The Identification of Floras Used as Traditional and Complementary Medicine: A Study in Ramsar Site, Sabah, Malaysia

Abstract

The practice of traditional medicine has been deduced based on available evidences from the Malay, Chinese and Indian communities in Malaysia. Based on extensive review of previous literature, the study discovered that there is limited empirical documentation on the types of floras used as Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) by the rural communities in Sabah, especially those residing along the Ramsar site. Thus, this article aims to document the types of floras used in TCM by the rural communities in the Dagat village at the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama area. The data for the study were obtained from a series of in-depth interviews and field observations. The findings revealed that the rural communities in the Dagat village utilized floras available around the village as TCM in their daily lives. TCM using floras have helped to save lives in emergency cases, especially for pregnant women with high risks during pregnancy. This study is significant as it presents an empirical documentation of floras for TCM practices among the local community in Sabah, Malaysia