich forest areas, fostering a sense of responsibility and commitment.

Harnessing local wisdom to conserve biodiversity on the southern coast of Gunung Kidul, Indonesia

2024-12-15T08:07:34+00:00

Abstract. Syamsi RN, Rosyida SH, Allysa TN, Hanifah W, Dianti, Sunarto, Nazar IA, Md. Naim D, Setyawan AD. 2024. Harnessing local wisdom to conserve biodiversity on the southern coast of Gunung Kidul, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 8: 115-121. Coastal biodiversity is a crucial component of ecosystems. However, it faces significant threats due to land use changes driven by increasing societal needs. Coastal areas are increasingly shrinking due to changes in land use and exploitation of areas such as the misuse of coastal land for fish ponds which should be designated as conservation areas. This situation impacts the sustainability of local communities and the management of resources, highlighting the role of communities in empowering local wisdom. This study aimed to understand the local wisdom of the coastal community in Kanigoro Village, Saptosari Sub-district, Gunung Kidul District, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia in managing natural resources and conserving coastal biodiversity. The research used qualitative observational methods, including direct interviews with respondents. Data were collected through direct interviews with a total of 74 respondents, aged between 37-55 years, including five key respondents, and through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) on topics such as local wisdom, technological innovation, community participation, threats or challenges, and conservation strategies to understand the community’s views on local biodiversity conservation. The results of this study revealed the presence of 17 protected species from 17 families. They identified three traditional customs still preserved today: labuhan/larungan, musim gugur gunung, and rasulan. The community continues to apply conservation principles rooted in local wisdom in their daily activities, such as prohibiting of catching and utilizing protected species, and forbidding the collection or harvesting of sand and coral to preserve these resources. The community plays an active role in preserving the biodiversity of wildlife and the surrounding environment. Local wisdom has the potential to sustain and strengthen ecosystem integrity, while improving the well-being of local communities by maintaining the availability of coastal biodiversity.

Short Communication: Ethnomedicinal plants used as antiglycemic by tribes around Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

2024-11-28T04:07:37+00:00

Abstract. Baghel BS, Verma M, Chaudhry S. 2024. Short Communication: Ethnomedicinal plants used as antiglycemic by tribes around Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 122-129. The diabetes issue has become severe in Indian society, where most people consume carbohydrate-rich foods. The real problem in addressing the issue of diabetes is the duration of the course of treatment using allopathic medications, which creates problems of side effects and are not affordable for rural people. Hence, people of such regions resort to traditional ethnomedicinal practices as most healers are known to them. The study aims to document the indigenous plants used for treating diabetes around Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve (AABR), Madhya Pradesh, India. The data were collected with a semi-structured questionnaire by interview method with all the selected healers by identifying plants used for diabetes treatment. We interviewed 200 traditional healers across 48 villages in Madhya Pradesh. Forty plant species belonging to 35 genera, and 30 plant families were used as antidiabetics. Most of the plants were Apocynaceae (4), and Malvaceae (3), remaining had less contribution; mostly herbs were used 42.5%, trees 32.5% and shrubs 25%. The most frequent part used was leaf 28%, and the common method of preparation was infusion 33%. The Fidelity Level (FL) was highest at 98% for Terminalia arjuna and Pterocarpus marsupium, followed by Bauhinia vahlii at 92% and Tinospora cordifolia and Moringa oleifera at 88%. The greatest ICF was ranked at 0.602 for T. arjuna and P. marsupium, followed by B. vahlii at 0.589 and M. oleifera at 0.581. Studying indigenous plant ingredients for medicinal benefits and how they work could lead to safe, effective natural drugs through refinement and processing.

Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by the Javanese community of Mount Merapi National Park, Central Java, Indonesia

2025-01-18T13:38:02+00:00

Abstract. Torimbanu AR, Syahputra AF, Aulia AA, Utomo AN, Safira RN, Yasa A, Naim DM, Setyawan AD. 2023. Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by the Javanese community of Mount Merapi National Park, Central Java, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 130-144. The majority of medicines and health care come from plants. This research explores medicinal plants used by Javanese people on the eastern slopes of Mount Merapi National Park, Central Java, Indonesia, located in two districts, Klaten and Boyolali. This research was carried out by collecting data on respondents' socio-economics and ethnobotany regarding medicinal plants. This research identified four key informants using the snowball sampling method. The interviews were also conducted using a questionnaire method to find out information on the use of medicinal plants by the 81 respondents. The data was analyzed using several quantitative ethnobotanical indices. In this research, 74 species of medicinal plants from 39 families were identified. Zingiberaceae dominates with 12 species, followed by Myrtaceae and Euphorbiaceae, with five species for each family. Leaves are the most widely used part of the plant, namely around 33%, followed by fruit at 21% and tubers at 18%. Vaccinum varingiaefolium and Psidium guajava have the most significant number of Relative Frequency Citations (RFC) (0.64); the highest Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) value was for the SSA disease category (Symptoms, signs, and abnormal clinical and laboratory) with a value of 0.96, the highest Use Value (UV) value was Allium cepa and Allium sativum with the same value, namely 0.06. The highest Informant Agreement Ratio (IAR) value is 1.00, one of which is by fennel species or Foeniculum vulgare.

Diversity and use medicinal plants for traditional women’s health care in Kalibawang, Wonosobo District, Indonesia

2025-01-10T14:16:26+00:00

Abstract. Nuraini A, Rabbani AH, Jagatru AS, Azzahra AN, Azizia MS, Yasa A, Saensouk S, Setyawan AD. 2023. Diversity and use medicinal plants for traditional women’s health care in Kalibawang, Wonosobo District, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 7: 145-155. Indonesia, known as a country with "mega-biodiversity" and cultural diversity, has large and diverse natural resources, including medicinal plants that have not been fully explored. These medicinal plants play an important role in primary health care, as well as for women health care in various ethnics across the country. This study aims to determine the plants used for women's health in Kalibawang Sub-district, Wonosobo District, Central Java, Indonesia, with a focus on menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, and postpartum recovery. The research methods include interviews with 106 people who have knowledge of medicinal plants and field observations. The results of the study identified 33 plant species from 17 families for women health care, with the Zingiberaceae family as the mostly used. Plants such as kunyit (Curcuma longa), jahe (Zingiber officinale), katuk (Sauropus androgynus), and sirih (Piper betle) have an important role in women's reproductive health. Curcuma longa ranked highest in SUV (0.557) and RFC (0.038), with a Fidelity Level (FL) of 100%, reflecting consistent use for specific purposes. The study also found that medicinal plants not only provide physical health benefits, but also significant cultural and spiritual values ??for local communities.