ETHNOBOTANICAL SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED TO TREAT DIABETES MELLITUS IN THE NGAMPRAH REGION, WEST BANDUNG, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a syndrome characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin. Currently, researchers are starting to look for new antidiabetic compound candidates derived from natural ingredients that have been empirically proven to have anti-DM effects. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to treat diabetes mellitus by people in the Ngamprah Region, West Bandung, 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 Ngamprah Region to treat DM. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (63.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (13.3%), fruit (6.7%), flowers (6.7%), stem, rind, and seed (respectively 3.3%). Meanwhile, the most frequently used preparation methods were decoction (76.7%) and infusion (23.3%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Ngamprah Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the treatment of DM with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.