Researchers document 53 medicinal plants used by Sarawak’s Penan Selungo community so far

Franklin shows a book about medicinal plants used by the Penan Selungo, at a hotel on August 11, 2024.

By Wilfred Pilo

KUCHING, Aug 11: Fifty-three medicinal plants used by the Penan Selungo community in Sarawak have been documented, out of the 100 known so far.

Indigenous researcher, Franklin George, revealed it took researchers 18 months and 131 pages to document this closely guarded knowledge which the Penan community use to treat all sorts of ailments, including diarrhoea, wound healing, and even snake bites.

He added that they obtained all the information, which was also documented and validated, from the Penan community, who are well-versed in the medicinal plants in their respective areas.

Franklin said these plants needed to be documented for future generations and to ensure that knowledge on the medicinal uses of these plants does not disappear due to deforestation.

“The Penan community was concerned about deforestation and disputes with timber companies doing logging activities in that region of Sarawak,” he said during his talk titled ‘The Medicinal Plants of Penan Selungo’ organised by Friends of Sarawak Museum at a hotel here today.

Franklin cited a medicinal plant species locally known in the Penan community as Aril, or scientifically named piper betle~peperraceae, as an example.

“This creeping plant can cure vein pain, joint pain and skin irritation. For vein and joint pain, the plant would be boiled and consumed. For skin irritation, the leaves are made into a paste and smeared on the skin,” he said.

He added the documentation is for future generations to know how their ancestors used plants from the forest to cure ailments.

He lamented that not all medicinal plants are getting documented, pointing out that the local community, especially the elder Penan and their community leaders, are reluctant to lose all the knowledge but were willing to share it orally.

“So now, every time we walk in the forest with those who have knowledge of the medicinal plants, they identify and share what the plants are for and for what ailments.

“If we let everything go, our Penan community would lose their knowledge of all the medicinal values they possess, and people (outsiders) might take advantage of it.”

Franklin hoped in the future, the community could find ways to turn these medicinal plants into tablets and take them orally. — DayakDaily