Article Sidebar
Published:
Jun 17, 2021Keywords:
Article Details
http://ajfand.net/AJFAND/copyrightstatement.html
Published material in the AJFAND is covered by copyright. Authors transfer all rights to the journal upon publication. The Editor-in-Chief should grant permission for use/reprint of any published material in AJFAND.
AJFAND is open access and published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license (see Copyright Statement on the AJFAND website).
Main Article Content
The ethnobotanical perspective of indigenous herbs and spices of Tabaru ethnic group in Halmahera Island, Indonesia
Abstract
Herbs and spices have been used for many years as an important source of food ingredients. Recently, herbs and spices have been used as the source of medicinal materials due to its rich-bioactive compounds content. However, the knowledge about the scientific background of these herbs and spices uses in the local community is based on limited data. This work aims to study the perspective of the Tabaru ethnic group toward the use of herbs and spices as an additional food source. This study was conducted between November and December, 2018 in Halmahera Island. The data and information about the use of herbs and spices were collected from 48 locals whose ages ranged between 40 and 89 years. The main occupation of respondents was farming of mainly nutmeg, clove, and coconut. The data were analyzed based on plant uses which included spices, food, and drug use. Data on plant species were analyzed using the Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) formula. The results showed that the Tabaru ethnic group used approximately 14 plant species as herbs and spices. According to the CFSI values, herbs and spices in very high significance group include Curcuma longa L. (value of CFSI, 460.8), Cinnamomum burmanni (Nees & T. Nees) Neeex Blume, Myristica fragrans Houtt., Curcuma domestica Valeton, and Zingiber officinale Roscoe (CFSI, 259.2). Moreover, in the high significance category, Capsicum annuum L. is listed with high
CFSI score reaching 86.4. In the moderate significance category, we found about four species, namely Ocimum americanum L. and Ocimum americanum L. (CFSI, 48.6), Etlingera heliconiifolia (K. Schum.) AD Poulsen (CFSI, 24.3), Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. (CFSI, 23,625). Finally, two species of Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M.Sm. (CFSI, 17.82) and Alpinia eremochlamys K.Schum. (CFSI, 15.53) were in the low significance group. In conclusion, the value of CFSI has a positive correlation to the utilization and the conservation level of herbs and spices of Tabaru ethnic group in Halmahera Island.
