Ethnomedicinal Plants Used by Middle-Aged Residents in San Antonio, Tandag City, Surigao Del Sur, PhilippinesFull Text

Abstract

People all around the globe are always looking for ways to use plants as medicines to treat various ills and diseases. The study on medicinal plants and their traditional usage is currently popular around the world. Moreover, with the arising diseases and the need for more cost-effective medications, documentation of the claimed medicinal plants by local communities is vital because it will open a lot of opportunities for the discovery and improvement of new and affordable plant-based medicines. In the province of Surigao del Sur Philippines, the older generation are the ones who apply their traditional knowledge on the use of herbal plants. Thus, this study limits on the middle-aged residents in the village of San Antonio, Tandag City in Surigao del Sur Philippines on their use of traditional knowledge in using herbal plants. Forty-six respondents were chosen following the convenient sampling technique. Gathered data on demographic profile of the respondents, plant part used, methods used in the preparation of herbal plant, name of ailments was quantified using descriptive statistics (frequency, sum, and percentage). Likewise, calculation of used value was determined using percentage. Correlation between the age and gender to methods of plant parts used were done using Pearson Correlation. A total of 46 (7 males and 39 females) served as respondents in this study. Highest number of respondents belonged to ages 45 to 49. Almost one third of the respondents residing in the said barangay for 41-50 years. Meanwhile, most of the respondents were using medicinal plants for 1-10 years. It was also found that most of the respondents obtained their source of ethnomedicinal knowledge from their ancestors. Twenty-three medicinal plants from 15 families, the majority of which belonged to the Lamiaceae genus were used as herbal plants. Most of these plants are collected as herbs and shrubs. Leaves are commonly harvested for use and taken orally as decoctions. Viral diseases (cough and cold) were the most dominant ailments treated by the herbal plants. Oregano/Kalabo (Coleus aromaticus) had the highest use-value). It further shows that age is correlated with the changes to the methods of plant preparation while gender is not correlated. The study shows that despite increased urbanization, the village of San Antonio still has a range of plant species with medicinal importance. Thus, in the context of a wider local use as well as possible scientific and pharmaceutical applications, these herbal plants might be further examined for safety and efficacy.