Ethnobotany is a discipline that studies the utilization and classification of plants. Indonesia’s diversity of ethnicities and cultures significantly contributes to the field of ethnobotany. Furthermore, the use of local plants as medicinal resources continues to be studied for alternative treatment. Three students from the Faculty of Biology UGM, namely Muhammad Hafid Dinata, Cinta Alivia Atha, and Erinda Putri, conducted a survey on the use of traditional Indonesian plants for skin or hair care. This activity was directly supervised by Woro Anindito Sri Tunjung, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Dr. Fajar Sofyantoro, S.Si., M.Sc., along with Khairul Anam, Ph.D., who served as the partner supervisor at BRIN. This activity is part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) in collaboration with the Applied Microbiology Research Center, BRIN, Bogor, Indonesia.
The survey was conducted from February to May 2023 through the Google Forms platform. Data analysis was performed using a qualitative descriptive method. The survey results show various types of traditional Indonesian plants commonly used for skin or hair care. Based on the results of this survey, it is hoped that the community will be able to enhance the utilization of plants in their surroundings and improve their understanding of the phytochemical content and benefits of these plants. This survey represents an initial step for researchers to make a positive contribution towards developing innovations in creating medicines from endemic Indonesian plant. Therefore, endemic Indonesian plants can be utilized as beneficial skin and hair care products for the community.
