INTRODUCTION

Plants possessing medicinal values are widely used by people of different ethnic origins in Sabah. apart from Chinese medicinal plants introduced by traditional Chinese druggists, the uses of these plants are not well documented. Nevertheless, as the flora of Sabah is intimately allied to those of adjacent areas, particularly within the phytogeographical province of West Malaysia, monumental works such s those of Burkill (1935), Burkill and Mohamed (1930), Diguango (1959), Gimlette and Thomson (1951) are important references for the students of indigenous medicinal plants in Sabah. With the provision of better medicinal facilities, medicinal plants have lost much of its significance among the villagers. The great amount of knowledge gained through trial and error by the villagers will be lost if the uses if these plants are not recorded before western medicine completely supersedes folklore drugs.

INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH IN MEDICINAL PLANTS

The lack of laboratory and library facilities and the shortage of well-trained researchers are the main factors which have contributed to the scarcity of research in the chemistry and uses in pharmacy and medicine of medicinal plants in Sabah. Nevertheless, several institutions in Sabah have shown interest in research in medicinal plants. The Botany and Chemistry Sections of the Forest Research Centre are trying to obtain as such much data as possible on the uses and chemical contents of medicinal plants of Sabah. Ethnobotanical research, including the use of medicinal plants by various races in Sabah, is carried out by Sabah Museum, which has also embarked on a project to develop an ethnobotanical garden. The Biology Unit of the Faculty of Science and Natural Resources of the National University of Malaysia, Sabah Campus, has carried out preliminary investigation on some traditional medicinal plants of Sabah (Guntavid, 1983). Several papers on phytochemical survey of the plants of Sabah have also been published (Arthur, 1953; Weber, 1983). In addition, several individuals including professionals herbalists and amateurs have extensive experience in the use of medicinal plants.

MARKET OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN SABAH

To date, more than 90% of medicinal herbs in the Sbah market are imported. Together with other drugs, all imported medicinal plants are inspected by pharmacists of the Medical Services Department during declaration at the Customs. There is little standardisation and quality control of the imported drugs, and the herbal practitioners have to put their trust in their suppliers, with whom they have been dealing for decades. Very few local medicinal plants are sold in the market due to the fact that the the properties of many local plants are not known, ant that there is no dealer of local medicinal plants. Medicinal plants are only occasionally collected by villagers for sale. Experience has shown that medicinal plants grown in the tropic are usually inferior compared with those in temperate regions, especially for plants of which the bark and underground organs such as roots, bulbs, corms and rhizomes are used. The accumulation of food reserves which probably include the physiologically active substances I there organs is maximum during autumn, and this accounts for the high content of active ingredients of drugs collected by experienced collectors in temperate regions.

CONCLUSION

Research in medicinal plants in Sabah is still in its infancy. More effort should be geared towards compiling a complete record of traditional medicines used by the people of Sabah, particularly the villagers, as modernization will be the foundation for future chemical and pharmaceutical research. Needles to say, conservation of the tropical rainforest which are the paradise of the state’s diverse biota, including plants and animals of potential medicinal value, is another measure which ought to be taken to ensure adequate supply of materials for this field of research.

REFERENCES

Arthur, H.R 1954 - A phytochemical survey of some plants of North Borneo. Jour. Pharm. Parmacol. 6: 66-72.

Burkill, I.H 1935 - Dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula 2 vols. 2402 pp. London.

Burkill, I.H. &  Mohamed, H. 1930 - Malay village medicine. Gard. Bull. Strait Settle . 6 : 165-321.

Diguangco, J. 1959 - Notes on Philippines medicinal plants. 146 pp. Manila.

Gimlette, J.D. & Thomson, H.W 1939 - A dictionary of Malayan medicine, 3^rd ed. 257 pp. London, New  York and Toronto.

Guntavid, J.P 1983 - Tinjauan awal tumbuh-tumbuhan ubatan tradisional Negeri Sabah. Observation on traditional medicinal plants of Sabah. B.Sc. (Hons) Thesis, Univ. Kebangsaan Malaysia, Sabah Campus (unpublished).

Quisumbing, E. 1951 - Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Dept. Agr. Nat. Resources, Tech. Bull. 16 : 1-1234 .

Weber, J.F. Collaborative research project on phytochemistry. Universiti Malaya, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (unpublished).