Ethnopharmacy and Scientification of Immunostimulants plants used by The Suwawa Tribe in Gorontalo Province and The Muna Tribe in Southeast Sulawesi Province during The Covid-19 Pandemic

 

Nangsih Sulastri Slamet¹*, Fihrina Mohamad², Hartati², Muhammad Isrul³

¹Department of Chemical Engineering, Politeknik Negeri Ujung Pandang,

South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia.

²Department of Pharmacy, Poltekkes Kemenkes Gorontalo, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia.

³Pharmacy Departement, Science and Technology Faculty, Mandala Waluya University.

 

ABSTRACT:

The Covid-19 virus continues to spread in different countries, including Indonesia, which has not shown a substantial decline until the present day. This has prompted the government and society to seek various methods to survive in order to maintain a prosperous life. It is recommended to consume nutritious food, beverages, supplements, or medications that contain immunostimulant substances to strengthen immunity and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Various medicinal plants worldwide, including those in Indonesia, have been scientifically proven to contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins, which exhibit immunostimulant activities. This descriptive research combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including surveys, interviews, and phytochemical screening. Its objective is to analyze the results of ethnopharmaceutical and scientification of immunostimulant medicinal plants used by the Suwawa tribe in Gorontalo Province and the Muna tribe in Southeast Sulawesi during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study involved15 informants, which divided 9 participants from the Suwawa tribe and 4 from the Muna tribe. Based on interviews and calculations of the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Use Value (UV), the most frequently used plant was identified and processed into crude drugs.The phytochemical screening results revealed that the plants contained group compounds.

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION: 

The significant decline in the spread of the Covid-19 virus in different countries, including Indonesia, has encouraged both the government and the public to pursue diverse strategies to survive and maintain their welfare persistently^1,2. Both the government and the people have been forced to consistently seek alternative measures in order to endure and defend their overall welfare due to the continuing absence of a major drop in the transmission of the Covid-19 virus throughout many nations, including Indonesia³. The Covid-19 virus can be prevented from spreading by consuming nutrient-rich foods, beverages, supplements, or medicines with immunostimulatory properties^4,5.

 

Various medicinal plants worldwide, including those in Indonesia, have been scientifically proven to contain secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins. These compounds have immune-boosting effects by selectively stimulating cytokines, activating lymphocytes, increasing natural killer cell number, as well as macrophage activation and phagocytosis. Hence, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the community has increasingly adopted medicinal plants as a preventative and complementary therapy against SARS-CoV-2⁶. The ethnopharmacological study is one approachthat can be employedto seek information and document local community knowledge of the use of medicinal plants^7,8,9.

 

Based on data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) using SP2010, there are 1331 ethnic categories in Indonesia, including the Suwawa tribe in Gorontalo Province and the Muna tribe in Southeast Sulawesi Province.Both tribes have used local plants as medicine to treat diseases. However, there is a lack of ethnopharmacological studies in both tribes regarding the inventory, information, and effectiveness of the herbal remedies, including their processing, administration, and dosage. Hence, research is required to examine the Ethnopharmacology and Scientification of Immunostimulant Medicinal Plants used by the Suwawa Tribe in Gorontalo Province and the Muna Tribe in Southeast Sulawesi during the Covid-19 Pandemic¹⁰.

 

METHOD:

Research Location:

The research was conducted in the Suwawa District for the Suwawa tribe and in Napabalano Village for the Muna tribe (Figure 1).

 

(a)

(b)

Figure 1. Location of the Suwawa District area for the Suwawa Tribe (a) and Napabalano Village for the Muna Tribe (b)

 

Sampling Technique:

The sampling technique employed was purposive sampling, in which informants were selected based on their expertise in medicinal plant usage. This study involved 15 informants, with 11 individuals from the Suwawa tribe and 4 individuals from the Muna tribe.

 

Structured interviews were conducted using a questionnaire that included semi-open-ended questions. The purpose was to gather demographic data and explore information about the types of medicinal plants, plant parts used, medical preparations, and local knowledge related to the use of medicinal plants as immune boosters during the Covid-19 pandemic¹¹.

