ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED TO TREAT DIABETES MELLITUS IN THE BABAKANCIKAO REGION, PURWAKARTA, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Haura Najla Azahra, Eka Nirmala, Eka Pusparini, Nildah Nur Khalivah, Elis Susilawati, Diah Novita Sari, Doni
Aliffadiar, Nendia Fitri Suroso, Firda Amalia Jauza, Ana Maria Fransisca, Zaeni Ahmad Rifai, Novi Andika Nilasari, Irma Suryana, Valdaliny Fauziah, Ivana Sarah Namadear and Maulana Yusuf Alkandahri*

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder caused by the pancreas not being able to produce enough insulin or the
body being unable to use the insulin it has produced effectively. Currently, researchers are starting to look for new
antidiabetic compound candidates derived from natural ingredients that have been empirically proven to have
antidiabetic effects. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to treat diabetes
mellitus by people in the Babakancikao Region, Purwakarta, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from
March to April 2024 using direct interviews, questionnaires and discussions. Plant species are identified based on
standard taxonomic methods, flower morphological characteristics, and where possible, using samples for
comparison, as well as consultation with experts and the literature. The plant types obtained were grouped into
families according to the Cronquist classification system. Plant names were checked against the Plant List
(www.plantlist.org) and the International Plant Name Index (www.ipni.org). This study reports that 30 plant
species are commonly used by people in the Babakancikao Region for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Among
the various parts of plants used, leaves (50%) are most often used in making medicine, followed by rhizomes
(13.3%), fruit (13.3%), flowers (6.7%), stem (6.7%), seed (6.7%), and rind (3.3%). Meanwhile, the most frequently
used preparation methods were decoction (76.7%) and infusion (23.3%). The results of this research confirm that
people in the Babakancikao Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for
the treatment of diabetes with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.

Keywords: Traditional medicine, Ethnomedicinal plants, Babakancikao Region, Diabetes Mellitus.