Aim: The aim of this study was to document the ethnobotanical knowledge of the indigenous Ati tribe in Brgy. Cubay Sur, Malay, Aklan, Philippines.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted in March 2019 to 31 purposively selected key informants to determine the therapeutic use of medicinal plants in their traditional medicine. Different indices such as Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), and Fidelity level (FL) were used to determine the plant importance.
Results: A total of 106 medicinal plant species in 48 families and 95 genera were used by the Ati to treat 62 diseases across 14 categories. The family Asteraceae was best represented with 10 species, followed by Lamiaceae with 8, and Apocynaceae and Poaceae with 6 species each. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves and roots while the most common mode of preparation was decoction. Plants with the highest UV were Musa paradisiaca for treating fever and headache, Blumea balsamifera for cough, and Plectranthus scutellarioides also for fever and headache. The highest ICF value was cited in the category 9, diseases of the visual system with Euphorbia hirta (90% FL) as frequently used species for treating sore eyes.
Conclusion: This documentation of ethnobotanical plants used by the Ati showed their rich and diverse traditional practices in addressing their primary health care needs. This also serves as a basis for further pharmacological research in drug discovery and formulation.
Key words: Aklan, Ati, ethnobotany, medicinal plants, indigenous knowledge, Philippines
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