 

Medicinal Plant Collection Techniques:

The collected plants were determined and screened for phytochemicals which included: the alkaloid test, flavonoid test, saponin test, steroid and triterpenoid test, and tannin test.

 

Data Collection and Analysis Techniques:

The interview data were tabulated, and the Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Use Value (UV) was calculated¹⁰.

 

RESULTS:

Data from Figure 2 and Figure 3 were collected through interviews and observations in the Suwawa Tribe in Gorontalo Province and the Muna Tribe in Southeast Sulawesi Province.

 

Figure 2. Plants Used in the Suwawa Tribe

 

Based on the figure above, the most commonly used plants during the Covid-19 pandemic by the informant samples in the Suwawa Tribe are red ginger (used by 5 Batra individuals), followed by turmeric (used by 4 Batra individuals), as well as miana and lemongrass, which are used by 3 informants. Meanwhile, the plants used by the Muna Tribe can be found in Figure 3.

 

 

Figure 3. Plants Used in the Suwawa Tribe for Covid-19

 

Based on the figure above, red ginger is the most commonly used plant among the Muna Tribe, as reported by 3 informant samples. The list of plants and parts used, processing methods, and use of immunostimulant plants in the Suwawa and Muna Tribes can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1. List of Immunostimulant Medicinal Plants Used by the Suwawa and Muna Tribes During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Medicinal Plant Names	Region Names	Latin Names		Families	Used Parts	Processing Method	Application	UV Value
Suwawa Tribe
Turmeric	Alawahu	Curcuma longa L.		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Burn, grate with stone, and squeeze.	Ingested	0.36
Miana	Mayana	Coleus scutellarioides(L.) Benth		Lamiaceae	Leaf	Place in banana leaves and burnt until wilted. Next, squeeze and collect the juice.	Ingested	0.27
Lemongrass	Timbuale	Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf		Poaceae	Branch	Crushed and boiled.	Ingested	0.27
Red Ginger	Melito mea	Zingiber officinale Rosc.		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Burned, thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.45
Physic nut	Balacae	Jatropha curcas L.		Euphorbiaceae	Leaf bud	Pick the leaf bud and boiled	Ingested	0.27
Clove	Cengke	Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr.		Myrtaceae	Fruit	Boiled	Ingested	0.18
Nutmeg	Pala	Myristica fragrans Houtt.		Myristicaceae	Seed	Boiled	Ingested	0.18
Papaya	Papaya	Carica papaya L.		Caricaceae	Leaf	Collect the papaya leaf bud, crush and collect the extract	Ingested	0.09
Betel	Tembe	Piper betle L.		Piperaceae	Leaf	Boiled	Ingested	0.09
White Ginger	Melito Puti	Zingiber officinale Rosc.		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Burned, thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.09
Cinnamon	Kayu manis	Cinnamomum burmannii		Lauraceae	Cortex	Boiled	Ingested	0.09
Aromatic ginger	Humopoto	Kaempferia galanga L.		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.09
Lemon	Lemon Suanggi	Citrus jambhiri Lush.		Rutaceae	Fruit	Collect the extract and mix it with honey.	Ingested	0.09
Curcuma	Tomulawa	Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.09
Mountain Ginger	Bungale	Zingiber montanum		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.09
Gotu Kola	Tingalahula	Centella asiatica (L.) Urb.		Apiaceae	Herbs	Take in a sufficient amount and brew with boiling water.	Ingested	0,09
White Turmeric	Kunyitputih	Curcuma zedoaria (Berg.) Roscoe		Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0,09
Muna Tribe
Bajakah	Kayu Lansau		Spatholobus littoralis Hassk	Fabaceae	Cortex	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Yellow Root	Patola		Arcangelisia flava Merr	Menispermaceae	Root	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Common Lantana	Patiwala		Lantana camara	Verbenaceae	Wood and Leaf	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Ginger	Loghia		Zingiber officinale Rosc.	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.75
Red Jabon	Jabunmerah		Anthocephalus macrophyllus	Rubiaceae	Cortex	Burned, thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25
Sembong	Kaembu-embu		Blumea balsamifera	Asteraeae	Leaf	Pick the leaf bud and boil	Ingested	0.25
Sambiloto	Sambiloto		Andrographis paniculata	Acanthaceae	Herbs	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Guava	Roono buamalaka		Psidium guajava.	Myristicaceae	Leaf	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Siam Weed	Komba-komba		Eupatorium odoratum	Asteraeae	Leaf	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Goat Weed	Rumput Kaoba-Oba		Ageratum conyzoides	Asteraeae	Herbs	Boiled	Ingested	0.25
Lime	LemoNipi		Citrus aurantiifolia	Rutaceae	Fruit	Squeeze and collect the juice.	Ingested	0.25
Turmeric	Kuni		Curcuma longa L.	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25
Lemongrass	Padamalala		Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf	Poaceae	Branch	Crushed and boiled	Ingested	0.25
White Turmeric	Kuning kapute		Curcuma zedoaria (Berg.) Roscoe	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25
Mango Turmeric	Kuni mangga		Curcuma mangga Val	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25
Galangal	Ladha		Alpinia galanga (L.) Sw.	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25
Curcuma	Tombulawa		Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.	Zingiberaceae	Rhizome	Thinly sliced and boiled	Ingested	0.25

