DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jil.24.2.511-520

Exploring the Potential of Araceae Plants in Penggaron Forest for Traditional Medicine and Biodiversity Conservation

1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology, UIN Walisongo Semarang, Indonesia

2Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia

Received: 16 Mar 2025; Revised: 10 Jul 2026; Accepted: 13 Jul 2026; Available online: 16 Jul 2026; Published: 18 Jul 2026.
Editor(s): Budi Warsito

Citation Format:
Abstract
Penggaron Forest possesses high biodiversity; however, information regarding the interconnectedness between Araceae diversity, phytochemical constituents, and their potential utilization as a source of traditional medicine within the framework of ecosystem conservation remains highly limited. This study aims to fill this gap by documenting Araceae diversity, analyzing phytochemical constituents, and evaluating their ecological roles along with their utilization by local communities. This objective was achieved through an integrated approach that synthesizes taxonomic inventory, laboratory screening, and the exploration of traditional knowledge to map the potential of this aroid group within bioresource-based conservation programs. The methods employed include plant sampling, species identification, phytochemical analysis, and interviews with the local community. A total of ten Araceae species were successfully identified. Laboratory analyses confirmed a universal accumulation of primary bioactive compounds, namely alkaloids and flavonoids, across all tested species specimens. Furthermore, variations in the distribution of supporting secondary metabolites—including tannins, saponins, phenolics, and terpenoids—were detected, which biochemically exhibit strong potentials as natural anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant agents. Several species also contribute to ecosystem conservation through erosion control, microhabitat provisioning, and maintaining soil stability. Ethnobotanically, a distinct knowledge gap persists among the local community, whose utilization remains lopsidedly focused on external ornamental plant trading and rudimentary food preparation, completely leaving the therapeutic values of local wild aroids unrecognized. These findings demonstrate that the Araceae group in Penggaron Forest possesses strategic potential as a source of alternative biopharmaceuticals while simultaneously serving as a sensitive bioindicator to support understory biodiversity preservation, thereby warranting further development as a sustainable biological resource asset.
Fulltext View|Download Email colleagues
Keywords: Araceae; bioresource conservation; ecological role; Penggaron Forest; phytochemical profiling; traditional medicine

