ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL STUDY OF ANTIDIARRHEAL IN THE CENTRAL CIKARANG REGION, BEKASI, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Amanda Putri, Alya Safitri, Fatma Aliya Firdaus, Habbi Albari Syddik, Muhammad Fadia Ikhsan, Najwa Pasya Fadhilah, Nayla Lubnaa Syakira, Nazwwa Nurshadrinna, Rizka Nurul Ilma, Selpani Rijki, Sintia Meylani, Siti Khoeriyah, Zahira Puspitarini, Zahra Maila Rosada, Zaskia Novadila Kaidun, Riska Siti Nurjanah, Maulana Yusuf Alkandahri*

ABSTRACT

Diarrhea is one of the most common causes for thousands of deaths every year. Therefore, identification of new source of antidiarrheal drugs becomes one of the most prominent focuses in modern research. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to treat diarrhea by people in the Central Cikarang Region, Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from November to December 2025 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 research reports that 30 plant species are commonly used by people in the Central Cikarang Region to treat diarrhea. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (53.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (16.7%), seed (10%), root (6.7%), fruit (6.7%), stem, and rind (respectively 3.3%). Meanwhile, the most frequently used preparation methods were decoction (80.0%) and infusion (20.0%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Central Cikarang Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the treatment of diarrhea with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.

Keywords: Traditional medicine, Ethnomedicinal plants, Central Cikarang Region, Diarrhea.