Preserving the Green Remedy:An Ethnopharmacological Study on Medicinal Plants Utilized by Migrant Settlers in Tabuk City, Kalinga

Tabuk City serves as a vibrant cultural melting pot, housing diverse ethnolinguistic migrant populations from across the Philippines. This study investigated the ethnobotanical landscape of these migrant communities, focusing on the identification and utilization of medicinal plants within selected areas of Tabuk City, Kalinga. Specifically, the research documented the plant species utilized by key informants, identified the specific anatomical parts used, detailed the therapeutic applications, and recorded the traditional methods of preparation and administration. Furthermore, quantitative ethnobotanical indices were calculated to determine the cultural and medicinal significance of these botanical resources. Data collection involved unstructured interviews with 35 purposefully selected participants across eight distinct barangays, all of whom satisfied the study's inclusion criteria. Participants detailed the specific flora they cultivate, use, or sell, along with corresponding preparation techniques and modes of administration. Taxonomic verification of the reported species was performed using standard botanical references, while cultural consensus and plant significance were measured through Medicinal Use Value (MUV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and Fidelity Level (FL) indices. The findings reveal that migrant residents, predominantly of Tagalog and Bicolano descent, rely primarily on introduced, cultivated flora alongside widely accessible wild species to manage 23 distinct health conditions. Morphological analysis indicated that leaves are the most frequently used plant part, with decoction as the primary preparation method and oral ingestion as the primary route of administration. Notably, the study highlights a strong cultural preference for well-established medicinal plants, specifically Euphorbia hirta (tawa-tawa) for febrile conditions, Eleusine indica (paragis) for diabetes mellitus, and both Vitex negundo (lagundi) and Coleus amboinicus (oregano) for respiratory ailments like coughs.