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Research Article
Language : EN
Most cited articles
Melihat Kondisi Kesetimbangan Ekologi Terumbu Karang di Pulau Sempu, Malang Menggunakan Pendekatan Luasan Koloni Karang Keras (Scleractinia) IDENTIFIKASI DAN UJI POTENSI BAKTERI LIPOLITIK DARI LIMBAH SBE (SPENT BLEACHING EARTH) SEBAGAI AGEN BIOREMEDIASI Studi Pendahuluan Cemaran Air Limbah Rumah Potong Hewan di Kota Mataram PENGENDALIAN EMISI GAS BUANG BOILER BATUBARA DENGAN SISTEM ABSORBSI PENGARUH FAKTOR-FAKTOR SOSIAL-EKONOMI TERHADAP PERILAKU PENGELOLAAN SAMPAH DOMESTIK DI NUSA TENGGARA TIMUR More cited articles
  1. Adamski, Z., Blythe, L. L., Milella, L., & Bufo, S. A. (2020). Biological Activities of Alkaloids: From Toxicology to Pharmacology. Toxins, 12(4), 210. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12040210
  2. Adiyasa, M. R., & Meiyanti, M. (2021). Pemanfaatan obat tradisional di Indonesia: distribusi dan faktor demografis yang berpengaruh. Jurnal Biomedika Dan Kesehatan, 4(3), 130–138
  3. Agati, G., Brunetti, C., Fini, A., Gori, A., Guidi, L., Landi, M., Sebastiani, F., & Tattini, M. (2020). Are Flavonoids Effective Antioxidants in Plants? Twenty Years of Our Investigation. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9111098
  4. Ajuru, M. G., Nmom, F. W., & Eunice, I. O. (2018). Toxicological Evaluation of Dieffenbachia seguin (Jacq.) Schott (Dumb Cane) on Wister Albino Rats. Research Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2(1), 38–43
  5. Al-Khayri, J. M., Rashmi, R., Toppo, V., Chole, P. B., Banadka, A., Sudheer, W. N., Nagella, P., Shehata, W. F., Al-Mssallem, M. Q., Alessa, F. M., Almaghasla, M. I., & Rezk, A. A. (2023). Plant Secondary Metabolites: The Weapons for Biotic Stress Management. In Metabolites (Vol. 13, Issue 6). https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo13060716
  6. Arbain, D., Sinaga, L. M. R., Taher, M., Susanti, D., Zakaria, Z. A., & Khotib, J. (2022). Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Alocasia Species: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 849704. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.849704
  7. Arozal, W., Louisa, M., & Soetikno, V. (2020). Selected Indonesian Medicinal Plants for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: Molecular Basis and Recent Studies. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, 7, 82. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2020.00082
  8. Asih, N. P. S., & Kurniawan, A. (2019a). Studi Araceae Bali : Keragaman dan Potensinya (Studies on The Araceae of Bali: Diversity and Potential). Jurnal Widya Biologi, 10(2), 135–147
  9. Asih, N. P. S., & Kurniawan, A. (2019b). Studi Araceae Bali: Keragaman dan Potensinya. WIDYA BIOLOGI, 10(2), 135–147
  10. Boampong, R., Boateng, S. K., Adu Amoah, R., Adu Gyamfi, B., Aboagye, L. M., & Ansah, E. O. (2020). Growth and Yield of Taro (Colocasia esculenta (L) Schott.) as Affected by Planting Distance. International Journal of Agronomy, 2020(1), 8863099. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8863099
  11. Bouabdallah, S., Al-Maktoum, A., & Amin, A. (2023). Steroidal Saponins: Naturally Occurring Compounds as Inhibitors of the Hallmarks of Cancer. Cancers, 15(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15153900
  12. Boyce, P. (1995). Introduction to The Family Araceae. Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, 12(3), 122–125. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8748.1995.tb00499.x
  13. Calle, J., Gasparre, N., Benavent-Gil, Y., & Rosell, C. M. (2021). Chapter Eight - Aroids as underexplored tubers with potential health benefits (F. B. T.-A. in F. and N. R. Toldrá (ed.); Vol. 97, pp. 319–359). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.afnr.2021.02.018
  14. Cao, T., Zhang, H., Chen, T., Yang, C., Wang, J., Guo, Z., & Sun, X. (2023). Research on the mechanism of plant root protection for soil slope stability. PloS One, 18(11), e0293661. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293661
  15. Chen, J., Henny, R. J., & Liao, F. (2007). Aroids Are Important Medicinal Plants. ISHS Acta Horticulturae, 756. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2007.756.37
  16. Croat, T. B. (1988). Ecology and Life Forms of Araceae. Aroideana, 11(3), 4–52
  17. Croat, T. B. (2004). Revision of Dieffenbachia (Araceae) of Mexico, Central America, and The West Indies. Annual Missouri Botanical Garden, 91, 668–772
  18. Croat, T. B., & Ortiz, O. O. (2020). Distribution of Araceae and the Diversity of Life Forms. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, 89(3), 1–23. https://doi.org/0000-0001-6385-858X
  19. Dinalhaq, P. C., Wahidah, B. F., & Miswari. (2023). Ethnobotany of Suweg (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Dennst.) Nicolson) in Darupono Village, Kendal District. Al-HAYAT Journal of Biology and Applied Biology, 6(2), 191–203. https://doi.org/10.21580/ah.v6i2.17767
