Ethnobotanical documentation and preliminary cytotoxic screening of culturally important medicinal plants used by the Manobo tribe of southern Philippines
Paper Details
Ethnobotanical documentation and preliminary cytotoxic screening of culturally important medicinal plants used by the Manobo tribe of southern Philippines
Abstract
Traditional medicinal knowledge of indigenous communities represents an important source of information for biodiversity conservation and the discovery of bioactive compounds. This study documented the medicinal plants traditionally used by the Manobo tribe in Don Marcelino, Davao Occidental, Philippines, and conducted a preliminary cytotoxicity evaluation of the most culturally important species. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 30 purposively selected traditional healers through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and focus group discussions, in accordance with Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) protocols. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices, including Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Use Value (UV), were calculated to determine the cultural importance of each species. The cytotoxic potential of Psidium guajava and Moringa oleifera, identified as priority species based on their ethnobotanical importance, was assessed using the brine shrimp lethality test (BSLT). A total of 41 medicinal plant species belonging to 28 botanical families were documented. Psidium guajava recorded the highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC = 1.00), whereas Moringa oleifera exhibited the highest Use Value (UV = 3.58), reflecting their central role in the Manobo traditional healthcare system. Leaves were the most frequently utilized plant part, and decoction was the predominant method of preparation. Brine shrimp lethality assay revealed estimated LC₅₀ values of 0.92 ppm for P. guajava and 3.34 ppm for M. oleifera, indicating strong cytotoxic activity. These findings demonstrate a close correspondence between ethnobotanical importance and preliminary biological activity, supporting the value of indigenous knowledge in prioritizing medicinal plants for pharmacological investigation. This study contributes to the documentation and preservation of the Manobo tribe’s traditional medicinal knowledge while providing preliminary scientific evidence supporting the bioactivity of culturally important medicinal plants. The integration of ethnobotanical documentation with laboratory validation highlights the potential of indigenous knowledge systems in biodiversity conservation, natural product research, and future drug discovery.
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Leonel P. Lumogdang*, Glenford Franca, 2026. Ethnobotanical documentation and preliminary cytotoxic screening of culturally important medicinal plants used by the Manobo tribe of southern Philippines. J. Biodiv. Environ. Sci., 29(1), 164-174.
Copyright © 2026 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.