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. 2022 Mar 25;11(7):880.
doi: 10.3390/plants11070880.

Ethnomedicinal Plants in Herbal Remedies Used for Treatment of Skin Diseases by Traditional Healers in Songkhla Province, Thailand

Jongkon Saising  1   2 , Katesarin Maneenoon  3 , Oraphan Sakulkeo  3 , Surasak Limsuwan  3 , Friedrich Götz  4 , Supayang Piyawan Voravuthikunchai  1
Affiliations

Ethnomedicinal Plants in Herbal Remedies Used for Treatment of Skin Diseases by Traditional Healers in Songkhla Province, Thailand

Jongkon Saising et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Skin disorders are a worldwide health problem that normally affect human life. A traditional healer is an important expert in researching notable medicinal plants for skin disease treatment. This study aimed to determine the traditional knowledge and the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of skin diseases among traditional healers in the Songkhla province, Thailand. The ethnobotanical information was collected from experienced traditional healers by semi-structured interviews and participant observations. Plant specimens were also collected and identified using the standard taxonomic method. The data were analyzed by interpretation and descriptive statistics. Twenty-five polyherbal formulations for the treatment of skin diseases were obtained from traditional healers with at least 10 years of experience. A total of 66 plant species in 38 families were documented. Leaves and trees were the most commonly employed plant parts and plant habits included in the herbal remedies, respectively. Fabaceae, Rubiaceae, and Zingiberaceae were the majority of the cited families. Oryza sativa L. and Zingiber montanum (J. Koenig) Link ex A.Dietr. were the most preferred plants combined in the prescriptions, which had the highest use value (UV = 0.83). The highest relative frequency of citation was represented by Curcuma longa L., Eurycoma longifolia Jack, Knema globularia (Lamk.) Warb, and Senna siamea (Lam.) Irwin & Barneby. (0.55 each). This research suggests the importance of traditional healers in the healing of skin diseases with herbal remedies. A variety of medicinal plants are used in the prescriptions for the treatment of skin disorders in the Songkhla province, in the south of Thailand. Pharmacological and toxicological activities as well as phytochemical constituents of polyherbal remedies should be further investigated to scientifically verify further applications of widely practiced herbal medicines.

Keywords: ethnomedicinal plants; herbal remedies; skin diseases; traditional healers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Skin disorders treated by polyherbal remedies.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mode of preparation of polyherbal prescriptions used by traditional healers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Habit of plants in polyherbal remedies used for the treatment of skin diseases (n = 66).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Plant part used in herbal remedies for skin diseases (n = 66).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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