The Exploration of Local Knowledge on Ethnomedicine in Traditional Healing Practices at Enggano Island Bengkulu Province

Abstract

Regulation of Minister of Health No. 9 of 2016 concerning the efforts to develop health through self-care utilization of family herbal plants and cultivation and processing skills provides an opportunity to explore the community local wisdom to use herbal plants. Self-care health of traditional healing is an effort to maintain and improve health and prevent and overcome minor health problems experienced by individuals, families, groups and communities by utilizing family herbal plants.Based on Silalahi's research (2016) Indonesia has 25,000-30,000 species of plants and there are 300-700 ethnic groups who use local plants for various purposes, one of which is for medical treatment. Utilization of local plants is usually passed from mouth to mouth and hereditary so that increase the potential for degradation. The results of the exploration of LIPI (Indonesian Institute of Science) researchers in 2015 revealed that Enggano island is rich in diversity of flora and fauna that are important to preserve. There are more than 16 candidates for new types of flora and fauna which are likely to be typical flora and fauna of Enggano that cannot be found elsewhere.The endemic biodiversity at Enggano island has not yet been fully explored by researchers. The great  efficacy of plants for traditional medicine used by the people of Enggano island still needs further study. This research aims to explore the local wisdom on ethnomedicine in the practice of traditional healing in Enggano Island. The research would be carried out at Enggano island which includes 6 (six) villages namely Kahyapu, Malakoni, Kaana, Apoho, Meok and Banjarsari villages. This study used a qualitative method with an ethnographic approach to data collection through observation, in-depth interviews and documentation studies. Data analysis used two approaches namely qualitative by using ethnographic and quantitative analysis by measuring the index cultural significance.The results showed that the Enggano community utilized local plants for medical treatment as well as for maintaining health or stamina. Subang-subang leaves had the highest ICS score of 30 and Tujuh Langit leaves had the lowest score of 1.

Keywords: herbal plants, ethnomedicine, index cultural significance

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-24-12

Publication date: December 31^st 2020