CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Botanical Description

A medicinal plant is any plant, which in one or more of its organs contains

substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes or which are precursors for the

synthesis of useful drugs. This definition distinguishes those plants whose therapeutic

properties and constituents have been established scientifically and plants that are

regarded as medicinal but which have not yet been subjected to thorough investigation

(WHO, 1997).

The World Health Organization (WHO) about 65%-80% of the world's population

in developing countries depends essentially on plants for their primary healthcare due to

poverty and lack of access to modern medicine (Kalayu, et al. 2013). Locals utilize every

resource that they have which can be found in the area since they cannot readily obtain

commercial materials because it would require them more time and money to reach

bustling markets from nearby

towns (Morilla et al. 2014.)

Development of the Traditional Medicine

Since the beginning of human civilization, medicinal plants have been used by

mankind for its therapeutic value. Nature has been a source of medicinal agents for
thousands of years and an impressive number of modern drugs have been isolated from

natural sources. Many of these isolations were based on the uses of the agents in

traditional medicine. The plant-based, traditional medicine systems continue to play an

essential role in health care, with about 80% of the world’s inhabitants relying mainly on

traditional medicines for their primary health care (Owolabi et al., 2007).

In developing countries, 80% of the population depends on the traditional plant

based medicine to some extent. Medicinal plant knowledge is embedded within

traditional systems of medicine which reflect the cosmology and ideology of a culture

and often help to define the meaning of health illness. Caution and classification of illness

are expressed concisely, thus treatment options reflect a cohesive worldview. These

systems also contribute to healthcare today and to produce affordable medicines

stemming from long histories of local use. These knowledge systems also contribute to

the health of people around the globe, including in the developed world, as many of the

plant-derived drugs are used today in modern medicine

(Farmsworth and Soejarto 1985).

What many people, even physicians, do not know is that a large portion of the

prescription drugs about 25% in the US contain active ingredients derived from plants,

according to a survey done between 1959-1973. Plant based drugs are part of standard

medicinal procedures for treating heart conditions, childhood leukemia, lymphatic cancer,

glaucoma and other serious illnesses (Farmsworth and Soejarto 1985).

their medicinal properties and preparations. Medicinal plants cultivated on a large scale

by the drug industry. The increasing use of medicinal plants, the present return to mother

earth and nature products, the number of people from all over the world who rely partly

or completely on herbal cures, and the success they achieve are clear indication of them

position these plants occupy in the practice of medicine today (De Padua, 1987)

Martin (1995) as cited by Gandawali (2004) stated that “ethno” when used before

the name of an academic discipline such as botany that the researchers are exploring local

people’s perception of cultural and scientific knowledge from the index of an

anthropological journal, one will find articles that range from ethno astronomy to

ethnozoology. The term ethno zoology is increasingly used to encompass all studies,

which described local people’s interaction with the natural environment, including sub

disciplines such as ethnobiology, ethnobotany, and others.

At the same time, they have also developed their own folk beliefs based on their

traditional practices which would help them in curing various forms of diseases,

(Guruprasad et al. 2013).

Importance of Medicinal Plants

The medicinal properties of plants could be based on the antioxidant,

antimicrobial antipyretic effects of the phytochemicals in them (Cowman, 1999;

Adesokan et al., 2008). According to the World Health Organization, medicinal plants
would be the best source to obtain a variety of drugs. Therefore, such plants should be

investigated to better understand their properties, safety and efficacy (Nascimento et al.,

2000).

Medicinal plants produce bioactive compounds used mainly for medicinal purposes.

These compounds either act on different systems of animals including man, and/or act

through interfering in the metabolism of microbes infecting them. The microbes may be

pathogenic or symbiotic. In either way the bioactive compounds from medicinal plants

play a determining role in regulating host-microbe interaction in favor of the host. So the

identification of bioactive compound in plants, their isolation, purification and

characterization of active ingredients in crude extracts by various analytical methods is

important. The medicinal properties of plants could be based on the antioxidant,

antimicrobial, antipyretic effects of the phytochemicals in them (Cowman, 1999;

Adesokan et al., 2008).

Traditional medicines make use of common, inexpensive substances that can be

found and used quickly at the first sign of illness. Aside from stimulating the body’s own

natural healing abilities by rebalancing and cleansing it, they have the advantage of

rapidly returning the body to a state of health without incurring exhausting and damaging

side-effects. When correctly prescribed, they combine and target to activate, regulate,

heal or tone any organ of the body, useless tissue has been properly destroyed. However,

for security reasons, it's safest to use traditional remedies for mild disorders only

(Stanway and Cameron, 1998).

