A Culture Review of Unique Traditional Uses of Plants in Quezon Province, Philippines

The study aimed to document the unique traditional uses of plants in Tagkawayan. A descriptive method was utilized that employs an enhanced and adapted survey questionnaire as the interview guide in data gathering to 65 knowledgeable elders that are farmers, healers, forest dwellers and mothers. The study reveals 17 plants species that are uniquely prepared with medicinal and culinary purposes. Among the plant part used leaves are commonly prepared as medicine and plant fruits are used for food. Rituals and inclusion of special ingredients for plants preparation as food and alternative cure for common ailment was observed. This time honored practices of plants utilization are confined among the older generation due the transfer of knowledge by verbal means. So, a formal documentation will preserve and protect not only our plants diversity but also our cultural heritage. Which in the long run will benefit the young Filipinos who are engrossed mostly with the modern trends brought by technology and forgot the living legends of the old folk’s way of life. Further, the awareness of
plants medicinal values can provide new venues for drug development which are plant based, and biochemical analysis can also provide information on the efficacy of the plants. More so, adding special ingredients from old practices of food preparation to increase its nutritive values can be a basis for food innovations.
Keywords – ritual, special ingredients, leaflet, ethnobotan