Ethnobotany of semi-arid medicinal plants used by Bunaq Tribe in Lamaknen, Belu District, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Mela YJA, Bria EJ, Tnunay IMY. 2022. Ethnobotany of semi-arid medicinal plants used by Bunaq Tribe in Lamaknen, Belu District, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Intl J Trop Drylands 6: 16-25. The diversity of traditional medicinal plants of the Bunaq Tribe in Lamaknen, Belu District, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, is a basic study of the development of local potential in supporting plant conservation in the border areas of Indonesia. This study aimed to determine the types of medicinal plants, the organs used, processing methods and ways of using plants as traditional medicines, and species use-values ??(SUV) by the Bunaq Tribe in Belu District, a semi-arid climatic area in Timor Island, Indonesia. This study uses a descriptive qualitative and quantitative approach. The research method used was semi-structured interviews with village shamans. The results showed that there were 26 families consisting of 63 species of plants used as medicine. Fabaceae had the highest number of species used in medicine. The most widely used growth form was a tree and the most frequently used plant part was the leaf (30%). The most widely applied processing method was boiling. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) showed the highest use-value, 0.57, compared to other species. In conclusion, the Bunaq Tribe still preserves traditional knowledge of medicinal plants through village shamans. This information can be used as the basis for developing the social and cultural values of the Bunaq Tribe in the border areas of Indonesia.