Ethnobotanical study of the medicinal plant by local communities in karst area of Pacitan District, East Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Ammar LA, Kurniawati B, Anggorowati D, Cahyaningsih AP, Setyawan AD. 2021. Ethnobotanical study of the medicinal plant used by local communities in karst area of Pacitan District, East Java, Indonesia. Intl J Trop Drylands 5: 84-93. Local people's trust in traditional medicine methods is still high, especially in rural areas. Most of the villagers in Tulakan Sub-district, Pacitan District, East Java, Indonesia, grow their medicinal plants in their yards. However, local people's knowledge of various medicinal plant types is only conveyed orally from parents to children and community practice habits. Information about the using medicinal plants may begin to degrade from time to time. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge of local communities regarding the use of medicinal plants and the plant diversity, especially in the village of karst areas. The research was conducted in Bungur Village and Tulakan Village, Tulakan Sub-district, Pacitan District, East Java, Indonesia. Data collection was carried out using the snowball technique through open interviews and field surveys. A total of 40 respondents with 7 people of young age range 15-40 years and 33 people of old age range 41-75 years. Respondents with the most educational backgrounds are high school graduates. A total of 51 species were found, from 46 genera and 29 families, with 35 diseases being treated. Fever, cough, and external wounds are the most commonly treated diseases. The most widely used medicinal plant is Zingiber officinale Roscoe to warm the body, prevent fever, and increase immunity. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the villagers orally consumed ginger for post-COVID-19 positive recovery and maintained health. The most used plant parts are leaves and rhizomes by decoction and consumption orally. Based on the research results, it is known that the knowledge of the local communities and the use of medicinal plants is still quite good among the older and younger people with various types of plants.