Potential of Medicinal Plants Against Cancer and Tumors: Ethnobotanical Study of the Dayak Tamambaloh Tribe, Indonesia

Abstract

The defense of plants to treat cancer (digestive cancer, lung cancer) and tumors have been traditionally carried out for a long time by the Dayak Tamambaloh people in Labian Ira'ang Village. However, the practice of traditional medicine is still delivered orally, and has not been documented in writing in scientific literature. The purpose of this study is to record plants, plant parts, and how to use plants used by the Dayak Tamambaloh tribe for traditional cancer and tumor treatment. This research use desciptive qualitative approach. Research data are collected in three ways namely literature studies, semi -structured interviews, and field observation. Literature study related to supporting data on medicinal plants. Semi-structured interviews were aimed at traditional healers, traditional leaders, temenggung, elders, people who know plants, and people who grow and care for plants. Field observations were made after conducting interviews with respondents and assisted by traditional healers. Determination of respondents with purposive sampling technique. Research data were analyzed by descriptive qualitative. The results of this study obtained 5 types of plants in 5 families which are used to treat cancer and tumors. The plant families used are: Acanthaceae, Annonaceae, Balsaminaceae, Fabaceae, Selaginellaceae. While the types of plants are Clinacanthus nutans Lindau for cancer and tumor drugs, Annona muricata L as anti-cancer, Impatiens balsamina L for digestive cancer drugs, Spatholobus littoralis Hassk for tumor drugs, and Selaginella doederleinii Hieron for lung cancer drugs. The results of this study have the opportunity to discover new types of medicinal plants that can be further investigated on a laboratory scale by pharmacists.