Fathul Yusro, Maintaining Knowledge of Medicinal Plants

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Fathul Yusro.

Land conversion in West Kalimantan threatens the sustainability of biodiversity, including medicinal plants. The knowledge of the community, particularly on medicinal plants was also degraded given the fact that information about the plants was transferred only verbally. This prompted the lecturer of Forestry Studies, Tanjungpura University, Pontianak, Fathul Yusro, 38, to research medicinal plants and write books to save the legacy of that knowledge.

Yusro sat in one of the lecturers’ rooms at the Forestry Studies, Tanjungpura University, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Monday (March 4, 2019) afternoon. His fingers slowly opened the laptop on the table. He showed a lot of data about medicinal plants he had researched, including a number of publications about medicinal plants.

“One medicinal plants can be photographed up to 20 frames because all important parts are photographed,” Yusro said.

Besides for documentation, the photos are also used for identification. During this time, knowledge on medicinal plants, in addition to their studies was limited, the information was very limited.

Yusro began the journey to exploring medicinal plant biodiversity in 2012. At that time, there happened to be a program from the Health Ministry that tried to explore the types of medicinal plants in West Kalimantan. From there he continued to explore research on medicinal plants with the help of several colleagues.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Fathul Yusro.

The first research was carried out in the area of the Dayak Iban community, Kapuas Hulu regency. Then, other research was conducted in Sintang, Sanggau, Kubu Raya and Pontianak City. “In addition, [the research was also conducted in] coastal areas also in Sambas and Mempawah regencies,” he said.

As part of the medicinal plant research, he must meet and talk with the community or local shamans who still have knowledge about medicinal plants. This is not easy because there are shamans who sometimes don’t want to be interviewed or only provide a little information.

“Well, they only give information on five out of 10 medicinal plants,” he said.

Some are willing to be interviewed, but under special conditions. This condition is usually called pengeras. If he finds a difficult condition, Yusro cancels to get that information and searches for someone else who wants to share information.

Yusro had once slept in the forest for three days, for example in the district of Mandor, by setting up a tent. He did this to look for plants that were recommended by residents as medicinal plants.

“In West Kalimantan there are 158 sub-ethnicities of the Dayak. The differences between each sub-ethnicity and the region provide different knowledge about the medicinal plants and their functions. The research was conducted to test which function is the most correct,” he explained.

Yusro wanted to find out whether the community’s knowledge about the medicinal plants was scientifically proven. The types of medicinal plants used by the community are the starting point for the discovery of modern medicine. To incorporate the medicinal plants into modern medicine, research is needed.

From the results of the study, there are at least 208 species of medicinal plants in the community that are effective in treating various diseases, including malaria, diabetes and intestinal inflammation. In fact, it is estimated that there are more than 208 species because of the many medicinal plants.

There are 33 species of plants to cure fever. Of these, there are 10 to cure malaria, including putar wali (Dayak Kanayatn), kulit langsat (Dayak Darok / Kembayan), papaya (Iban Dayak) and limpet, of which its leaves are mostly used (Dayak Kanayatn). Likewise, various types of plants also have medicinal properties.

“I often find specific types of plants and just get [the name] when I ask the shaman. These plants in general are among those that have not been widely identified in West Kalimantan,” Yusro said.

Save knowledge

Yusro is actually trying to save the knowledge about the medicinal plants. Now, the people who know about medicinal plants are old people and shamans. Most of them are already 60 years old or older. In addition, this knowledge about medicinal plants was not recorded, only being kept in the head.

“In fact, their grandchildren don’t have much knowledge about medicinal plants. For example, the parents know 100 types of medicinal plants, but their grandchildren only know about 10 plants or even only five types of plants,” he said.

So, the knowledge gap between the older and younger generations is very large. If one shaman knows 50 species, the general public only knows 5-10 species of medicinal plants. Therefore, the wealth of knowledge needs to be saved. Don’t let that knowledge just disappear.

Moreover, most of the information obtained from the public about the efficacy of medicinal plants also proven scientifically. That means the community has a wealth of knowledge about extraordinary medicinal plants. In addition, it also has the potential to be developed further, at least to make them standardized herbal medicines.

Yusro wrote the results of his research on medicinal plants and public knowledge in two volumes of book in 2013 and 2014. The book entitled

Variety of Efficacious Plants in West Kalimantan contains data on hundreds of medicinal plants and their users, how to use them, parts of the plants being used and their benefits.

Yusro hopes that the research can be useful for the development of science and medicinal plants in the future. When people already know plants that have properties and are scientifically proven, it is hoped that the plants will continue to be developed and cultivated.

Fathul Yusro

Born: Pontianak, May 21, 1981 Education:

- SDN 02, Batang Tarang, Sanggau regency, West Kalimantan (1987-1993)

- Madrasah Tsanawiyah Negeri 02, Pontianak (1993-1996)

- Madrasah Aliyah Negeri 02, Pontianak (1996-1999)

- S-1 Forestry Studies, Tanjungpura University, Pontianak (1999-2004)

- S-2 Master in IPB (2007-2009)

- S-3 Doctoral degree in Kochi University, Japan

(2014-2017)

Job: Lecturer at the Forestry Studies, Tanjungpura University, Pontianak (2005-present)

Wife: Rinche Handayani (39)

Children:

- Fathur Rahmah Auliya (11) - Fathul Fiqri Abqori (10)

- Fathiah Farras Nabila (8)

Books and journals about biodiversity of medicinal plants:

- Variety of Medicinal Plants I and 11 (Fahutan Press)

- Inventory of Medicinal Plants for Fever Used by Four Dayak Sub Ethnic in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, (Kuroshio Science 8-1, 2014, pp 33-38)

- Inhibition of -Glucosidase by Methanol Extracts from Wood Bark of Anacardiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Phyllanthaceae Plants Family in West Kalimantan, Indonesia (Kuroshio Science, 9-2, 2016, pp 108-122)

Research:

- Potential of Mengkuang

(Pandanus artocarpus Griff) from Peatland Forest in West Kalimantan as a raw material for pulp and paper (National Strategy (Dikti), 2010)

- The Potential of Forest’s non-Wood Products in KPH Model Kapuas Hulu (GIZ, Forclime, 2013)

- A Study on the Utilization of Medicinal Plants by Madurese in Sungai Kunyit Hulu village, Pontianak regency (Forestry Studies, Untan, 2014)

Organization:

- Indonesian Wood Researchers Community

(2005-present)