  20. Divekar, P. A., Mishra, A., & Singh, A. K. (2023). Plant Secondary Metabolites for Defense Against Herbivores BT - Plant Specialized Metabolites: Phytochemistry, Ecology and Biotechnology (J.-M. Mérillon & K. G. Ramawat (eds.); pp. 1–12). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30037-0_24-1
  21. dos Santos, T. B., Ribas, A. F., de Souza, S. G. H., Budzinski, I. G. F., & Domingues, D. S. (2022). Physiological Responses to Drought, Salinity, and Heat Stress in Plants: A Review. In Stresses (Vol. 2, Issue 1, pp. 113–135). https://doi.org/10.3390/stresses2010009
  22. Ezeabara, C. A., Okeke, C. U., Amadi, J. E., Izundu, A. I., Aziagba, B. O., Egboka, P. T., & Udechukwu, C. D. (2015). Morphological Comparison of Five Varieties of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott in Anambra State, Southeastern Nigeria. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 6(18), 2819–2825. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajps.2015.618278
  23. Fernandez Barrancos, E. P., Reid, J. L., & Hall, J. S. (2019). Lack of Araceae in Young Forests Highlights the Importance of Mature Forest Conservation. Tropical Conservation Science, 12, 1940082919849504. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940082919849504
  24. Fleta-Soriano, E., & Munné-Bosch, S. (2016). Stress Memory and the Inevitable Effects of Drought: A Physiological Perspective. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, 143. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.00143
  25. Frausin, G., Lima, R. B. S., Hildago, A. F., Ming, L. C., & Pohlit, A. M. (2015). Plants of the Araceae family for malaria and related diseases: a review. In Revista Brasileira de Plantas Medicinais (Vol. 17, pp. 657–666). scielo
  26. Henny, R. J. (1985). Dieffenbachia. In A. H. Halevy (Ed.), Handbook of Flowering 1st Edition. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group
  27. Hong, L., Guo, Z., Huang, K., Wei, S., Liu, B., Meng, S., & Long, C. (2015). Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants used by Maonan people in China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 11(32). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-015-0019-1
  28. Irsyam, A. S. D., Hariri, M. R., Kamila, N. N., Kurniawan, M. F. R., Suwandhi, I., & Irwanto, R. R. (2023). Short Communication: The existence of Homalomena rubescens (Araceae) in Java, Indonesia based on morphological and molecular evidence. Biodiversitas, 24(7), 3821–3827. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d240720
  29. Jain, M., Flynn, D. F., Prager, C. M., Hart, G. M., Devan, C. M., Ahrestani, F. S., Palmer, M. I., Bunker, D. E., Knops, J. M., Jouseau, C. F., & Naeem, S. (2014). The importance of rare species: a trait-based assessment of rare species contributions to functional diversity and possible ecosystem function in tall-grass prairies. Ecology and Evolution, 4(1), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.915
  30. Kaushal, P., Kumar, V., & Sharma, H. K. (2015). Utilization of taro (Colocasia esculenta): a review. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 52(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-0933-y
  31. Korinek, M., Chen, K.-M., Jiang, Y.-H., El-Shazly, M., Stocker, J., Chou, C.-K., Hwang, T.-L., Wu, Y.-C., Chen, B.-H., & Chang, F.-R. (2016). Anti-allergic potential of Typhonium blumei: Inhibition of degranulation via suppression of PI3K/PLCγ2 phosphorylation and calcium influx. Phytomedicine, 23(14), 1706–1715. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2016.10.011
  32. Krömer, T., Acebey, A. R., Armenta-Montero, S., & Croat, T. B. (2019). Diversity, Distribution, and Conservation Status of Araceae in the State of Veracruz, Mexico. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 104(1). https://doi.org/10.3417/2018214
  33. Maatalah, M., Kambouche, N., Bellahouel, S., Merah, B., Fortas, Z., Soulimani, R., Saidi, S., & Derdour, A. (2012). Antimicrobial activity of the alkaloids and saponin extracts of Anabasis articulate. E3 Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, 3, 54
  34. Maretta, D., Sobir, Helianti, I., Purwono, & Santosa, E. (2020). Genetic diversity in Eddoe Taro (Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum) from Indonesia based on morphological and nutritional characteristics. Biodiversitas, 21(8), 3525–3533. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d210814
  35. Marsely, B., Utami, S., & Murningsih, M. (2024). Keanekaragaman Jenis Tumbuhan Semak di KHDTK Wanadipa Kabupaten Semarang, Jawa Tengah. Jurnal Ilmu Lingkungan, 22(6), 1388–1393. https://doi.org/10.14710/jil.22.6.1388-1393
  36. Maryanto, S., Mulyasari, I., & Wardhani, A. S. W. (2023). Development of local food Suweg (Amorphophallus Paeoniifolius Dennst) as a high nutritional value snack. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2683(1), 40010. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0125034
  37. Mayo, S., Bogner, J., & Boyce, P. (1997). The genera of Araceae. R. Bot. Gards, Kew
