The use of medicinal plants by Ifugao-migrants in the foothills of the Sierra
Madre mountain range.
Author: Jasper Wester
Introduction:
With this research we wanted to see in how far the Ifugao migrants would be in touch
with their environment, looking at the usage of medicinal plants taken out of the forest
versus the medicinal plants they cultivated themselves or are growing around the village.
Archaeological evidence tells us of early man’s use of herbal cures for his common
ailments; and it is from ancient herbals that our pharmacopoeias have developed. It is
well known that here in the Philippines, not only the so-called “arbularyo” (or
herbularios) but also those who have scientific schooling make use of plants in the
treatment of diseases (Padua 1997). In what level are the Ifugao in the Northern Sierra
Madre using these medicinal plants and how much do they know about the availability of
the curing possibilities by the plants surrounding them?
Methodology:
By asking the people which medicinal plants they knew in the forest and in their
cultivated area and then asking them which of these plants are of biggest importance to
them we wanted to see if there would be a difference in importance of the `wild`
medicinal plants and the cultivated medicinal plants. By using this method we might be
able to say something about their connection to the forest instead of asking this as a direct
question. In every one of the 15 villages, students filled in two forms, one form with the
cultivated medicinal plants and one with the plants found in the forest. After filling in
these forms people asked what was the ‘most important’ plant for them. In this way you
should be able to see where the ‘most important’ medicinal plants are to be found, in the
forest or in the cultivated domain. Next to that there where three questions in the regular
questionnaire, namely: “Which steps do you take when you fall ill”, “Do you think there
is a reduction in the availability of medicinal plants in the forest?”, and “Do you perform
any rituals when somebody falls ill?”(question number 105, 108 and 110 in the
questionnaire) These questions are asked to 115 informants of both sexes and living in all
the 15 sitio’s.
The first thing I noticed when we got all the forms back from the other 14 villages was
that there was some methodological problem concerning the ranking of importance of the
medicinal plants. Most of the people where not able to do this or said that all the
medicinal plants were of equal importance. Or, “the importance was depending on the
cause of illness” (Bruins 2007). Out of the 14 forms only 2 where used in the way I
wanted it to be used. This is a lesson for me to try to make things more clear the next
time I have to think of a methodology.
List of the mentioned medicinal plants and there utility.
List of species mentioned by 20 Ifugao migrants of both sexes living in the 15 different
sitio’s. The numbers show the frequency an informant mentioned the species.
Name
(Ilocano)
Name (English /
scientific
Cultivated
or around
village
Wild,
found in
forest
Usage
Oregano
Oregano / Plectranthus
amboinicus
Guava / Psidium guajava
Shy-plant / Mimosa
pudica
Chasete tree / Vitex
negundo
Milky pine / Alstonia
scholaris
Betelnut / Areca catechu
Hauili / Ficus septica
Horse radish / Moringa
oleifera
Makabuhay / Tinospora
crispa
Banana-flower / Musa
sapientum
Avocado-leaves / Persea
Americana
Star-apple /
Chrysophyllum cainito
Betel-leaf / Piper betle
linn.
Papaw tree / Carica
papaya
Aloe / Aloe vera linn.
Bush-tea-bush / Hyptis
suaveolens
Worm-wood / Artemisia
vulgaris
Camphor / Blumea
balsamifera
Chinese orange / Citrus
microcarpa
Ginger / Zingiber
officinale
12
-
Mild cough, child fever
6
5
2
3
Sores, cuts, diarrhea
Kidney problems, snake bites
7
2
Tiredness, fever, with birth
3
4
Malaria (boil bark)
3
3
3
3
2
1
Teeth, de-worming, diarrhea
Diarrhea, cough, malaria, stomach
Snake bite, infection
2
1
Diabetics, high blood, malaria
2
2
Stomach-ache, diarrhea
4
-
Diarrhea, common sickness
2
1
Diarrhea
2
1
Cough, mild fever
3
-
Wounds, rabies
3
2
1
Hair problems, dendraff
Heal wounds, infections
1
1
Cough, menstruation, kidney
1
1
Itchy body
2
-
Cough, cold
2
-
Colds, cough, throat, stomach
Guyabas
Bain-Bain
Dangla
Alipauen
Boa
Lapting
malunggay
Makabuhay
Susuk
