Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Ogan Tribes in

Lempuing Jaya, South Sumatera-Indonesia to Treat Degenerative

Diseases

Arif Setiawansyah

, Abdul Rohim

and Muhammad Andre Reynaldi

Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Kader Bangsa, Jl. Mayjend HM Ryacudu No. 88, Palembang, Indonesia

Department of Pharmacy, STIKES Arjuna, Jl. YP Arjuna, Toba Regency, Indonesia

Keywords: Degenerative Disease, Ethnobotanical Study, Medicinal Plants, Ethnomedicine.

Abstract: Degenerative disease is one of the non-communicable diseases characterized by progressive loss of cell

function, leading to an early organ defect and aging. Ethnobotanical study can be a promising approach to

explore potential plants that have been used traditionally based on local knowledge for the treatment of

degenerative disease. This study was implemented to uncover the unspooled knowledge of the Ogan tribes in

utilizing medicinal plants to treat degenerative diseases. An observational descriptive study was undertaken

to collect the data and information regarding the medicinal plants used for the management of several

degenerative diseases. Information and data collection was carried out via questionaries and direct interview

with traditional healers and local people on the type of ingredients, ways of making, dosage and frequency of

usage. The ethnobotanical survey revealed 36 different types of medicinal herbs included in 5 disease

categories including uric acid (16 medicinal herbs), hypertension (17 medicinal herbs), hyper-cholesterol (13

medicinal herbs), diabetes mellitus (11 medicinal herbs), and stroke (7 medicinal herbs) with a total of 64

plant species were utilized for the treatment of each health problem. The usage of medicinal herbs is quite

diverse such as direct consumption, infusion, and juicing with different frequencies of utilization (i.e., once

and twice daily). The survey has shown that Ogan tribes in Lempuing Jaya, South Sumatera-Indonesia have

empirically implemented the local knowledge of medicinal herbs for the treatment of several degenerative

diseases. However, scientific proof should be undertaken for the medicinal herbs.

1 INTRODUCTION

Degenerative diseases are the term used for numerous

disorders caused by progressive loss of cell functions

that leads to an early organ damage and aging,

generally occurred in elderly. Even though it does not

rule out the possibility of occurring at the young age,

several main risk factor can be a potential trigger for

degenerative disease to be suffered by the

community, including lack of activity, ultra-

processed food, and oxidative stress (Richardson,

1926). Approximately 50 types of degenerative

diseases have been identified in the present time,

some of which are cancer, stroke, diabetes mellitus,

coronary heart problem, and hypercholesterolemia

(Wirasisya et al., 2020). The current managements of

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1443-8666

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7827-5261

various degenerative diseases implement both the

non-pharmacology and pharmacology treatment by

modifying the lifestyle and consuming the clinically

approved synthetic drugs (Moriguchi et al., 2016).

However, the use of synthetic drugs often experiences

the number of adverse effects, leading to the

emergence of various health problems (Helleday,

2017; Miller et al., 2010). High negative effect of the

synthetic drugs increases the needs to discover new

drug candidate pointed out as the degenerative

diseases therapy that is more safe with low toxicity.

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by

the local people in certain areas is one of the

promising approaches in discovering the new drug

candidates, in view of the fact that traditional herbal

medicine has been extensively utilized since ancient

time (Iwu, 2002). The local knowledge of medicinal

Setiawansyah, A., Rohim, A. and Reynaldi, M. A.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Ogan Tribes in Lempuing Jaya, South Sumatera-Indonesia to Treat Degenerative Diseases.

DOI: 10.5220/0013666700003873

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Medical Science and Health (ICOMESH 2023), pages 107-115

ISBN: 978-989-758-740-5

107

plants can be an appropriate source of information as

a basis of drug discovery and development

(Mahmood et al., 2013). Numerous scientific reports

have shown the fundamental role of the traditional

knowledge in development of new drug candidates

that have provided a real substitute in the primary

healthcare of the rural communities in developing

countries (Cordel et al., 2012; Hayta et al., 2014).

