The Philippine archipelago is home to diverse tropical plant species distributed throughout more than 7000 islands (Posa et al., 2008). This diverse array of flora has played an important role in moulding the Filipino culture for centuries (Carag and Buot Jr, 2017). Indigenous and local communities have long relied on these plant species for their medicinal and therapeutic attributes (Carag and Buot Jr., 2017; Dapar et al., 2020). Traditional medicine often serves as the most cost-effective and accessible form of healthcare within primary care systems, especially in areas where resources and access are limited (Sen et al., 2011; Wardle et al., 2012). In many communities, local therapies may be the sole available medical treatment option (Salmerón-Manzano et al., 2020). The global popularity of traditional medicine stems from its utilization of locally abundant plants, readily obtainable, and its reliance on traditional knowledge, prized for its simplicity and affordability (Bodeker and Kronenberg, 2002; Sen et al., 2011; Wardle et al., 2012). The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 80% of the population in developing economies relies on ethnomedicine as a cure for various diseases. In addition, at least 40% of the current pharmaceutical products available today are initially accounted for by indigenous and traditional knowledge (WHO, 2019). Many modern drugs, including antibiotics, are derived from natural sources, including plants. Studying the antimicrobial potential of traditional and threatened plants can lead to the discovery of new compounds that can be used to develop novel antimicrobial drugs to combat antibiotic resistance, a global health concern (Ningthoujam et al., 2012; Souza et al., 2018). Yet, many important data related to biodiversity are still unconsolidated and underutilised, which could have been useful for promoting species and cultural preservation, most especially in tropical Southeast Asia (Tanalgo, 2024).
Therefore, preserving and restoring the environment through conservation by the indigenous people has helped to maintain sustainability within an ecosystem because of the regulated utilisation of species (e.g. for subsistence and cultural practices) (Bvenura and Kambizi, 2023). The way of living among indigenous people in their local communities has long been connected with nature, species, and ecosystems, which contributes to effective biodiversity conservation (Díaz et al., 2019; Posey, 1999; Sangha et al., 2018; Von Der Porten et al., 2019). By understanding the biodiversity and distribution of plant species used by ethnolinguistic and indigenous people, we are also promoting the preservation of indigenous medicinal plant traditions, and importantly, learning valuable lessons about sustainable healthcare practices, biodiversity conservation, and the importance of cultural diversity in shaping our understanding of public health (Bvenura and Kambizi, 2023).
The Philippines consists of at least 112 ethnolinguistic groups (De Vera, 2007) constituting approximately 10–20% of the nation’s population (Perez-Brito, 2021). The majority of the groups is distributed in the southern region, with at least 60% spread in Mindanao (63%), followed by Luzon (32%) in the north, and Visayas (3%) in the central Philippines, which then occupies around 13 million hectares of the national land territory (United Nations Office for Project Services, 2023). The use of traditional plants in healing diseases in the Philippines is widely known and can be dated even in the pre-Spanish colonial era, yet consolidated data and information on ethnomedicinal plants used by ethnolinguistic groups are either unconsolidated, incomplete, or inaccessible (Carag and Buot Jr, 2017; Dapar and Alejandro, 2020; Magtalas et al., 2023).
This paper showcases Herbolario, a newly developed and unique biodiversity database centred on consolidating the diversity and distribution of medicinal plants used in the 21st century by ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. The Herbolario database is an initial step towards the advancement of consolidating and preserving traditional knowledge of medicinal plants among ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines. By centralising this aspect of biodiversity knowledge, the database can serve as a vital resource for researchers, conservation biologists, and the healthcare sector. Its comprehensive collection not only safeguards traditional knowledge from potential loss due to modernisation but also offers insights into the distribution and diversity of medicinal flora across the country (Fig. 1).