ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANT USAGE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A COMMUNITY-BASED SURVEY IN INDONESIA
Downloads
Before the availability of a vaccine, Indonesian population relied on traditional medicines to prevent COVID-19. Any species used by indigenous people could lead to further investigations in modern pharmacology, to preserve ancient knowledge, and to plan for plants’ conservation. The study aimed to discover and record species, methods of preparation, route of administration, and motivation in using medicinal plants by the Indonesian population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants of survey were selected from the people who live in Java and Bali for responding to an online structured questionnaire. Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) was employed in the quantitative analysis of the collected data. The pharmacological relevance of the five plants with the highest RFC was further reviewed. The results showed that respondents used 59 plants from 28 families. Five species with the highest RFC were Curcuma longa (0.707), Zingiber officinale (0.674), Cymbopogon citratus (0.269), Kaempferia galanga (0.174), and Curcuma zanthorrhiza (0.165). Most plants were prepared by boiling (77.97%) and administered orally as a single ingredient or mixed with other herbals. Respondents believed that the plants were beneficial as immune-booster (71.26%), maintain good health (24.85%) and stamina (12.28%), and prevent viral infection, including COVID-19 (5.39%). The most commonly used plants might be scientifically based to boost immunity. However, their usage against COVID-19 and the medicinal value of herbal mixtures should be further investigated.
Anywar, G., Kakudidi, E., Byamukama, R., Mukonzo, J., Schubert, A., and Oryem-Origa, H. 2020. Medicinal plants used by traditional medicine practitioners to boost the immune system in people living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. European Journal of Integrative Medicine 35: 101011.
Aziz, M. A., Khan, A. H., Adnan, M., and Izatullah, I. 2017. Traditional uses of medicinal plants reported by the indigenous communities and local herbal practitioners of Bajaur Agency, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, Pakistan. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 198: 268–281.
Behl, T., Kumar, K., Brisc, C., Rus, M., Nistor-Cseppento, D. C., Bustea, C., Aron, R. A. C., Pantis, C., Zengin, G., Sehgal, A., et al. 2021. Exploring the multifocal role of phytochemicals as immunomodulators. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy 133: 110959.
Belmouhoub, M., Aberkane, B., and Bey, M. B. 2021. Ethnopharmacological survey on medicinal plants used by Algerian population to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Ethnobotany Research and Applications 22: 1–13.
Boozari, M., and Hosseinzadeh, H. 2020. Natural products for COVID-19 prevention and treatment regarding previous coronavirus infections and novel studies. Phytotherapy Research 35(2): 864–876.
Brahmi, F., Iblhoulen, Y., Issaadi, H., Elsebai, M. F., Madani, K., and Boulekbache-Makhlouf, L. 2022. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants of Bejaia localities from Algeria to prevent and treat coronavirus (COVID-19) infection: Phytomedicine to manage COVID-19 pandemic. Advances in Traditional Medicine: 1–13.
Chebaibi, M., Bousta, D., Bourhia, M., Baammi, S., Salamatullah, A. M., Nafidi, H. A., Hoummani, H., and Achour, S. 2022. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used against COVID-19. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2022: 2085297.
Choi, J. G., Kim, S. Y., Jeong, M., and Oh, M. S. 2018. Pharmacotherapeutic potential of ginger and its compounds in age-related neurological disorders. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 182: 56–69.
Djalante, R., Lassa, J., Setiamarga, D., Sudjatma, A., Indrawan, M., Haryanto, B., Mahfud, C., Sinapoy, M. S., Djalante, S., Rafliana, I., et al. 2020. Review and analysis of current responses to COVID-19 in Indonesia: Period of January to March 2020. Progress in Disaster Science 6: 100091.
Elfahmi, Woerdenbag, H. J., and Kayser, O. 2014. Jamu: Indonesian traditional herbal medicine towards rational phytopharmacological use. Journal of Herbal Medicine 4(2): 51–73.
Garg, S., Anand, A., Lamba, Y., and Roy, A. 2020. Molecular docking analysis of selected phytochemicals against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro receptor. Vegetos 33(4): 766–781.
Gautam, S., Gautam, A., Chhetri, S., and Bhattarai, U. 2020. Immunity against COVID-19: Potential role of Ayush Kwath. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine 13(1): 100350.
Gertsch, J., Viveros-Paredes, J. M., and Taylor, P. 2011. Plant immunostimulants—Scientific paradigm or myth? Journal of Ethnopharmacology 136(3): 385–391.
Ghaffari, S., Roshanravan, N., Tutunchi, H., Ostadrahimi, A., Pouraghaei, M., and Kafil, B. 2020. Oleoylethanolamide, a bioactive lipid amide, as a promising treatment strategy for Coronavirus/COVID-19. Archives of Medical Research 51(5): 464–467.
Hamulka, J., Jeruszka-Bielak, M., Górnicka, M., Drywień, M. E., and Zielinska-Pukos, M. A. 2020. Dietary supplements during COVID-19 outbreak: Results of Google Trends analysis supported by PLifeCOVID-19 online studies. Nutrients 13(1): 54.
