AN ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS IN THE PABUARAN REGION, SUBANG, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Unpleasant side effects associated with prolonged use of current anti-inflammatory drugs have necessitated a need for new drugs with limited side effects. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicinal to treat inflammation by communities in the Pabuaran Region, Subang, 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 there are 30 plant species commonly used by people in the Pabuaran Region for inflammation treatment. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (63.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (20%), fruit (10%), stems, and rhizomes (3.3% respectively). Meanwhile, the preparation methods most frequently used were decoction (53.3%) and infusion (46.7%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Pabuaran Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the treatment of inflammation with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.