Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local communities in Sekerak Subdistrict, Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Navia ZI, Suwardi AB, Baihaqi. 2021. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local communities in Sekerak Subdistrict, Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4273-4281. Local communities in Aceh Tamiang have gained a wealth of medicinal knowledge through practice and experience in their long-term battles with the disease. However, because of a lack of written records and rapid economic development, their traditional medicinal knowledge is under threat. This study investigated medicinal plants and related traditional knowledge of local communities in the Sekerak subdistrict, Aceh Taming, Indonesia. Field surveys, plant collections, and interviews with communities were used in this study. The Snowball Sampling technique was used to select 60 informants for the interviews. A total of 46 medicinal plant species belonging to 40 genera and 26 families were used for medicinal purposes by local communities to treat 28 different diseases. The itch, swelling, cough, and nosebleed were the most commonly treated. With a use-value index of 0.98, Tagetes erecta was the most commonly used medicinal plant by local communities. In addition, local communities identified the leaf (50%) as the most widely used plant part and oral administration (65%) as the most common method of administering traditional medicine. Elders have more knowledge of medicinal plants than younger generations, indicating that traditional knowledge is eroding across generations. However, initiatives to promote and conserve medicinal plants must be improved, particularly among the younger generation. This is required to ensure the availability of medicinal plants and the preservation of traditional knowledge in the future.

Aneuk Jamee traditional foods in the South Aceh District, Indonesia

“…Lifestyle changes can have an impact on the eroding of traditional knowledge. According to Navia et al (2021), information technology, particularly the internet, hurts the decline of traditional knowledge among the younger generation. The South Aceh District government's role is critical, particularly in releasing regulations related to the preservation of local culture, including the Aneuk Jamee Tribe's traditional food.…”

ETNOBOTANI MASYARAKAT SUKU LIO: STUDI KASUS di DESA WATURAKA KAWASAN TAMAN NASIONAL KELIMUTU KABUPATEN ENDE NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR

“…Hal ini didukung oleh hasil penelitian dari Destryana dan Ismawati, (Destryana & Ismawati, 2019), Navia, Suwardi, dan Baihaqi, (Navia et al, 2021), Elfrida, Tarigan dan Suwardi, (Elfrida et al, 2021), dan Suwardi (Suwardi et al, 2021).…”

Ethnobotanical study of wild medicinal plants in Serbajadi protected forest of East Aceh District, Indonesia

“…Ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants has long been owned by local communities across Indonesia (Ani et al 2021), and this tradition was established by the people of Kalimantan and subsequently promoted by the people of Java (Nurrani et al 2015). The community's knowledge and skills in the usage of traditional medicinal herbs have been passed down through oral storytelling from generation to generation and have been preserved till now (Suwardi et al 2021;Navia et al 2021b). The use of medicinal plants and the collection of knowledge about traditional pharmaceutical methods is a rich cultural heritage that is an intrinsic part of local customs and culture, and it must be preserved in order to ensure its long-term usage.…”

“…The Acehnese, one of the biggest ethnic groups in Aceh Province, and the Jamee Anak Tribe in South Aceh have both used plants as medicine (Suwardi et al 2021;Navia et al 2020b;Navia et al 2021b;Adnan et al 2022). Red ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), temulawak (C. xanthorriza Roxb), guava (Psidium guajava L.), and garlic are among the plants used by the Acehnese and Anak Jamee.…”

“…Antibacterial and antiviral activities are reported to exist in Allium sativum L. (Suwardi et al 2021). Although the usage of medicinal plants in Indonesia has been reported in several locations, particularly in Aceh Province (Elfrida et al 2021;Navia et al 2020b;Navia et al 2021b;Adnan et al 2022), much of their knowledge data has not been recorded, including the community in East Aceh District. Furthermore, the lack of written records and conservative inheritance behavior poses a threat to traditional medicinal knowledge.…”