 

According to Table 1, the plant families used to enhance immune system during the Covid-19 pandemic include Acanthaceae, Apiaceae, Asteraeae, Caricaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Menispermaceae, Myristicaceae, Myrtaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Rutaceae, Verbenaceae and Zingiberaceae as the most widely utilized.The most commonly used part of the plant by the informant samples is the rhizome, which is boiled for preparation. All sample informants used the herbal by drinking it.

 

Quantitative Analysis:

The Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) was calculated based on the aforementioned data. The ICF values were 0.76 for the Suwawa Tribe and 0.83 for the Muna Tribe, indicating that the plants are widely used, and information is shared among the informants. They were further calculating the Use Value (UV).

 

According to the UV calculation for the Suwawa and Muna Tribes, ginger has the highest values of 0.45 and 0.75, respectively. This suggests that ginger is the most commonly used and highly regarded plant among the local communities.

 

Medicinal Plant Scientification:

The plants gathered from the research site were processed as crude drugs and then screened through phytochemical analysis to identify the beneficial compound groups in the plant.The screening test results for immunostimulant plants used by the Suwawa and Muna Tribes during the Covid-19 pandemic can be found in Table 2.

 

Table 2. Test Results of Phytochemical Screening of Immunostimulant Medicinal Plants during the Covid-19 Pandemic

S. No	Plant Name	Latin Name	Phytochemical screening test
			Flavanoids	Alkaloids	Tanins	Saponins	Steroids and Terpenoids
1	Bajakah Wood	Spatholobuslittoralis hassk	-	+	+	-	+
2	Yellow Root	Arcangelisia Flava Merr	+	+	+	-	+
3	Common Lantana (wood)	Lantana camara	+	+	-	-	+
4	Common lantana	Lantana camara	+	+	+	-	+
5	Ginger	Zingiber officinale	+	-	-	-	+
6	Red Jabon Wood	Anthocephalus macrophyllus	+	-	+	-
7	Sambong Leaf	Blumea balsamifera	+	+	+	-	+
8	Sambiloto	Andrographis paniculata	+	+	+	-	-
9	Guava	Psidium guajava	+	+	+	+	+
10	Siam Weed	Eupatorium odoratum	+	+	+	-	-
11	Goat Weed	Ageratum conyzoides		+	+	-	-
12	Lime	Citrus aurantiifolia	+	-	-	-	-
13	Turmeric	Curcuma longa	+	+	-	+	+
14	Lemongrass	Cymbopogon citratus	-	-	-	-	+
18	Curcuma	Temulawak	+	+	-	-	-
19	Betel leaf	Piper betle	+	+	+	-	+
20	Miana	Colleusscutellarioides	+	+	-	+	+
21	Nutmeg	Myristica fragrans	+	+	+	+	-
22	Suwanggi Lemon	Citrus limun L.	+	+	-	+	+
23	Clove	Syzygium aromaticum	+	+	+	+	+
24	Papaya leaf	Carica papaya	+	+	-	+	+
25	Aromatic Ginger	Kaempferia galangal	+	+	-	+	+
26	Physic nut	Jatrophacurcas L.	+	+	-	-	+
27	Gotu Kola	Centellaasiatica L.	+	+	-	+	+
28	Mountain Ginger	Zingibermontanum	+	-	+	+	+
29	White turmeric	Curcuma zedowaria	-	+	+	+	+
30	Galangal	Alpinia galanga (L.) Sw.	+	+	-	-	+

