ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ANTI-ULCERATIVE COLITIS PLANTS IN THE SETU REGION, BEKASI, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic debilitating inflammatory disease that affects the colon and the rectum and typically involves the innermost lining or mucosal membrane. Due to unwanted effects of synthetic anti-colitis drugs, natural products are being explored as alternative or complementary therapy. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to treat ulcerative colitis by people in the Setu Region, Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from May to June 2025 using direct interviews, questionnaires, and discussions. Plant species are identified based on standard taxonomic methods, flower morphological characteristics, and where possible, using samples for comparison, as well as consultation with experts and the literature. The plant types obtained were grouped into families according to the Cronquist classification system. Plant names were checked against the Plant List (www.plantlist.org) and the International Plant Name Index (www.ipni.org). This research reports that 30 plant species are commonly used by people in the Setu Region to treat ulcerative colitis. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (53.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (16.7%), seed (10%), root (6.7%), fruit (6.7%), stem, and rind (respectively 3.3%). Meanwhile, the most frequently used preparation methods were decoction (80.0%) and infusion (20.0%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Setu Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the treatment of ulcerative colitis with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.