Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
This paper presents the study of ethnobotanical plants as well as the traditional healthcare practices used by the Subanen Tribe of Villages Gala and Guimad in Ozamis City, Mindanao, the Philippines. Informal interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire involving 83 Subanen respondents aged 7 to 85 years. There were 113 plant species, identified and distributed to 99 genera and 52 families. Leaves were the most widely used plant parts, which were commonly prepared by decoction, maceration, poultice, and or eaten in fresh. Stomach ailments, wounds, boils, abscess, muscle pains, or over-fatigue in women after giving birth were among the most common health problems that were cured by the identified plants. Subanen frequently used ten species - Psidium guajava, Allium odorum, Coleus aromaticus, Coleus scutellariodes Blume, Myristica philippinensis, Kalanchoe pinnata, Blumea balsamífera, Agave sp., Annona muricata, and Artemisia vulgaris. Some of these medicinal plants used by the Subanens were reported to be also used by other tribes in the Philippines and even in other countries.