Approximately 80% of the developing countries

population rely on the herbal medicines with a total

of 85% of the traditional medicinal herbs have been

extensively utilized globally, making it as a global

indigenous heritage (WHO, 2002; Farnsworth, 1988).

The documentation of the traditional knowledge

on medicinal plants is a key aspect to conserve the

global empirical heritage. It has also been

implemented by the Indonesian government through

the Ministry of Health by upscaling the use of

Indonesian traditional herbal medicine, specifically

known as Jamu, to be integrated into the primary

healthcare system (The Indonesia’s Ministry of

Health, 2010). This study, therefore, transcribes the

empirical information of the Ogan tribes living in

Lempuing Jaya, Ogan Komering Ilir district, South

Sumatera, Indonesia on medicinal herbs for the

management of several degenerative disease. This

ethnobotanical survey is the first ethnomedicinal

assessment and listing of medicinal plant data,

specifically for degenerative diseases in this area.

2 MATERIALS AND METHOD

The ethnobotanical survey used a technique adopted

from Wirasisya et al. (2020). The documentation of

the local knowledge used an observational descriptive

study supported by participative ethnobotany

appraisal approach including scheduled and semi-

structured direct interview.

2.1 Survey Location

The ethnobotanical survey was conducted in January

– April 2023 located in Lempuing Jaya, Ogan

Kemering Ilir district, South Sumatera, Indonesia as

depicted in Figure 1.

2.2 Documentation and Interview

The semi-structured direct interview was

implemented to document the data and local

knowledge with the informant criteria as follows:

1. Knowledgeable on the utilization of medicinal

herbs/plants and medicinal plant ingredients for

management of health problem.

2. The local inhabitants or enculturated person.

3. Known as knowledgeable on the utilization of

medicinal herbs/plants and medicinal plant

ingredients for management of health problem.

The information regarding informant biodata,

medicinal plant species, local name, the usage, part of

usage, formulation and preparation.

(Map was courtesy from Governance Section, Ogan Komering Ilir District)

Figure 1: Ethnobotanical survey location.

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2.3 Data Analysis

Descriptive and quantitative analysis was carried out

to analyse the data and information. The descriptive

analysis was undertaken on the characteristics of the

informant and the medicinal herbs, while the

quantitative analysis was carried out to the medicinal

plant data by quantified the ethnobotanical index

including the use value (UV) and fidelity level (FL)

as explained by Hoffman and Gallaher (2007).

Use Value (UV)

𝑈𝑉 =

𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡

Fidelity level (FL)

𝐹𝐿 =

𝐼𝑝

𝐼𝑢

𝑥 100%

: Informant using specific plant for certain

disease

: Total informant usin

specific plants

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Location and Respondent

Demographic

The survey was carried out in Lempuing Jaya, Ogan

Kemering Ilir (OKI) district, South Sumatera,

Indonesia specifically at three villages including SP 6

Suka Maju, SP7 Suka Jaya, and Tanjung Sari II which

was selected based on the high number of traditional

healing practice by the local people. A total of 100

participants were obtained that meets the criteria with

the informant demographic as depicted in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Informant demographic of ethnobotanical survey

location

Figure 2 illustrates most of informants are male

with the age ranging from 40-70 years old, and only

10% of respondents are 35-40 years old. This

indicates that Lempuing Jaya inhabitants that are

under 35 years old do not have any knowledge

regarding the medicinal herbs. The main source of

their medicinal plant’s knowledge (75%) was

empirically passed down from their ancestors and

25% of the rest were obtained from self-experiences

of using the medicinal plants to manage their health

problems.

3.2 Medicinal Plants

Ethnobotanical survey revealed 36 types of medicinal

herbs included in five disease categories such as uric

acid (16 medicinal herbs), hypertension (17 medicinal

herbs), hyper-cholesterol (13 medicinal herbs),

diabetes mellitus (11 medicinal herbs), and stroke (7

medicinal herbs). A total of 64 medicinal herbs have

been documented for the medicinal herb preparations

and all of the have been identified botanically. The

plant species used by the Ogan tribes summarized in

Table 1.

