Traditional Healing Plant Preserves Indonesia's Fragile Limestone Landscapes, Finds Hasanuddin University Study

MAKASSAR, Indonesia, July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Traditional medicinal knowledge is an integral part of Indonesia's rich biocultural heritage. Yet, much of the country's ethnomedicinal knowledge remains underexplored. Ficus septica, locally known as awar-awar or tobo-tobo, is a plant long valued by the Bugis–Makassar communities in South Sulawesi for its healing properties. Regarded as a "cooling" plant, F. septica is traditionally used to treat heat-related disorders, such as fever, inflammation, and wounds. Native to Indonesia's limestone karst landscapes, this species is increasingly studied across Southeast Asia. Despite its popularity, however, the relationship between its medicinal, biochemical, and ecological roles remains underexamined.

Researchers from Indonesia, led by Prof. Ahmad Ismail from Hasanuddin University, have now focused on F. septica's crucial role in preserving Indonesia's most diverse and fragile karst ecosystems. Their study was made available online on April 04, 2026, in the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. Speaking to us about the study rationale, Prof. Ismail says "By combining traditional knowledge with phytochemical and ecological evidence, we wanted to highlight how local healing practices can inform biocultural conservation."

The researchers interviewed five community knowledge holders, who described F. septica as a "cooling" medicine used to counter heat imbalance and shared its classification, preparation techniques, and cultural significance. Phytochemical profiling identified 54 bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, providing scientific support to its traditional medicinal uses.

Beyond its healing properties, the study found that F. septica is a pioneer species thriving in the harsh conditions of karst landscapes and contributing to soil stabilization, microhabitat formation, and frugivore-mediated seed dispersal networks, making it important for ecosystem regeneration.

These findings support multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 15 (Life on Land), as they highlight the need to protect biodiversity-rich limestone karst ecosystems. The study also advances SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by emphasizing the importance of traditional medicinal knowledge, cultural heritage, and community-based environmental stewardship.

Taken together, the study highlights how F. septica serves as a "biocultural feedback" system, where cultural knowledge, biochemical function, and ecosystem processes sustain one another. "Recognition of culturally significant plants like F. septica can play an important role in locally grounded and participatory ecological conservation plans," Prof. Ismail adds.

Reference
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-026-00896-3

Media contact:
Name: Prof. Ahmad Ismail
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +62 811-4190-702

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SOURCE Hasanuddin University