European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

AN ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED TO TREAT DIARRHEA IN THE PABUARAN REGION, SUBANG, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Muhammad Azriel Aulia, Alya Dila Afifa, Andini, Delia Azma Febiyanti, Dine Julianti, Elma Tiana, Juliana Eddis Indiani, Mahatma Adha Sugwidiya, Nadia Siti Syarifah, Nabila Tsalist Hanifah, Navelga Maghfira Idzani, Risda Aulia Khairani, Rima Anggera Puspita, Satria Emmir Rafhsanzani, Siti Nur Syifa,
Siti Nurhamidah Hardiana, Maulana Yusuf Alkandahri*

ABSTRACT

Diarrhea is a common health problem worldwide, with approximately 2 billion cases of diarrheal disease occurring each year, predominantly affecting children, and resulting in 1.7 billion episodes of childhood diarrhea annually. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicinal to treat diarrhea by communities in the Pabuaran Region, Subang, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from April to May 2026 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 there are 30 plant species commonly used by people in the Pabuaran Region for diarrhea treatment. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (63.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (20%), fruit (10%), stems, and rhizomes (3.3% respectively). Meanwhile, the preparation methods most frequently used were decoction (53.3%) and infusion (46.7%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Pabuaran 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, Pabuaran Region, Diarrhea.