Caimito
Gawit
Papaya
Yesabila
Bang-bangsit
Erbaka
Sob-sob
Kalamansi
Laya
Lukban
Narra
Pomelo / Citrus grandis
Narra / Ptecarpus indicus
2
-
2
Paria
Bittergourd / Momordica
charantia
Physic nut tree / Jathropa
curcas
Ringworm-bush / Senna
alata
Imperata cylindrical
Shoeflower / Hibiscus
rosasinensis
Mahogany / Swietenia
mahogany
Katakataka / Bryophyllum
pinnatum
Garlic
Ginseng
Spring onions
German ivy / Senecio
scandens
Orchid
Wire grass / Eleusine
indica
Fern / Asplenium nidus
Gisol / Kaempferia
galangal
Bird-cactus / Pedilanthus
tithymaloides
Mind. Cinnamon /
Cinnamomum
mindanaense
Tubli / Derris elliptica
Pineapple
Pandakaki /
Tabernaemontana
pandacaqui
San pedro / Leucena
glauca
Oleander / Ceylon /
Nerium indicum
Zanthoxylum avicennae
Wedelia biflora
Sponge gourd / Luffa
cylindrical
Indian mulberry /
Morinda citrifolia
Sugar apple / Anona
squamosa
Fr. Screw pine /
Pandanus odoratissimus
Sandoricum koetjape
Sour sop / Anona
muricata
2
-
Deworming, cough, diarrhea
Artritus, skindesease, malaria
(bark)
Malaria, stomach-ache
2
-
Stop bleeding, headache, bites
2
-
Skin disease, white spots
2
2
-
Kidney problems
Flower for pain and teeth
2
Malaria, cough, miscarriage
2
-
After heating for throat, headache
1
1
1
1
-
Body defense
Cleansing of body
Strong resistance
Stop bleeding
1
1
-
Kidney problem, fever
Against some bites
1
1
-
Vegetable with vit.B, stomach
Cough, stomachache
1
-
Skin burn
-
1
Wound infection
1
-
1
1
Wound, skin disease
Worms
Milk for wounds
-
1
Worm infection (seeds)
-
1
Sneak bite, ringworm
-
1
1
1
-
“curing any disease”
Stomach disorder
Malaria (seeds)
1
-
Closing cuts
1
-
Mild fever
1
-
High blood
1
1
-
Diarrhea
Dysentery
Tagumbau
Andadasi
Kogon
Kayanga
Mahogany
Abisrana
Lanot
Bila-bila
Pako
Disol
Luha
Kalingag
Tubli
Busbusilak
Ipil-ipil
Adelfa
Itangan
Hagonoy
Kabatiti
Apatot
Atis
Pandan
Santol
Guayabano
Acacia
Tartaraok
Herba
Buena
Kuchay
Banaba
Bugnai
Cadena de
amor
Total : 59
Rain tree / Acacia
concinna
Chinese honeysuckle /
Quisqualis indica
Peppermint
-
1
Stomachache, diarrhea
-
1
headache
1
-
Pregnancy /?
Allium odorum
Lagerstroemia speciosa
Bignai / Antidesma bumus
Antigonon leptopus
1
-
1
1
2
122
43
Sample of Dangla
UTI (bark)
UTI
Closing wounds
Ethical note regarding bio-prospecting
The publication of the local knowledge of medicinal plants and their usage is a sensitive
issue. It should not be the case that for example a western pharmaceutical would get rich
by the knowledge that is actually ‘owned’ by the local people. The IPR (Intellectual
Property Right) tries to protect these rights. “The policies imposed from above by
international agencies and state bodies have frequently not met the needs and aspirations
of ordinary people” (Sillito 2002). The information published in this report is purely
meant for academic purposes.
Medicinal plants only by the Ifugao or some other local name. I couldn’t find these plants
in the literature
Name (Ifugao /
unknown dialect
Cultivated or
around village
Wild, found in
the forest
usage
Talafing
Lakba-lakha
Kusia
Run Lai
Hanak tea
Hopa
Agimit
Gatasan
Pawekan
NPA-vine
Tatalikod
mancanilia
Nymph tree
Melda
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
rabies
For wounds
For injuries
naganwalan
Diarrhea, headache
Stomach diseases
Sour eyes
wounds
Closing wounds
Mild cough
Fever and cough
Anti mosquito
Closing wounds
1
1
-
The papaya-tree next to house can be used for curing a wound.
Data analysis:
Most of the Ifugao migrants don’t use medicinal plants or only for minor injuries or mild
diseases, but will take medicines instead or will visit the local healthcare facility if they
have the money.
What steps do you take when you fall ill?
Frequency:
Percentage:
Pray
Pray and go to doctor if praying doesn’t work
Pray then use plants if that not works go to doctor
Use plants and go to doctor
Go to hospital
Take pills
Perform a ritual
Go to a doctor
Take medicinal plants
5
9
5
20
14
31
1
27
2
4.3
7.8
4.3
17.3
12.2
27
0.9
23.5
1.7
Total
115
100
A lot of the Ifugao migrants are Christians and pray to god to cure the sick. As you can
see in the below table only a few are still practicing or ‘in touch with’ their ‘traditional’
healing methods like for example ‘Buni’. (buni is a ‘traditional’ healing ceremony
coming from Ifugao)
Do you perform any rituals when
somebody falls ill?
