Ethnobotanical documentation of plants used as traditional therapies by Partido Albularyo in the Philippines
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study generally aims to study the use of medicinal plants by folk healers in the eastern part of the province of Camarines Sur, the Philippines. Folk healers are identified as the local experts in traditional medicine because of their notable experiences, which have endured over time and are rooted in a body of knowledge that is customarily passed on orally. Thus, collecting their practices and knowledge can preserve the nearly extinct intangible national treasures that may include unstudied plants that can be subjected to pharmacological, botanical, and/or chemical research in the quest to discover new medicines to cure various illnesses. To materialize these, the study conducted a field survey from February to August 2020 and used the informant consensus factor (ICF), use value (UV), and fidelity levels (Fl) to determine the level of agreement among informants on the use of plants as remedies. The study found 153 species of plants from 60 families that are used as curative materials for 17 categories of diseases, including various folk illnesses and beliefs about non-corporeal agents. This study confirms that there is still rich cultural knowledge and practices of using plants as a major source of medicine among folk healers. The findings highlight the importance of collecting ethnopharmacological data and conducting pharmacological evaluations of the identified plants, particularly those with higher fidelity levels and use values.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
World Health Organization [WHO], Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. (2002a) https://www.who.int/traditional-complementary-integrative-medicine/about/en/
Y. L. Park, R. Canaway, Integrating traditional and complementary medicine with national healthcare systems for universal health coverage in Asia and the Western Pacific. Health Systems and Reform 5(1) (2019) 24 – 31.
World Health Organization, WHO global report on traditional and complementary medicine 2019, (World Health Organization), 2019.
A. F. T. Alpuerto, et al., Level of awareness and extent of utilization of the ten medicinal plants approved by the department of health. Advancing Nursing Research 2 (2012) 73 – 92.
World Health Organization, WHO establishes the Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in India. (World Health Organization), 2022, https://www.who.int/news/item/25-03-2022-who-establishes-the-global-centre-for-traditional-medicine-in-india
A. Khatun, H. Or-Rashid, M. Rahmatullah, Scientific Validation of Eight Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Medicinal Systems of Malaysia: A Review. American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 5 (2011) 67 – 75.
M. S. A. Khan, I. Ahmad, Herbal Medicine: Current Trends and Future Prospects, In: , New Look to Phytomedicine, edited by Mohd Sajjad Ahmad Khan, Iqbal Ahmad, Debprasad Chattopadhyay, Academic Press, 2019, 3-13.
Hossan S, Hanif A, Agarwala B, Sarwar S, Karim M, et al., Traditional Use of medicinal Plants in Bangladesh to Treat Urinary Tract Infections and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Ethnobot. Res. Appl., 8 (2010) 061-074.
Rebuya NR, Lasarte ES, & Amador MMA, Medical pluralism, traditional healing practices, and the partido albularyo: Challenge in inclusion, Open J. Soc. Sci., 8 (6) (2020) 72-79, https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.86007
Fajardo BS & Pansacola MAV, Hilot: The Science of the Ancient Filipino Healing Art, Mandaluyong, Philippines: Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2017.
World Health Organization, Regional Strategy for Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific, World Health Organization, 2002b.
M.A. J. Ladia, et al., Prevalence of and Associations for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Apparently Healthy Individuals in the Philippine LIFECARE Cohort. Acta Medica Philippina 52 (5) (2018).
R. Abe, K. Ohtani, An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants and traditional therapies on Batan Island, the Philippines, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 145 (2013) 554 – 565.
J. S. Angagan, I. E. J. Buot, R. E. Relox, C. M. Rebancos, Ethnobotany of the Plant Resources in Conner, Apayao, Northern Luzon, Philippines, Journal of Nature Studies 9 (1) (2010) 31 – 38.
N. C. B. Antonio, R. J. G. Tuason, Ethnobotanical and phytochemical study of the medicinal plants used by Kanawan Aytas in Morong, Bataan, Philippines, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 21 (3) (2022), 595 – 604.
T. Balangcod, A. Balangcod, Ethnomedical knowledge of plants and healthcare practices among the Kalaguya tribe in Tinoc, Ifugao, Luzon, Philippines, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 10 (2) (2011) 227 – 238.
M.A. K. Naive, S. D. Binag, G. J. D. Alejandro, Plants with benefits: Ethnomedicinal plants used by the Talaandig tribe in Portulin, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, Philippines, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 20 (3) (2021) 754 – 766.
F. A. Blasco, G. Q. De Guzman, G. J. D. Alejandro, A Survey of Ethnomedicinal Plants in Surigao Del Sur Mountain Range, Philippines, International Journal of Pure and Applied Bioscience 2 (4) (2014) 166 – 172.
I. Buot, An Ethnobotanical Study of the Plant Biodiversity of Mt. Mayon, Bicol Peninsula, Albay, Philippines, Journal of Nature Studies 8 (1) (2009) 1 – 10.
H. Ong, Y. Kim, Quantitative ethnobotanical study of the medicinal plants used by the Ati Negrito indigenous group in Guimaras island, Philippines, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 157 (2014) 228 – 242.
C. Cerio, Albularyo Folk Healing: Cultural Beliefs on Healthcare Management in Partido District, Camarines Sur, Philippines, JATI-Journal of Southeast Asian Studies 25 (1) (2020) 210-237.
G. K. Habtom, Perceptions and Attitudes of Modern and Traditional Medical Practitioners about Traditional Medical Practice in Eritrea, International Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11 (1) (2018) 00340.
D. A. Madulid, A Dictionary of Philippines plant names. vol. I: local name- scientific name. vol. II: scientific name-local name, Makati City, Philippines: Bookmark,), 2001.
M. Heinrich, S. Edwards, D. Moerman, M. Leonti, Ethnopharmacological field studies: A critical assessment of their conceptual basis and methods, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 124 (2009) 1–17.
A. Andrade-Cetto, M. Heinrich, From the field into the lab: useful approaches to selecting species based on local knowledge, Frontiers in Pharmacology 20 (2011).
J. Friedman, Z. Yaniv, A. Dafni, D. Palevitch, A preliminary classification of the healing potential of medicinal plants, based on a rational analysis of an ethnopharmacological field survey among bedouins in the Negev desert, Israel, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 16 (1986) 275–287.
O. Phillips, A. H. Gentry, The useful plants of Tambopata, Peru: I. Statistical hypotheses tests with a new quantitative technique, Economic Botany 47 (1993) 15–32.
L. Rendell, L. Fogarty, W. J. E. Hoppitt, T. J. H. Morgan, M. M. Webster, K. Laland (2011). Cognitive culture: theoretical and empirical insights into social learning strategies, Trends in Cognitive Science 15 (2011) 68 – 76.
L. L. Cavalli-Sforza, M. W. Feldman, Cultural transmission and evolution: A quantitative approach, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981.
H. I. Boy, et al., Recommended Medicinal Plants as Source of Natural Products: A Review, Digital Chinese Medicine 1 (2) (2018) 131 – 142.