Medicinal plants from Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Part 1: Uses

Abstract

One hundred and fourteen species of flowering plants, claimed to have medicinal uses, were recorded from a previously uninvestigated area of Sumatra. Of the specimens, which belonged to 51 families, 50% were used to combat fever, 33% for diarrhoea and 31% for other gastrointestinal problems. External applications were often used to treat internal conditions, particularly fever. Species new to the ethnomedical literature are Garcinia parvifolia, Scleria purpurescens, Galearia filiformis, Litsea elliptica, Litsea robusta, Barringtonia lanceolata, Sesbania aculeata, Mimosa pigra, Abelmoschus ficulneus, Hedyotis leucocarpa, Pavetta multiflora, Symplocos cochinchinensis and Trema tomentosa. Hanguana (as H. malayana) represents a new genus of medicinal plants.