  38. Mutaqin, A. Z., Kurniadie, D., Iskandar, J., Nurzaman, M., & Partasasmita, R. (2020a). Ethnobotany of suweg, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius: Utilization and cultivation in West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 21(4), 1635–1644. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d210444
  39. Mutaqin, A. Z., Kurniadie, D., Iskandar, J., Nurzaman, M., & Partasasmita, R. (2020b). Ethnobotany of suweg (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius): Folk classification, habitat, and traditional conservation in Cisoka Village, Majalengka District, Cimanuk Watershed Region, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 21(2)
  40. Netam, U., Thakur, P., Singh, B., & Kar, S. (2022). Morphological characterization of Taro [Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum (L.) Schott.] Genotypes. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 11(2), 2070–2076
  41. Nugraha, A. S., Agustina, R. P., Mirza, S., Rani, D. M., Winarto, N. B., Triatmoko, B., Pratama, A. N., Keller, P. A., & Wangchuk, P. (2022). Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Medicinal Plants Used by the Tenggerese Society in Java Island of Indonesia. In Molecules (Vol. 27, Issue 21). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27217532
  42. Oktavianingsih, L., Suharyanto, E., Daryono, B. S., & Purnomo, P. (2017). Traditional Usages of Taro (Colocasia spp.) by Ethnic Communities in Borneo. Biosaintfika, 9(2), 248–256. https://doi.org/10.15294/biosaintifika.v9i2.9956
  43. Parham, S., Kharazi, A. Z., Bakhsheshi-Rad, H. R., Nur, H., Ismail, A. F., Sharif, S., RamaKrishna, S., & Berto, F. (2020). Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiviral Properties of Herbal Materials. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 9(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9121309
  44. Rahmadani, L. D., & Santoso. (2025). Analysis of the Utilization of Araceae Plants Found in Pino Masat District, South Bengkulu Regency. Journal of Biological Sciences Education, 1(1), Pages 61-71
  45. Rahman, M. A., Solaiman, M., Haque, M. E., & Das, A. K. (2011). Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Alocasia indica (Roxb.) Schott. Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine, 11(3), 143–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-011-0027-1
  46. Sakti, A. S. (2021). Etnofarmakologi Dunia: Tiongkok (Traditional Chinese Medicine), India (Ayurvedic Medicine), dan Timur Tengah (Unani Medicine). CV Bintang Semesta Media
  47. Shimul Banik, S. B., Ibrahim, M., Amin, M. N., Moghal, M. M. R., Majumder, M. S., Alam, M. K., Anonna, S. N., & Rashed, M. S. U. (2014). Determination of biological properties of Alocasia macrorrhizos: a medicinal plant. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 3(9 PP-Maroua), 193–210
  48. Sianipar, E. A. (2021). The Potential of Indonesian Traditional Herbal Medicine as Immunomodulatory Agents: A Review. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 12(10), 5229–5237. https://doi.org/10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.12(10).5229-37
  49. Silletta, A., Mancuso, A., d’Avanzo, N., Cristiano, M. C., & Paolino, D. (2024). Antimicrobial Compounds from Food Waste in Cosmetics. In Cosmetics (Vol. 11, Issue 5). https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics11050151
  50. Sujarwo, W., Caneva, G., & Zuccarello, V. (2020). Patterns of plant use in religious offerings in Bali (Indonesia). Acta Botanica Brasilica, 34(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-33062019abb0110
  51. Sun, W., & Shahrajabian, M. H. (2023). Therapeutic Potential of Phenolic Compounds in Medicinal Plants—Natural Health Products for Human Health. In Molecules (Vol. 28, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041845
  52. Suyoko, E., Pandiangan, D., Tumbol, M., Nainggolan, N., Nainggolan, E., Putri, V., & Nainggolan, G. (2024). The Effectiveness of Porang (Amorphophallus oncophyllus) Powder Solution on Healing Inflammation of The Stomach of Wistar Rats (Rattus norvegicus) induced with Acetic Acid. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 11, 465–472
  53. Wahidah, B., Afiati, N., & Jumari, J. (2021). Community knowledge of Amorphophallus muelleri Blume: Cultivation and utilization in Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 22(7), 2731–2738. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d220722
  54. Wahidah, B. F., Afiati, N., & Jumari. (2022). Ecological role and potential extinction of Amorphophallus variabilis in Central Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 23(4), 1765–1773. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d230407
  55. War, A. R., Paulraj, M. G., Ahmad, T., Buhroo, A. A., Hussain, B., Ignacimuthu, S., & Sharma, H. C. (2012). Mechanisms of plant defense against insect herbivores. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 7(10), 1306–1320. https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.21663
  56. Wilyasari, R. S., Yulianty, Zulkifli, & Nurcahyani, E. (2020). Morphological Characteristics of

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2026-07-18 02:55:25

No citation recorded.