Medicinal plants used by the Higaonon tribe of Rogongon, Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines

This paper presents the ethnobotanical study conducted in Rogongon in Iligan City, Philippines on the indigenous medicinal plant utilization and healthcare practices among the Higaonon tribe. Informal interviews, using a semi-structured questionnaire, involving 65 informants (ages 30-78 years old) provided information on 62 plant species of medicinal value belonging to 34 families and 56 genera. Leaves were the most widely used plant parts which were commonly prepared by boiling in water (decoction) and administered orally. Stomach ailments, respiratory diseases, wounds or cuts, and muscle pains or over fatigue in women were the most common health problems treated by the identified medicinal plants. Some of the medicinal plants enumerated in the study were also utilized by other indigenous groups in the Philippines. Such widespread use of these plants by different groups could to a certain extent be attributed to their efficacy.