Gender

Male

Female

58%

42%

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Ogan Tribes in Lempuing Jaya, South Sumatera-Indonesia to Treat Degenerative

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Table 1: Medicinal plants based on disease category.

Disease categories Local name The used part Species

Uric acid

Salam Leaf Syzygium polianthum

Sirsak Leaf Annona muricata

Sirih Leaf Piper betel

Bawang putih Tuber Allium sativum

Alang-alang Herbs Imperata cylindrica

Kumis Kucing Leaf Orthosiphon aristatus

Putri malu Leaf Mimosa pudica

Sirih cina Leaf Peperomia pellucida

Jahe merah Rhizome Zingiber officinale

Sambiloto Herbs Androgarphis paniculata

Kelor Leaf Moringa oleifera

Binahong Herbs Anredera cordifolia

Ciplukan Leaf Physalis angulata

Kunyit Rhizome Curcuma longa

Pinah Fruit Areca catechu

Brotowali Herbs Tinospora cordifolia

Hypertension

Sirsak Leaf Annona muricata

Sirih Cina Leaf Peperomia pellucida

Tumulawak Rhizome Curcuma xanthorriza

Kumis Kucing Leaf Orthosiphon aristatus

Belimbing Wuluh Fruit Averrhoa bilimbi

Bawang Putih Tuber Allium sativum linn

Seledri Leaf Apium graveolens

Jahe Rhizome Zingber officinale

Salam Leaf Syzygium polyanthum

Nangka Leaf Artocarpus heterophyllus

Sambiloto Herbs Andrographis paniculata

Kelor Leaf Moringa oleifera

Timun Fruit Cucumis sativus

Asam Jawa Fruit Tamarindus indica

Kayu Manis Lignum Cinnamomum burmani

Alang – alang Herbs Imperata cylidnrica

Bawang merah Tuber Alium cepa

Hyper-cholesterol

Seledri Herbs Apium graveolens

Mengkudu Fruit Morinda citrifolia

Sambiloto Herbs Andrographis paniculata

Kelor Leaf Moringa oleifera

Ketumbar Leaf and Seed Coriandrum sativum

Sirih Leaf Piper betle

Seri Fruit Muntingia calabura

Belimbing manis Fruit Averrhoa carambola

Salam Leaf Syzygium polyanthum

Bawang Putih Tuber Allium sativum

Wortel Roots Daucus carota

Tumulawak Rhizome Curcuma xanthorrhiza

Buncis Seed Phaseolus vulgaris

Diabetes mellitus

Sirih Cina Leaf Peperomia pellucida

Seri Fruit Muntingia calabura

Nanas Fruit Ananas comosus

Jahe Rhizome Zingiber officinale

Kayu Manis Lignum Cinnamomum verum

Pare Fruit Momordica charantia

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Disease categories Local name The used part Species

Salam Leaf Syzygium polyanthum

Sirsak Leaf Annona muricata

Manggis Fruit peel Garcinia mangostana

Sambiloto Herbs Andrographis paniculata

Gingseng Radix Panax gingseng

Stroke

Sirih Cina Leaf Peperomia pellucida

Serai Leaf Cymbopogon nardus

Kelor Leaf Moringa oleifera

Ciplukan Leaf Physalis angulata

Sambiloto Herbs Andrographis paniculata

Seledri Herbs Apium graveolens

Bawang Putih Tuber Allium sativum

3.3 Dosage and Preparation

The most common way of use of the medicinal

plant/herbs at the ethnobotanical study location is by

infusion the plants. However, several methods were

also found including juicing and direct consumption.

The simple preparation and convenience of the

infusion methods makes this herbal preparation

technique highly used by the local people. The used

of medicinal plant in Lempuing Jaya sometimes

combined with other ingredients i.e., sugar, salt, and

honey to increase a good savour.

