Quantitative ethnopharmacological documentation and molecular confirmation of medicinal plants used by the Manobo tribe of Agusan del Sur, Philippines

Abstract

Background: The Philippines is renowned as one of the species-rich countries and culturally megadiverse in ethnicity around the globe. However, ethnopharmacological studies in the Philippines are still limited especially in the most numerous ethnic tribal populations in the southern part of the archipelago. This present study aims to document the traditional practices, medicinal plant use, and knowledge; to determine the relative importance, consensus, and the extent of all medicinal plants used; and to integrate molecular confirmation of uncertain species used by the Agusan Manobo in Mindanao, Philippines. Methods: Quantitative ethnopharmacological data were obtained using semi-structured interviews, group discussions, field observations, and guided field walks with a total of 335 key informants comprising of tribal chieftains, traditional healers, community elders, and Manobo members of the community with their medicinal plant knowledge. The use-report (UR), use categories (UC), use value (UV), cultural importance value (CIV), and use diversity (UD) were quantified and correlated. Other indices using fidelity level (FL), informant consensus factors (ICF), and Jaccard's similarity index (JI) were also calculated. The key informants' medicinal plant use knowledge and practices were statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Ethnobotanical characterization of medicinal plants used in Kisantu and Mbanza-Ngungu territories, Kongo-Central Province in DR Congo

“…Similar results were found by Dapar et al [69] for gender and healer categories. However, the latter authors found that age, education and marital status influenced respondent's medicinal knowledge whereas there was no influence of their residence location.…”

“…Similar findings were obtained by Dapar et al [69] for men, adults and elderly, married and secondary-school-educated therapists as well as by Sanga [70] for therapists living in urban areas. Nzuki [10], however, found that in Mbanza-Ngungu, rural therapists may have more knowledge than urban therapists.…”

Ethnobotanical Characterization of Medicinal Plants Used in Kisantu and Mbanza-Ngungu Terroirs, Kongo-Central Province in DR Congo

“…Similar results were found by Dapar et al [64] for gender and categories of healers. In contrast, he found opposite results…”

“…Similar findings were obtained by Dapar et al [64] for men, adults and elderly, married and secondary school therapists as well as by Sanga [65] for therapists living in urban areas, but are contrary to findings of Nzuki [10] who estimated that in Mbanza-Ngungu, rural therapists may have more knowledge than urban's. This difference may be due to the fact that Nzuki's observation is based on the comparison (%) between urban and rural healers who use "more than 10 medicinal plants" but not on the average number of plants used by each.…”

Mussaenda philippica A.Rich. Rubiaceae

“…Both leaves and roots are chewed and swallowed to lessen dizziness and sore throat among the Ayta community of Bataan, Philippines (Tantengco et al 2018). Dapar et al (2020) documented the ethnopharmacological uses of M. philippica among the Manobo tribe in Agusan del Sur, as a remedy for jaundice, colds, dysentery, stomachache, fever, and snakebite. They drink 2-3 glasses of decocted bark and leaves.…”