ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH GASTROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS IN THE WANAYASA REGION, PURWAKARTA, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Peptic ulcers result from an imbalance between protective factors (e.g., prostaglandins, nitric oxide, and sulfhydryl groups) and aggressive risk factors (e.g., consumption of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcohol, or tobacco) regarding the gastric mucosa. While various existing treatments aim to relieve pain, repair the ulcer, and prevent its recurrence, they often produce undesirable side effects. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to gastroprotective by people in the Wanayasa Region, Purwakarta, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from November to December 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 Wanayasa Region to gastroprotective. 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 Wanayasa Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the gastroprotective with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.