Health remedies and traditional healers play an important role in the health care of a huge number of people in developing countries. In fact, in some countries, a large number of people do not have access to bio-medicine.
This health care is closely linked to conservation and ethnobotany, since many medicinal plants essential to these people are found in habitats endangered by current land use (cf.
Martin 1996). Ethnobotanists will have to face many challenges in future years, particularly in countering the rapid loss of biodiversity and of indigenous knowledge systems, as the rain forests are depleted (cf. Balick & Cox 1996).
Since 1978, WHO has been making a study of medicinal plants (TFA 1982) and the identification of 20,000 species of medicinal plants. A large number of these plants originated from the tropical forests of the world and are now used in traditional medicines which play a major role in maintaining the health and welfare of rural and urban communities in developing countries. The loss of medicinal plants, or even their substitution, is changing the ecology of the environment, and as a consequence has caused either the disappearance of or changes in the number of many medicinal plants.
FAO (1981) attempted to assist the conservation of these species by introducing programmes devised for forest conservation and management, and forestry for local community development. The first provides the underlying principles and systems for managing forests and the latter helps identify and promote the cultivation and use of forest- derived plants, which are proper for the establishment by rural communities because of their potential multiple use.
In Indonesia, the Pemberdayaan Kesejahteraan Keluarga (PKK) (‘Family Welfare Empowerment) has played a key role in disseminating information about the cultivation and use of medicinal plants for the family. The cultivation of useful medicinal plants links up with the conservation of these plants. Local associations such as the arisan help by exchanging information on the communication on MAC plants and by encouraging their members to cultivate useful plants in home gardens. Those who do not have enough space in their garden are taught to use pots and poly-bags for the cultivation of these plants.
One very cogent problem is that the information supplied by local people and used by pharmaceutical companies leads to the matter of those people’s intellectual property rights and the ownership of biodiversity. Although the payment of fees approaches the Western concept of equity to large extent, for almost all local people the right to live undisturbed on their ancestral land is the most valuable asset. Therefore, the establishment of nature reservations which protect both biodiversity and indigenous cultures is of remarkable importance to indigenous people. Hence, sustainable development becomes important since sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED 1987:43).
Using traditional herbal medicine has also contributed to an incredibly high degree of irreversible biodiversity loss, which the world is experiencing at present. Even more pertinently, it also has serious consequences for medicine and public health. The peculiar properties of various flora and fauna have provided a major source of therapeutic agents for such human diseases as cancer, malaria, high blood pressure and so forth. Perhaps, the greatest challenge ahead is to understand the complex pattern of ecological relationships between all the people in the world and to appreciate more fully why the diversity of life is essential to the provision of life.
As mentioned earlier, most arisans are organised privately by community members. During the monthly arisan meeting, members discuss such topics as the advantage of the use of traditional herbal medicine, which is currently being extensively used by both rural and urban people; since modern medicines are becoming more expensive which makes them inaccessible to most of the people. Accordingly, at the arisan meetings the members obtain the information they need about the use of various kinds of MAC plants. However, the information on the use of MAC plants is not confined to arisan members only, since they will pass it on to other relatives and friends as well.
Most of the community members cultivate MAC plants for home remedies either in the garden or in polybags if a garden is unavailable. Some arisan members even supply raw medicinal materials independently by using the pekarangan or home garden for the cultivation of MAC plants on a special area. In cultivating this, they use standard operational procedures so that their products are internationally acceptable. It stands to reason that the cultivation of the MAC plants should comply with specific requirements, such as availability and a ready abundance of the plant in the area, and its utilisation for other purposes. As Soemarwoto-Conway (1992) points out, home gardens are found widespread in many parts of Indonesia. In these home gardens or pekarangan, which are small pieces of land in front of or surrounding their houses, families cultivate MAC plants and crops to meet their specific needs.
Further, Slikkerveer & Slikkerveer (1995) state that at that time the Apotek Hidup (Living Pharmacy) referred to the pekarangan in which MAC plants are cultivated to be used to provide the ingredients for herbal medicine or home remedies. Earlier, the previous government had also motivated families to plant home gardens with vegetables to supply the family with nutrious fresh foods for their daily dietary intake (Garden of Food for the Family or Taman Gizi Keluarga). Using these gardens and their produce, arisan members give their children koneng or kunyit (Curcuma domestica Vhal.) to improve their appetite and to make them healthier and they are also urged to drink beras kencur (a mixture of pounded rice and cikur or Kaemferia galang Linn.), a tonic which will revive and strengthen the body. It has been proved that the consumption of bawang bodas (Allium sativum L.) or calincing (Avverhoa bilimbi L.) will lower an individual’s hypertension. Another useful piece of knowledge is that the regular consumption of daun serawung (Ocimum basillicum formacitratum Backer) will prevent halitosis. Women wash their hair regularly with lidah buaya (Aloevera) to maintain beautiful and healthy hair. Pounded rice mixed with rose water is used to soften and whiten the skin. These are only a few examples of MAC plants used by members of the arisan for health promotion, illness prevention and for cure.
In this context, it is interesting to further study the way in which information concerning indigenous knowledge and practice of these MAC plants is shared and communicated within the local institution of arisan, where mutual understanding exists on the action of its members with regard to the use of plants for health and conservation in the area.