The frequency and duration of usage was also

diverse depending on the medicinal herbs and the

severity level of diseases. The use of medicinal herbs

indicated for curative purposes shows an intense use

(three times a day) than palliative and preventive

purposes which only use once and twice daily for

seven days or more. In addition, the local inhabitants

of Lempuing Jaya have a unique dosage for

preparation of medicinal herbs. They apply the odd

number in every dosage of the medicinal plant

ingredients.

3.4 Ethnobotanical Index

3.4.1 Use Value (UV)

UV is an index that can describes the level of use

value of species for treating diseases based on

predetermined categories (Silalahi, 2016). The UV

value indicate how frequent the medicinal plants

species were utilized by the community. The UV

value of medicinal plant used by the local inhabitant

of Lempuing Jaya is described in table 2.

Table 2: The use value index of medicinal plants

Local Name Species UV Index

Salam Syzygium polyanthum 0,2

Sirsak Annona muricata 0,18

Sirih Piper betle 0,04

Alang-alang Imperata cylindrica 0,06

Bawang putih Allium sativum 0,09

Kumis kucing Orthosiphon aristatus 0,17

Putri malu Mimosa pudica 0,01

Sirih cina Peperomia pellucida 0,17

Jahe merah Zingiber officinale 0,04

Sambiloto Andrographis paniculata 0,10

Kelor Moringa oleifera 0,09

Binahong Anredera cordifolia 0,03

Ciplukan Physalis angulate 0,03

Kunyit Curcuma longa 0,01

Pinang Areca catechu 0,01

Brotowali Tinospora cordifolia 0,01

Tumulawak Curcuma xanthorrhiza 0,07

Belimbing wuluh Averrhoa bilimbi 0,03

Seledri Apium graveolens 0,15

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Local Name Species UV Index

Jahe Zingiber officinale 0,04

Nangka Artocarpus heterophyllus 0,03

Timun Cucumis sativus 0,01

Asam jawa Tamarindus indica 0,01

Kayu manis Cinnamomum burmani 0,01

Bawang merah Alium cepa 0,01

Mengkudu Morinda citrifolia 0,03

Ketumbar Coriandrum sativum 0,01

Seri Muntingia calabura 0,04

Belimbing manis Averrhoa carambola l 0,03

Wortel Daucus carota 0,03

Buncis Phaseolus vulgaris 0,04

Serai Cymbopogon nardus 0,01

Nanas Ananas comosus 0,01

Pare Momordica charantia 0,01

Manggis Garcinia mangostana 0,01

Gingseng Panax gingseng 0,01

The UV index calculation showed that Syzygium

polianthhum provide the highest UV index indicating

this plant species is the most commonly used by the

local inhabitants of Lempuing Jaya in their daily

purposes, not only for the management of their health

problem, but also for other purposes including daily

consumption. The traditional healers and local

inhabitants claim that Syzygium polianthum can be

used for the treatment of several diseases including

uric acid, hypertension, hyper-cholesterol, diabetes

mellitus, and stroke.

3.4.2 Fidelity Level (Fl)

FL was used to quantify the importance of the plant

species for treatment of certain diseases in which the

higher the FL of the medicinal plant species, the more

trusted the plant species to be used for the treatment

of a disease category (Hoffman & Gallaher, 2007).

Table 3: The fidelity level index of medicinal plant species

Disease categories Local name Species FL

Uric acid

Salam Syzygium polianthum 18,75

Sirsak Annona muricata 62,5

Sirih Piper betel 6,25

Bawang putih Allium sativum 6,25

Alang-alang Imperata cylindrica 18,75

Kumis Kucing Orthosiphon aristatus 13,5

Putri malu Mimosa pudica 6,25

Sirih cina Peperomia pellucida 18,75

Jahe merah Zingiber officinale 18,75

Sambiloto Androgarphis paniculata 12,5

Kelor Moringa oleifera 12,5

Binahong Anredera cordifolia 12,5

Ciplukan Physalis angulata 6,25

Kunyit Curcuma longa 6,25

Pinah Areca catechu 6,25

Brotowali Tinospora cordifolia 6,25

Hypertension

Sirsak Annona muricata 11,76

Sirih Cina Peperomia pellucida 23,52

Tumulawak Curcuma xanthorriza 5,88

Kumis Kucing Orthosiphon aristatus 35,29

Belimbing Wuluh Averrhoa bilimbi 11,76

Bawang Putih Allium sativum linn 5,88

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Disease categories Local name Species FL

