Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, progressive, incompletely understood metabolic condition chiefly characterized by hyperglycemia. This research aims to document and preserve the use of ethnomedicine to treat DM by people in the Tegalwaru Region, Karawang, West Java, Indonesia. Fieldwork was carried out from November to December 2025 using direct interviews, questionnaires, and discussions. Plant species are identified based on standard taxonomic methods, flower morphological characteristics, and where possible, using samples for comparison, as well as consultation with experts and the literature. The plant types obtained were grouped into families according to the Cronquist classification system. Plant names were checked against the Plant List (www.plantlist.org) and the International Plant Name Index (www.ipni.org). This research reports that 30 plant species are commonly used by people in the Tegalwaru Region to treat DM. Among the various plant parts used, leaves (63.3%) are most frequently used in making medicines, followed by rhizomes (13.3%), fruit (6.7%), flowers (6.7%), stem, rind, and seed (respectively 3.3%). Meanwhile, the most frequently used preparation methods were decoction (76.7%) and infusion (23.3%). The results of this research confirm that people in the Tegalwaru Region still rely heavily on medicinal plants for their health care system, especially for the treatment of DM with the most frequently used parts of the leaves and their use in decoctions and infusions.
Ahmad Fauzi, Diana Karlina, Faiza Nashita Warda Marwa, Fitrah Nurfitriani, Indri Rahmawati, Lutvia Ramadhina, Muhammad Andrea Setiawan, Nidah Amelia, Rifki Syarif, Sinta Nurjanah, Talitha Yusepha Oktaviani, Tarradiva Rosita Fitri, Jingga Damayanti Iskandar, Rayninda Illysa Haqqi, Nazwa Mutiara Wulandari, Elsa Suci Ocviamida, Maulana Yusuf Alkandahri* (Fri,) studied this question.