Frequency:
Percentage:
Buni
Use medicinal plants
Not anymore (no)
Yes (some people slaughter a pig for example)
Praying to God
No
4
5
15
17
32
42
3.5
4.3
13
14.8
27.8
36.5
Total
115
100
Most of the plants used by the Ifugao immigrants are found in the cultivated domain.
There will be exceptions and also in our research we found some people who knew much
more about the availability of medicinal plants in the forest but in general the plants that
are most used are found in the cultivated domain. If the people out of the sitio’s or
Barangay’s would get medicinal plants out of the forest they do this most of the time in
secondary forest and not so much in virgin forest. The people who will get medicinal
plants in the virgin forest were very few in this particular research.
Some Ifugao migrants took plants out of Ifugao province and tried to plant them here,
sometimes that works but most of the time this is difficult because of the difference in
climate.
In the place where we were situated, namely Capellan we did not find many people who
went out to the forest to collect medicinal plants. Mostly only the hunters or loggers that
we met knew a little bit more about the plants that can only be found in the forest but in
general I would say that the Ifugao-migrants in Capellan sometimes use medicinal plants
that they get out of there garden or a nearby place but more often they will go to see a
doctor or use medicines (if they have money) when they are ill, next to that many of them
pray to God.
Do you notice a reduction of the availability of
medicinal plants in the forest?
Frequency:
Percentage:
No
Yes
I don’t know, I don’t use medicinal plants
29
50
36
25.2
43.5
31.3
Total
115
100
Conclusion
The Ifugao migrants are using some medicinal plants that can be found in their
environment especially when it comes to mild sicknesses, but most of them prefer to get
medicines, go to a doctor or use a prayer. We have found a total of 59 medicinal plants
plus 14 unidentified species, with all the villages combined there is quiet some
knowledge about the available medicinal plants.
The plants used by the Ifugao that were interviewed are mostly cultivated and many
people mentioned the reduction of the availability of medicinal plants in the forest or they
didn’t know if that was the case (see table above). The majority of the respondents named
logging as the primary cause for this reduction of medicinal plants.
There are some individuals who have a connection with the forest through the use of
medicinal plants but the majority of the people interviewed lacked this connection with
the forest through the use of plants but are using medicines prescribed by doctors or
going to the hospital in the nearby towns and if they use a medicinal plant most of the
time they will get that out of there ‘cultivated domain’. It seems that Christianity and
medicines provided by the pharmaceutical industries have a more important role in curing
diseases and treating other health problems than the medicinal plants found in the
environment that is surrounding these Ifugao migrants.
Medicinal plants and healthcare
Many medicinal plants that people mentioned where used to cure diarrhea and I was
shocked when some people told me that diarrhea was the ‘number one’ killer in Capellan.
It is nice to be in contact with the ‘old traditions’ regarding the use of medicinal plants
and see in how far people are aware of there environment but in the second week I stayed
in Capellan there was a 4 year old girl who died because of diarrhea and that puts the use
of traditional herbs in a different perspective. I don’t mean to say that she died because of
using medicinal plants but this death was close to my research topic and made a deep
impact on me. This girl had been playing at my host families’ house while I was there,
and I was told that this girl suffered diarrhea for two days before she died. In our last
interview we also spoke to man who lost his one year old son in May, because of stomach
problems. Off course these deaths have not much to do with the use of medicinal pants by
Ifugao migrants but in a more general way you could say that there is definitely a
problem regarding the use of medicines or the access to healthcare in Capellan. When we
spoke to the people about this problem, most of them would say that this problem was
primarily caused by the water system. For example, upstream somebody was cleaning his
pesticides sprayer in the river and 100 meter downstream someone was taking a bath in
there. In Capellan many people we spoke to mentioned that the rivers were running dryer
every year because of the intensive logging that`s going on in the mountains.
Literature
Dobelis I. N. (editor) 1993. Magic and medicine of plants. Reader`s Digest
Madulid D. A. 2001. A dictionary of Philippine plant names. Bookmark, Manila
Padua de L. S., C. G. Lugod and J. V. Pancho 1997. Handbook on Philippine medicinal
plants. UPLB publishing center, Laguna
Quisumbing E. 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha publishing co.
Sillitoe P., A. Bicher and J. Pottier 2002. Participating in development, approaches to
indigenous knowledge. Routledge, London