Seledri Apium graveolens 35,29

Jahe Zingber officinale 5,88

Salam Syzygium polyanthum 58,82

Nangka Artocarpus heterophyllus 11,76

Sambiloto Andrographis paniculata 5,88

Kelor Moringa oleifera 11,76

Timun Cucumis sativus 5,88

Asam Jawa Tamarindus indica 5,88

Kayu Manis Cinnamomum burmani 5,88

Alang – alang Imperata cylidnrica 5,88

Bawang merah Alium cepa 5,88

Hyper-cholesterol

Seledri Apium graveolens 7,69

Mengkudu Morinda citrifolia 15,38

Sambiloto Andrographis paniculata 23

Kelor Moringa oleifera 7,69

Ketumbar Coriandrum sativum 7,69

Sirih Piper betle 7,69

Seri Muntingia calabura 15,38

Belimbing manis Averrhoa carambola l. 7,69

Salam Syzygium polyanthum 15,38

Bawang Putih Allium sativum 23

Wortel Daucus carota 15,38

Tumulawak Curcuma xanthorrhiza 30,76

Buncis Phaseolus vulgaris 23

Diabetes mellitus

Sirih Cina Peperomia pellucida 9

Seri Muntingia calabura 9

Nanas Ananas comosus 9

Jahe Zingiber officinale 18,18

Kayu Manis Cinnamomum verum 9

Pare Momordica charantia 9

Salam Syzygium polyanthum 27,27

Sirsak Annona muricata 9

Manggis Garcinia mangostana 9

Sambiloto Andrographis paniculata 9

Gingseng Panax gingseng 9

Stroke

Sirih Cina Peperomia pellucida 14,28

Serai Cymbopogon nardus 14,28

Kelor Moringa oleifera 14,28

Ciplukan Physalis angulata 14,28

Sambiloto Andrographis paniculata 14,28

Seledri Apium graveolens 14,28

Bawang Putih Allium sativum 14,28

By considering the UV and FL for each disease

categories, several medicinal plant species have been

pointed out as the priority to be used including uric

acid (Annona muricata, Syzygium polyanthum,

Peperomia pellucida, Zingiber officinale),

hypertension (Syzygium polianthum, Orthosiphon

aristatus, Apium graveolens), hyper-cholesterol

(Curcuma xanthorriza, Morinda citrifolia, Phaseolus

vulgaris, Syzygium polyanthum), diabetes mellitus

(Syzygium polyanthum, Zingiber officinale), and

stroke (Androgarphis paniculate, Apium graveolens,

Moringa oleifera). Several pictures of selected

medicinal plant species are depicted in Figure 3.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Ogan Tribes in Lempuing Jaya, South Sumatera-Indonesia to Treat Degenerative

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Figure 3: Several selected medicinal plant species. (A) Annona muricata, (B) Peperomia pellucida, (C) Orthosiphon aristatus,

and (D) Syzygium polyanthum.

4 CONCLUSIONS

A total of 64 medicinal herbs have been successfully

documented along with 36 plant species have been

identified. This shows Ogan tribes in Lempuing Jaya,

Specifically in SP 6 Suka Maju, SP7 Suka Jaya, and

Tanjung Sari II have empirically implemented the

local knowledge of medicinal herbs for the treatment

of several degenerative diseases. The documentation

of the local knowledge regarding the traditional

medicinal herbs is necessary to be implemented to

avoid the loss of the local knowledge. Furthermore,

the scientific proof of the use of the traditional herbal

medicine should be undertaken.

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