People argue that they have legitimate rights to control, access and utilize in any

way, including restricting others access to, knowledge or information that derives from

unique cultural histories, expressions, practices and context (Anderson, 2010). It is

accepted fact that the tribes all over the world owning their own culture based on that

they developed their own system of medical practices, which are being addressed as folk

and ethno-medicines, there are numerous herbs available in their surroundings and that

herbs are being used by tribal community as food and medicine for curing their diseases

they have been continued to live in forest environment since from many generations and

developed their own knowledge on flora and fauna of the forest that are known as folk or

indigenous knowledge.

At the same time, they have also developed their own folk beliefs based on their

traditional practices which would help them in curing various forms of diseases,

(Guruprasad et al. 2013)

Furthermore, the indigenous knowledge on the use of lesser-known medicinal

plants is also rapidly declining. Continuous erosion in the traditional knowledge of many

valuable plants for medicine in the past and the renewal interest currently, the need

existed to review the valuable knowledge with the expectation of developing the

medicinal plants sector (Kala et al., 2006).

Medicinal plants used by the Higaonon Tribe of Rogongon, Iligan City,

Mindanao, Philippines (Olowa et al. 2012) they revealed the 62 plant species of

medicinal value belonging to 34 families and 56 genera. Leaves were the most widely

used plant parts which were commonly prepared by boiling in water and administered

orally, Stomach ailments, respiratory diseases, wounds or cuts, and muscle pain or over

fatigue in women were the most common health problems treated by the identified

medicinal plants.

Survey on ethnopharmacology of medicinal plants in Iloilo, Philippines (Tantiado,

2012) he revealed that a total 0f 101 species, grouped within 92 genera, 4 families and 27

orders. Results showed a diversity of medicinal plants, traditional and

ethnopharmacological knowledge about uses, preparation and applications present and

maintained among the Tigbuenos. This study slowed the identification of many high

value and high priority medicinal plant species, indicating high potential for economic

development through sustainable collection and trade.

One of the important ethnobotanical knowledge on plants in the medicinal aspect

in traditional healers in Southwest Cebu, Philippines is explored and they revealed that

certain plant species are to cure illnesses. The preparation and administration of these

plants do not vary significantly among traditional healers. The ordinary ailments treated

were fever, cough, cold, stomached, hyperacidity and others (Del Fierro and Nolasco,

2013).
 Indigenous knowledge as a concept is baffling. Development institutions have not

thus far gone to a unanimous perception of the concept. None of the definitions are

essentially contradictory, but they overlap in many aspects. Warren (1991) and Flavier

(1995). Indigenous knowledge (IK) is the local knowledge and is unique to a given

culture or society. IK contrasts with the international knowledge system generated by

universities, research institutions and private firms. It is the basis for local-level decision

making in a host of human activities in rural communities (Warren 1991). It is the

information base for a society, which facilitates communication and decision-making.

Indigenous information systems are active, and are continually influenced by internal

creativity and experimentation as well as by contact with

outside organizations (Flavier [Link]. 1995).

Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous knowledge compasses the skills, experiences and insights of people,

applied to maintain or improve their livelihood. The significant contributions to global

knowledge have originated from indigenous people. Indigenous knowledge is developed

and adapted continuously to gradually changing environments and passed down to

generation. Also it is the social capital of the poor, their main asset to invest in the

struggle for survival to produce food,

to provide for shelter.

because of the rapidly changing natural environment and fast pacing economic, political

and cultural changes on a global scale. Practices vanish, as they become inappropriate for

new challenges or because they adapt to slowly. However, many practices disappear only

because of the intrusion of foreign technologies or development concepts that promise

short term gains or solutions to problems without being capable of sustaining them.

Indigenous knowledge is part of the lives of the rural poor, their livelihood depends

almost entirely on specific skills and knowledge essentially for their survival.

Indigenous knowledge is relevant on tree level foe development process. It is

obviously, most important for the local community in which the bearers of such

knowledge live and produce. Development’s agents (CBOs, NGOs, Government,) need to

recognize it, value it, and appreciate it in their interaction with the local communities.

Incorporating it in their approach, they need to understand it and critically evaluate it

against the usefulness for their intended objectives. Lastly, indigenous knowledge forms

part of the global knowledge.