Hartanti, D., Dhiani, A., Lintang Charisma, S., and Wahyuningrum, R. 2020. The potential roles of jamu for COVID-19: A lesson from traditional Chinese medicine. Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research 7: 12–22.
Ibrahim, M. A. A., Abdelrahman, A. H. M., Hussien, T. A., Badr, E. A. A., Mohamed, T. A., El-Seedi, H. R., Pare, P. W., Efferth, T., and Hegazy, M. E. F. 2020. In silico drug discovery of major metabolites from spices as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. Computers in Biology and Medicine 126: 104046.
Jadid, N., Kurniawan, E., Himayani, C. E. S., Andriyani, Prasetyowati, I., Purwani, K. I., Muslihatin, W., Hidayati, D., and Tjahjaningrum, I. T. D. 2020. An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the Tengger tribe in Ngadisari village, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 15(7): e0235886.
Jagadish, P. C., Latha, K. P., Mudgal, J., and Nampurath, G. K. 2016. Extraction, characterization and evaluation of Kaempferia galanga L. rhizome extracts against acute and chronic inflammation in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 194: 434–439.
Khaerunnisa, S., Kurniawan, H., Awaluddin, R., Suhartati, S., and Soetjipto, S. 2020. Potential inhibitor of COVID-19 main protease (Mpro) from several medicinal plant compounds by molecular docking study. Preprint.
Khanal, P., Duyu, T., Patil, B. M., Dey, Y. N., Pasha, I., Wanjari, M., Gurav, S. S., and Maity, A. 2020. Network pharmacology of AYUSH recommended immune-boosting medicinal plants against COVID-19. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine 13(1): 100374.
Khanna, K., Kohli, S. K., Kaur, R., Bhardwaj, A., Bhardwaj, V., Ohri, P., Sharma, A., Ahmad, A., Bhardwaj, R., and Ahmad, P. 2020. Herbal immune-boosters: Substantial warriors of pandemic COVID-19 battle. Phytomedicine 85: 153361.
Kim, A. J., Kim, Y. O., Shim, J. S., and Hwang, J. K. 2007. Immunostimulating activity of crude polysaccharide extract isolated from Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry 71(6): 1428–1438.
Kim, M. B., Kim, C., Song, Y., and Hwang, J. K. 2014. Antihyperglycemic and anti-inflammatory effects of standardized Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. extract and its active compound xanthorrhizol in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014: 205915.
Li, G., Fan, Y., Lai, Y., Han, T., Li, Z., Zhou, P., Pan, P., Wang, W., Hu, D., Liu, X., et al. 2020. Coronavirus infections and immune responses. Journal of Medical Virology 92(4): 424–432.
Li, Y., Liu, X., Guo, L., Li, J., Zhong, D., Zhang, Y., Clarke, M., and Jin, R. 2020. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine for treating novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews 9(1): 1–6.
Lin, L. T., Hsu, W. C., and Lin, C. C. 2014. Antiviral natural products and herbal medicines. Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine 4(1): 24–35.
Lin, Y., Wang, S. P., Zhang, J. Y., Zhuo, Z. Y., Li, X. R., Zhai, C. J., Li, X. X., Qi, F. H., Ding, X., Chen, C. Y., et al. 2021. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Gaomi, China. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 265: 113228.
Muderawan, I. M., Budiawan, I. M., Giri, M. K. W., and Atmaja, I. N. B. 2020. Usada: The ethnomedicine of Balinese society. International Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine 10(6): 3893–3905.
Nahdi, M. S., and Kurniawan, A. P. 2019. The diversity and ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in the southern slope of Mount Merapi, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20(8): 2279–2287.
Odebunmi, C. A., Adetunji, T. L., Adetunji, A. E., Olatunde, A., Oluwole, O. E., Adewale, I. A., Ejiwumi, A. O., Iheme, C. E., and Aremu, T. O. 2022. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of COVID-19 and related respiratory infections in Ogbomosho, Nigeria. Plants 11(19): 2667.
Oladele, J. O., Ajayi, E. I., Oyeleke, O. M., Oladele, O. T., Olowookere, B. D., Adeniyi, B. M., Oyewole, O. I., and Oladiji, A. T. 2020. A systematic review on COVID-19 pandemic with special emphasis on curative potentials of Nigeria-based medicinal plants. Heliyon 6(9): e04897.
Pourhoseingholi, M. A., Vahedi, M., and Rahimzadeh, M. 2013. Sample size calculation in medical studies. Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Bed to Bench 6(1): 14–17.
Rahayu, Y. Y. S., Araki, T., and Rosleine, D. 2020. Factors affecting the use of herbal medicines in the universal health coverage system in Indonesia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 260: 112974.
Schwarz, S., Sauter, D., Wang, K., Zhang, R., Sun, B., Karioti, A., Bilia, A. R., Efferth, T., and Schwarz, W. 2014. Kaempferol derivatives as antiviral drugs against the 3a channel protein of coronavirus. Planta Medica 80(2–3): 177–182.
