AN ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH ANTI-ULCERATIVE COLITIS EFFECTS IN THE PEDES REGION, KARAWANG, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

Ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is driven by dysregulated immune responses and persistent intestinal inflammation. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicinal to treat ulcerative colitis by communities in the Pedes Region, Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from April to May 2026 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 Pedes Region for ulcerative colitis 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 Pedes 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.