Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Utilised by Bidayuh Serian (Bukar-Sadong), Sarawak, Borneo
| dc.contributor.author | Anna Busang Doctor of Philosophy 2026 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-05-19T01:49:08Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026 | |
| dc.description | Sarawak is considered the richest state in Malaysia in terms of culture and traditional practices, with 26 major ethnic groups. Traditional knowledge, however, is on the brink of extinction for various reasons and has become a global concern. Documentation of traditional knowledge from one ethnic, namely the Bidayuh is far lacking. Therefore, this study targets the Bidayuh community in the Serian District, known as the Bidayuh Bukar-Sadong sub- ethnic group. The main objectives are to, (i) Document traditional knowledge related to medicinal plants including botanical characteristics used by the Bukar-Sadong Bidayuh, (ii) to analyze the usage and preparation methods based on survey of selected communities and interview of representative shamans, and (iii) to conduct preliminary comparison of phytochemical screning from the selected plants. Surveys have been conducted in four management zones within the Serian Division, namely Muara Tuang, Tarat, Kedup, and Tebedu. A total of 10 percent of the population from each zone was identified and randomly selected for data collection. A total of 870 respondents (aged 18 years and above) participated, with only 30.8 percent (268 respondents) willing to share knowledge about the uses of medicinal plants and their practices, and information gathered from the interview with shamans. The average age in this study is between 40– 55, which also contributes to the lack of knowledge of traditional medicinal plants (55.5%). Age group, education level, and type of occupation were found to significantly influence the use of medicinal plants, while gender did not show significance. A total of 126 plant species from 104 genera and 56 plant families with medicinal value have been recorded. The Zingiberaceae family is the most abundant, with 10 species recorded, followed by Poaceae and Arecaceae, each with eight and six species respectively. More than half of the recorded plants are herbs (31%) and trees/shrubs (22%). The parts of the plants frequently used are leaves (54%) and fruits (13%). About 70 percent of the recorded plants are for external use, and only 38 species are consumed for treatment or curing diseases. 71 types of diseases or treatment associations (both medicinal and spiritual) were recorded. A total of 13 types of preparations were documented, with seven for external use and six for treating internal diseases. Conservation and the challenges in maintaining traditional knowledge were also discussed, with suggestions proposed. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholarhub.unimas.my/handle/123456789/761 | |
| dc.language.iso | English | |
| dc.publisher | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. | |
| dc.relation.ispartofseries | Faculty of Resource Science and Technology | |
| dc.subject | Fungal diseases of plants , Zingiberaceae—Malaysia—Sarawak—Identification | |
| dc.title | Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Utilised by Bidayuh Serian (Bukar-Sadong), Sarawak, Borneo | |
| dc.type | PhD |