 

DISCUSSION:

The ability to formulate medicines from various plants, which are believed to heal diseases, is a local wisdom and a long-standing ancestral heritage deeply rooted in the communities, particularly among the Suwawa Tribe in Bonebolango Regency, Gorontalo Province, and the Muna Tribe in Muna Regency, Southeast Sulawesi Province.

 

Immunostimulants enhance the immune system's components, helpingboost immune responses against diseases or infections¹². Several plants have been proven to enhance immunity. Based on research findings, there are 11 plant families utilized by the Suwawa Tribe as immunostimulant plants during the Covid-19 pandemic, namely Apiaceae, Caricaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Myristicaceae, Myrtaceae, Piperaceae, Poaceae, Rutaceae, and Zingiberaceae. Meanwhile, the Muna Tribe possesses 10 plant families, namely Acanthaceae, Asteraeae, Fabaceae, Menispermaceae, Myristicaceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Verbenaceae, and Zingiberaceae. These families are known for their immunostimulant benefits.

 

Zingiberaceae is the biggest plant family and most widely distributed in Asia, particularly in tropical climates.Zingiberaceae plants have been traditionally used in Indonesia to address digestive problems, sore throat, cough, fever, muscle pain, swelling, and more. Ginger and turmeric are the Zingiberaceaefamily's most commonly utilized plant species.^13,14

 

Compared to other types of ginger, red ginger has more advantages. It includes many essential oils, lemonin, kamfena, zingiberene, gingerol, shogoolandgingeral. The gingerol in red ginger provides a hot and pungent taste and possesses strong anti-inflammatory benefits.The ethanol extract of red ginger at a concentration of 500 ppm increased macrophage phagocytic activity. The extract in group A also increased lymphocyte cell proliferation. Geraniol is believed to be the active compound in the ethanol extract of red ginger.¹⁵

 

Turmeric (Curcuma domestica) contains curcuminoid compounds that stimulate phagocyte cell activity. Research by Pangestika et al. revealed that turmeric extracts increased macrophage phagocytosis activity in mice infected with intracellular bacteria.The methanol extract of Curcuma domestica is a strong immunostimulant that enhances the immune system's innate and adaptive armsby increasing cellular immune response and humoral immunity. Curcuma domesticaalso contains polysaccharide compounds with immunostimulants, although the specific polysaccharide responsible for this effect is unknown. IB's phosphorylation and degradation have a function as NF-B activation.This indicates that the polysaccharide extract of Curcuma domestica induces macrophage activation and immunostimulant activity through the NF-B signaling pathway.^16,17

 

Plant compounds that have promising prospects in enhancing immune system activity include alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, and tannins¹⁸. Alkaloids are bioactive compounds that can destroy microbes. It is also proven to reduce malaria density and neutralize toxins in the body.¹⁹

 

CONCLUSION:

The ethnopharmacological study findings based on the UV value of immunostimulant plants used by the Suwawatribe in Gorontalo Province during the Covid-19 Pandemic was the ginger plant with a UV value of 0.45 andscientification result by the phytochemical screening of the plant contained flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, and terpenoids. Meanwhile,in the Muna Tribe in Southeast Sulawesi, it was the ginger plant with a UV value of 0.75, and the scientification result by the phytochemical screening of the plantcontained flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Health for their financial support for this research as well as to the local governments of Suwawa and Napabalanofor their support during the research activities.

 

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Accepted on 01.07.2024           © RJPT All right reserved

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2024; 17(10):4745-4750.