Wiwied Ekasari, Retno Widyowati, Neny Purwitasari, A. Mu’thi A. Suryadi, Ram K. Sahu
This study aims to document plant species used to fight several diseases related to mild COVID-19 symptoms such as cough, colds, fever, dizziness and diarrhoea in Gorontalo Province, eastern Indonesia. Data were collected from 105 local residents using semistructured questionnaires, open interviews and field surveys. Ethnobotanical indices including use reports (UR), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and fidelity level (FL) were used to analyse the data. A total of 82 plant species from 40 families were recorded. Plectranthus scutellarioides (L.) R.Br. is predominantly used to treat cough, Zingiber officinale Roscoe to treat colds, Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken to treat fever, Allium sativum L. to treat dizziness and Psidium guajava L. to treat diarrhoea. The current research reveals that P. guajava L. is the most popular plant species with a high index value (RFC 0.62, FL 62%). Leaves (46.46%) are the most widely used part of the plant for some of these diseases. Boiling (31.70%) is the main method in preparing medicinal plants, most of which are given orally (77.73%). In addition, no serious side effects caused by the consumption of these medicinal plants in the treatment of several diseases related to mild COVID-19 symptoms have been reported. Current studies reveal the wealth and wide use of plant species to manage cough, colds, fever, dizziness and diarrhoea in the study area. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used by local residents of Gorontalo Province may help in the treatment of several diseases related to mild COVID-19 symptoms. Further research on preclinical studies needs to be conducted to provide scientific evidence of this result. Copyright © 2025 Wiwied Ekasari et al. Scientifica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Institute of Tropical Disease, Universitas Airlangga, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Sports and Health, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Gorontalo, Indonesia; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (A Central University), Chauras Campus, Tehri GarhwalUttarakhand, 249161, India
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