Ethnobotanical and phytochemical studies on beneficial flora of Marinduque [Philippines]

The indigenous knowledge of the herbolarios on the medicinal, nutritional, and poisonous properties of plants is useful in the search for solutions to health problems. Furthermore, there is a market for pharmavegetables in Europe, Japan, and USA. The Philippines can explore the possibility of exporting to these countries. Thus, the author conducted a study, which identified the pharmavegetables commonly used by herbolarios in Marinduque. Extracts of these pharmavegetables were also screened for the active chemicals present. The study revealed 20 species of pharmavegetables, which were commonly used as medicine and eaten as vegetables by the rural folk of Marinduque. Majority of these were categorized as annual herbs and found mostly in low to medium altitudes of open fields and secondary forests. The fresh leaf concoction of these plants was used by herbolarios against 28 diseases because of their therapeutic properties that range from simple antipyretic to antitumor, kidney tonic, cardiotonic, and immunostimulant. In the hinterlands, the plants were also eaten as vegetables and prepared in different ways such as additive in sinigang, ulang-ulang ( a native dish of Marinduque prepared from stewed, grated young coconut, and deshelled shrimps or crabs), soup, stewed vegetable with coconut milk, and fresh vegetable salads. Phytochemical screening of the plant samples revealed that they have triterpenes, alkaloids, triterpenoidal glycosides, steroid glycosides, cyanogenic glycosides, saponins and tannins. Chemical analysis revealed that like other vegetables, pharmavegetables have both essential macro- and micronutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fiber, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper. The study implies that since Philippines has diverse pharmavegetables, plant breeders can breed these plants into high value pharmafoods by selecting their health benefits or may develop new crops into new health products