ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
The National Policy on Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) was developed in 2001 and revised in 2007. This policy plays a crucial role in the development framework of T&CM in Malaysia and serves as a guide to achieve the desired goals, ensuring that the practice of traditional and complementary medicine is safe and of high quality for the well-being of all citizens. The aim of this study is to discuss the use of traditional plants among the Malaysia-Indonesia border communities, better known as Sebatik Island. Sebatik Island, located in Sabah, is a newly developing area in terms of infrastructure and facilities, which has led to a low level of access for the local population in terms of healthcare, education, and other social services. As a result, traditional planting and farming activities have become the primary livelihood for the population, ensuring food security and serving as an alternative form of medical treatment. This study is conducted as a case study, using methods of observation and in-depth interviews. The findings indicate that the use of traditional plants is influenced by three main factors: social, economic, and ecological factors. We hope that this review will provide comprehensive knowledge about the factors influencing the use of plants in traditional practices and help identify the plants used among the community in Kampung Aji Kuning, Sebatik Island, Sabah.
Achiso, Z. (2020). Biodiversity and Human Livelihoods in Protected Areas:Worldwide Perspective-A Review. SSR Institute of International Journal of Life Sciences. 6. 2565-2578.
Adelisa, N., Ahmad, N., Foo, J., & Jaafar, K. (2023). Study of local knowledge and value of plant cultural importance benefits the community around KKI Raya Purwodadi Garden. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 19(1), 25.
Agha, H. M., Sidik, N. J., Jawad, A. H., Mohammed, A. A., & Alkamil, A. A. (2022). "Overview of Thaumatococcus Daniellii Plant, History, Uses, Benefits, and Characterization". Journal of Asian Scientific Research 12, no. 2 (June 3, 2022): 80-90.
Ahmad, N. (2023). Medicinal plants utilisation and their availability in rural communities. A case study in Malaysia. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 19(1), 25.
Allaq, A. A., Sidik, N. J., Abdul-Aziz, A., Elengoe, A., Agha, H. M., Abdulrazzaq, A. I., & Kouider, F. (2022). Overview of the Character Analysis of Libyan Olive Oil and their Advantages in Biomedical Applications. Journal Asian Scientific Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, 12(1), 53-61.
Che Amat, N. A. (2023). Factors influencing the preference for traditional herbal medicine over modern healthcare among rural communities in Malaysia. Journal of Rural Health, 39(1), 45-58.
Ciesielska, M., Boström, K. W., & Öhlander, M. (2018). Observation Methods. In M. Ciesielska, & D. Jemielniak (Eds.), Qualitative Research in Organization Studies: Volume 2 Methods and Possibilities Palgave Macmillan.
Daud, R. (2011). Culture and identity issues among the Bugis community on the border of Sebatik Island, Sabah. Master's Thesis, School of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
Duguma, H. T. (2020). Wild edible plant nutritional contribution and consumer perception in Ethiopia. International Journal of Food Science, 2020.
Foo, J., & Jaafar, K. (2017). Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Sikap Mengenai Tumbuhan Ubatan dari Perspektif Sosiobudaya. International Journal of Society, Development and Environment in the Developing World, 1(3), 1-8.
Haris, A., Nawan, N. A., Mei, C. A. L., Sani, S. A., & Najm, S. U. F. S. (2023). Medicinal plant applications as traditional and complementary medicine by Sabah ethnicities and the regulations and economic view in Malaysia's healthcare industry. A mini review. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 17(33), 1-10.
Hasbullah, H. W. A. H., & Hassan, N. N. N. (2017). Amalan perubatan herba dan keseimbangan humoral dalam penjagaan kesihatan postpartum wanita Melayu: perspektif budaya dan perubatan (Herbal medicine practices and humoral balance in postpartum health care for Malay women: culture and medicine perspective). Asian Journal of Environment, History and Heritage, 1(2).
Hidayah, K., Mahphoth, M. H., Bachri, S., & Ramadhita (2023). Welfare state-based agricultural policies in Malaysia. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1).
Jangkung, H. M., Irham, Jumeri, Agus, H. W. (2018). Food security of farm households in Indonesia’s border area, Sebatik Island. International Journal of Engineering & Technology, 7(3.30), 314-319.
