Comprehensive review of selected traditional medicinal plants used by Jambi local communities as potential antibacterial agents

The increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria leads to the urgent need for alternative antibacterial agents. The discovery of potential antibacterial agents in plants has been conducted according to the information about traditional medicines used by communities and the local wisdom passed down from generations. Jambi local communities in Indonesia used traditional concoctions from various medicinal plants to treat diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as skin infections, abscesses, diarrhea and mouth ulcers. Prominent medicinal plants widely used by Jambi local communities include Calamus manan, Helminthostachys zeylanica and Zingiber montanum. This comprehensive review examines the traditional uses, phytochemistry and antibacterial activity of selected Jambi medicinal plants. Furthermore, this review highlights the significant contributions and current updates in this research area surrounding the ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of medicinal plants in Jambi. However, this review also emphasizes the need for further research due to the preliminary results of current updates, such as compound isolation and purification and the antibacterial mechanism of actions of those compounds. In conclusion, the current phytochemical and pharmacological studies supported the traditional use of Jambi medicinal plants and confirmed its efficacy significantly. This review aims to support the future development of antibacterial agents from medicinal plants.