Sains Malaysiana 49(5)(2020): 1003-1014

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2020-4905-05

Medicinal Use of Ferns: An Ethnobotanical Review

(Penggunaan Perubatan Paku Pakis: Suatu Ulasan Etnobotani)

MAZHANI MUHAMMAD¹*, ZITTY SARAH ISMAIL², HARALD SCHNEIDER³ & JULIE A. HAWKINS⁴

¹Centre of Foundation Studies (CFS), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Selangor, 43800 Kampus Dengkil, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²Faculty of Applied Science, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

³Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom

⁴School of Biological Science, University of Reading, United Kingdom

Received: 20 March 2019/Accepted: 15 January 2020

ABSTRACT

Many fern (monilophyte) species are used in traditional medicine by indigenous communities and described in folklore in many parts of the world. Numerous plants used in folk remedies are considered efficacious by today’s standards and some have been accepted as main sources of drug discovery. However, the modern use of ferns in medicine, as for other lower plants, is neglected and thought to be only of minor and local significance. In this study, we provide a comprehensive, global summary of the ethnomedicinal uses of ferns. Based on these data, the documented therapeutic potential of ferns is analysed to highlight the gaps in our knowledge that deserve further investigation and can also be used as a starting point in the development of new drugs. Literature reports of ethnomedicinal uses of ferns were collated based on published work from scientific journals, books, reports, and online databases. A total of 442 species are reported to be used, and the most prevalent therapeutic applications are for gastrointestinal disorders (45% of species). The species most frequently cited are Adiantum capillus-veneris L., Equisetum arvense L. and Equisetum ramosissimum ssp. ramosissimum Desf. Each of these important species has been reported in the primary literature more than 60 times. Further research targeting the individual ingredients responsible for the pharmacological effects and their mechanisms of action is needed. These studies will further support the therapeutic potential of medicinal fern species for their future clinical applications in modern medicine.

Keywords: Ethnomedicinal; ferns; medicinal plant; therapeutic

ABSTRAK

Banyak spesies paku pakis (monilofit) digunakan dalam perubatan tradisi oleh masyarakat peribumi dan digambarkan dalam cerita rakyat di kebanyakan tempat di dunia. Sebilangan besar tanaman yang digunakan dalam ubat rakyat dianggap berkhasiat berdasarkan piawai masa kini dan beberapa telah diterima sebagai sumber utama penemuan ubat. Walau bagaimanapun, penggunaan paku pakis secara moden dalam perubatan seperti tanaman rendah lainnya, diabaikan dan dianggap hanya kepentingan kecil dan tempatan. Dalam kajian ini, kami memberikan ringkasan global komprehensif mengenai penggunaan etnoubatan paku pakis. Berdasarkan data ini, potensi terapeutik paku pakis yang didokumentasikan dianalisis untuk menonjolkan jurang dalam pengetahuan kita yang layak untuk penyelidikan lebih lanjut dan juga dapat digunakan sebagai titik awal dalam pengembangan ubat baru. Laporan kepustakaan mengenai penggunaan etnoubatan paku-pakis disusun berdasarkan karya yang diterbitkan daripada jurnal ilmiah, buku, laporan serta pangkalan data atas talian. Sebanyak 442 spesies dilaporkan digunakan dan aplikasi terapeutik yang paling prevalen adalah untuk gangguan gastrousus (45% spesies). Spesies yang paling kerap disebut adalah Adiantum capillus-veneris L., Equisetum arvense L. dan Equisetum ramosissimum ssp. ramosissimum Desf. Setiap spesies penting ini telah dilaporkan dalam kepustakaan utama lebih daripada 60 kali. Penyelidikan lanjut menyasarkan ramuan secara individu yang bertanggungjawab terhadap kesan farmakologi dan mekanisme tindakannya juga diperlukan. Kajian ini akan menyokong potensi terapi spesies paku-pakis ubatan untuk aplikasi klinikal masa depan mereka dalam perubatan moden.

Kata kunci: Etnoubatan; paku pakis; terapi; tumbuhan perubatan

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*Corresponding author; email: mazhani@uitm.edu.my