A comprehensive evaluation of medicinal plants from Mindanao, Philippines using secondary data reported between 1970 and 2020

• Main Authors: Acosta, Derrick Myles Y., Jose, Rolland Mae Z., Oronce, Josh Matthew R.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2022
• Subjects: Medicinal plants > Philippines > Mindanao Island; Natural products > Philippines > Mindanao Island; Ethnobotany; Biology; Plants
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/10; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=etdb_bio
• Institution: De La Salle University

Mindanao, Philippines is known to be a hotspot for natural products which have been utilized in traditional and modern medicine. However, the use of medicinal plants requires further scientific validation regarding their specific therapeutic effects. A narrative synthesis was prepared based on a rigorous evaluation of medicinal plants found in Mindanao, Philippines, as reported from online sources within the period, 1970-2020. A total of 563 medicinal plants belonging to ninety (90) plant families have been reported in this study. The studies indicated that 61% of the medicinal plants are geographically distributed in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Moreover, it was found out that leaves are the most prevalently used plant part. Additionally, decoction was identified to be the most commonly used traditional method of plant preparation. With regard to bioactivity, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties were found to be the most predominant. Antimicrobial characteristics were mostly present in plant families, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Piperaceae, Malvaceae, and Apocynaceae. Alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, steroids, and sterols have been determined to be associated to its phytochemical effects. On the other hand, antioxidant characteristics are the most commonly reported bioactivity for Moraceae, Zingiberaceae, Musaceae, Solanaceae, and Urticaceae. Phenols and coumarins have been determined to be associated to these pharmacological properties. The plant species with the most number of confirmed bioactivities were determined to be Abelmoschus esculentus (okra), Clitoria ternatea (balog-balog), Luffa acutangula (patola), Swietenia macrophylla (mahogany), and Tinospora cordifolia (panyawan). It was also found out that there are potential relationships between different bioactive properties, namely, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, antioxidant and anticancer properties, as well as anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. It is recommended that these synergistic relationships be examined further in future studies.