Sen, D., Debnath, P., Debnath, B., Bhaumik, S., and Debnath, S. 2020. Identification of potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease and spike receptor from spices through virtual screening and molecular dynamics. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics 40(2): 941–962.
Sforcin, J. M., Amaral, J. T., Fernandes, A., Sousa, J. P. B., and Bastos, J. K. 2009. Lemongrass effects on IL-1β and IL-6 production by macrophages. Natural Product Research 23(12): 1151–1159.
Siew, Y. Y., Zareisedehizadeh, S., Seetoh, W. G., Neo, S. Y., Tan, C. H., and Koh, H. L. 2014. Ethnobotanical survey of usage of fresh medicinal plants in Singapore. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 155(3): 1450–1466.
Silveira, D., Prieto-Garcia, J. M., Boylan, F., Estrada, O., Fonseca-Bazzo, Y. M., Jamal, C. M., Magalhães, P. O., Pereira, E. O., Tomczyk, M., and Heinrich, M. 2020. COVID-19: Is there evidence for the use of herbal medicines as adjuvant symptomatic therapy? Frontiers in Pharmacology 11: 581840.
Statistics Indonesia. 2010. Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Bali. [cited 2023 May 29]. Available from: https://bali.bps.go.id/statictable/2023/05/19/189/penduduk-provinsi-bali-menurut-agama-yang-dianut-hasil-sensus-penduduk-1971-2000-dan-2010.html
Sujarwo, W., Keim, A. P., Savo, V., Guarrera, P. M., and Caneva, G. 2015. Ethnobotanical study of Loloh: Traditional herbal drinks from Bali (Indonesia). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 169: 34–48.
Sumaryada, T., and Pramudita, C. A. 2020. Molecular docking evaluation of some Indonesian popular herbals for a possible COVID-19 treatment. Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry 11(3): 9827–9835.
Taek, M. M., Banilodu, L., Neonbasu, G., Watu, Y. V., Benu, E. W., and Agil, M. 2019. Ethnomedicine of Tetun ethnic people in West Timor, Indonesia: Philosophy and practice in the treatment of malaria. Integrative Medicine Research 8(3): 139–144.
Tasneem, S., Liu, B., Li, B., Choudhary, M. I., and Wang, W. 2019. Molecular pharmacology of inflammation: Medicinal plants as anti-inflammatory agents. Pharmacological Research 139: 126–140.
Torres-Avilez, W., Medeiros, P. M. de, and Albuquerque, U. P. 2016. Effect of gender on the knowledge of medicinal plants: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2016: 6592363.
Utomo, R. Y., Ikawati, M., and Meiyanto, E. 2020. Revealing the potency of citrus and galangal constituents to halt SARS-CoV-2 infection. Preprint.
Vellingiri, B., Jayaramayya, K., Iyer, M., Narayanasamy, A., Govindasamy, V., Giridharan, B., Ganesan, S., Venugopal, A., Venkatesan, D., Ganesan, H., et al. 2020. COVID-19: A promising cure for the global panic. Science of the Total Environment 725: 138277.
Villena-Tejada, M., Vera-Ferchau, I., Cardona-Rivero, A., Zamalloa-Cornejo, R., Quispe-Florez, M., Frisancho-Triveño, Z., Abarca-Meléndez, R. C., Alvarez-Sucari, S. G., Mejia, C. R., and Yañez, J. A. 2021. Use of medicinal plants for COVID-19 prevention and respiratory symptom treatment during the pandemic in Cusco, Peru. PLoS ONE 16(9): e0257165.
Wani, A. R., Yadav, K., Khursheed, A., and Rather, M. A. 2020. Antiviral potential of essential oils with focus on influenza and coronaviruses: A comprehensive review. Microbial Pathogenesis 152: 104620.
Yang, X., Ji, H., Feng, Y., Yu, J., and Liu, A. 2018. Structural characterization and antitumor activity of polysaccharides from Kaempferia galanga L. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity 2018: 9579262.
Yao, F., Huang, Y., Wang, Y., and He, X. 2018. Anti-inflammatory diarylheptanoids and phenolics from the rhizomes of kencur (Kaempferia galanga L.). Industrial Crops and Products 125: 454–461.
Yue, G. G. L., Chan, B. C. L., Hon, P. M., Kennelly, E. J., Yeung, S. K., Cassileth, B. R., Fung, K. P., Leung, P. C., and Lau, C. B. S. 2010. Immunostimulatory activities of polysaccharide extract isolated from Curcuma longa. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 47(3): 342–347.
Copyright (c) 2023 Ni Made Dwi Mara Widyani Nayaka, Putu Era Sandhi Kusuma Yuda, Dwi Arymbhi Sanjaya, Desak Ketut Ernawati, Erna Cahyaningsih, Ni Luh Kade Arman Anita Dewi, Maria Malida Vernandes Sasadara
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree with the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, with the work 1 year after publication simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons attribution-noncommerical-noderivates 4.0 International License that allows others to share, copy and redistribute the work in any medium or format, but only where the use is for non-commercial purposes and an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal is mentioned.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