Knott, E., Rao, A.H., Summers, K. & Teeger, C. (2022). Interviews in the social sciences. Nature Reviews Methods Primers 2(73); 1-15.
Kumar, A., Anju, T., Kumar, S., Chhapekar, S. S., Sreedharan, S., Singh, S., Choi, S. R., Ramchiary, N., & Lim, Y. P. (2021). Integrating Omics and Gene Editing Tools for Rapid Improvement of Traditional Food Plants for Diversified and Sustainable Food Security. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(15), 8093.
Laude, S., & Foo, J. (2021). Dokumentasi tumbuhan ubatan mengikut kearifan tempatan wanita Bugis di Pulau Sebatik, Sabah, Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 6(12), 60-66.
Lee, S. S., & Ong, H. C. (2022). Economic considerations in the utilisation of medicinal plants. A case study of rural communities in Malaysia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 285, 114863.
Mbuni, Y. M., Wang, S., Mwangi, B. N., Mbari, N. J., Musili, P. M., Walter, N. O., Hu, G., Zhou, Y., & Wang, Q. (2020). Medicinal plants and their traditional uses in local communities around Cherangani Hills, Western Kenya. Plants (Basel), 9(3), 331.
Mustapha, N. F. (2022). Hereditary practices and the continuity of herbal medicine in Malay society. Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 45(2), 210-225.
Mutie, F., Rono, P., Vivian, K., Hu, G.-W., & Wang, Q.-F. (2020). Conservation of wild food plants and their potential for combatting food insecurity in Kenya as exemplified by the drylands of Kitui County. Plants, 9(8), 1017.
Omar, S., & Latip, M. (2022). The use of plants in traditional medicine of the Melanau community in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(5), 1069-1080.
Patel, S., Sharma, A., & Singh, G. (2020). Traditional agricultural practices in India. An approach for environmental sustainability and food security. Energy, Ecology and Environment, 5, 253-271.
Pham, H. N. T., Vuong, Q., Bowyer, M., & Scarlett, C. (2020). Phytochemicals derived from Catharanthus roseus and their health benefits. Technologies, 8(4), 80.
Ramli M. P., Malek, S., Milow, P., Aziz, N. J. (2021a). Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the Kampung Orang Asli Donglai Baru, Hulu Langat, Malaysia. Biodiversitas 22: 1304-1309.
Ramli, M. R., Milow, P., & Malek, S. (2021b). Diversity and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in home gardens of Kampung Masjid Ijok, Perak, Malaysia. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity, 22(5).
Riaz, M., Khalid, R., Afzal, M., Anjum, F., Fatima, H., Zia, S., Rasool, G., Egbuna, C., Mtewa, A. G., Uche, C. Z., & Aslam, M. A. (2023). Phytobioactive compounds as therapeutic agents for human diseases. A review. Food science & nutrition, 11(6), 2500-2529.
Salmerón-Manzano, E., Garrido-Cardenas, J. A., & Manzano-Agugliaro, F. (2020). Worldwide research trends on medicinal plants. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3376.
Saynes-Vásquez, A., Caballero, J., Meave, J. A., & Chiang, F. (2013). Cultural change and loss of ethnoecological knowledge among the Isthmus Zapotecs of Mexico. Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 9, 40.
Tay, J., Janice, N. S., Satvinder, T., Tham, W. G., Gan, W. Y., Che'Ya, N., Tan, C. H., & Tung, S. (2023). Food security and diet quality among urban poor adolescents in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Nutrition Research and Practice, 17(2), 269-283.
Ulian, T., Diazgranados, M., Pironon, S., Padulosi, S., Liu, U., Davies, L., … Mattana, E. (2020). Unlocking plant resources to support food security and promote sustainable agriculture. Plants, People, Planet, 2(5), 421-445.
Weckmüller, H., Barriocanal, C., Maneja, R., & Boada, M. (2019). Factors affecting traditional medicinal plant knowledge of the Waorani, Ecuador. Sustainability, 11(16), 4460.
Laude, S., Rosman, M. S., Sobri, M. N. Z. M., Hashnuddin, S., Radzuan, F., Alamar, M. H. Z., & Puteh, F. (2025). Indigenous Knowledge of Traditional Medicinal Plant Use among Malaysia-Indonesia Border Communities on Sebatik Island Sabah. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(7), 126–143.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode