Ethno-Medicinal Plants Used by Rural Folks of Mapanas, Northern Samar, Philippines

Abstract

Ethnomedicinal studies plays crucial role in understanding use medicinal plants for traditional healing practices which can also be a precursor for drug discovery and medicinal conservation. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify plant species used by local inhabitants as alternative medicines in five selected barangays of Mapanas, Northern Samar.  The study aimed at collecting and identifying plant species used as medicine by documenting the plant part used for the treatment of ailments. A total of 44 plant species belonging to 24 families were identified which were used as various medicinal applications.  The most commonly used part of the plant were the leaves, which were usually prepared in a decoction.  A variety of common ailments were reportedly cured by these plant species, ranging from wound cleansing/antiseptic, chest and body pains, cough and cold, diarrhea, diabetes, dengue fever, headache, ear infections, hypertension, menstrual cramps/pain, rheumatism, sore eyes, tooth and/or stomach ache, ulcer, and urinary tract infections.   Some of the plants were also utilized in some rituals, like circumcision, or as purgative (dewormer), antidote for poisoning, ingredients in post-partum bath, or to combat swelling in sprains. These results imply that residents of the municipality of Mapanas, Northern Samar, Philippines, has a wealth of indigenous knowledge about plant species that possess medicinal attributes, utilizing them as alternatives to expensive commercial drugs. It is therefore recommended that strict conservation efforts be implemented to save these valuable resources, and that chemical screening of the plant parts for their secondary metabolites would be required for drug discovery in the future.