Rafols Daisy Mae T
Adamson University, Philippines
Title: An ethnobotanical study on the beliefs and practices on the use of traditional medicinal plants among people living in selected areas in San Jorge, western Samar, Philippines
Biography
Biography: Rafols Daisy Mae T
Abstract
Plants are used by people to alleviate certain ailments and trusted to have healing potentials since the beginning of civilization. Herbal plants referred to as traditional medicine were characterized as different types of unscientific knowledge systems cultivated over generations of herbal use. Since the Philippines has an ample amount of resources, particularly in the rural areas, the researchers prefer to conduct further ethnobotanical studies specifically at San Jorge, Western Samar where individuals rely on natural resources. The study aimed to conduct an ethnobotanical survey on the traditional plants used by the people of San Jorge, Western Samar to document their knowledge on traditional medicines and their application in order to promote better understanding on the proper usage of medicinal plants. The descriptive method of research was used in this study using Snowball sampling method. The information was gathered through questionnaires which was substantiated by personal and informal interviews in order to gather additional information. The desired information was focused on the belief and practices on the use of medicinal plants and the data gathered was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis. The study was conducted in ten (10) selected barangays in San Jorge, Western Samar, making use of a four hundred seven (407) respondents in a span of ten days survey. Results of the study showed that majority of the respondents are still using herbal plants, revealing the close relation of man to his culture. Fifty (50) medicinal plants have been reported by the respondents belonging to 32 families. Ten (10) out of fifty were pointed out as the most frequently used medicinal plants by getting the mean of Frequency Index result. Additional data were obtained as to how the respondents diagnose their common diseases, how they prepare the different plants as their source of medicine based on their beliefs. The study revealed that the people of San Jorge Western Samar continuously cultivate and still believed in the healing potentials of medicinal plants because there plants are still their major source of cure.