Reconstruction and Scientific Explanation of Akar Kuning (Arcangelisia flava Merr.) From West Sumatra as Ethnomedicine and Source of Science Learning

Abstract

Indonesia is one of the countries that has the largest tropical forest land in the world, this makes Indonesia rich in diversity of flora and fauna. This diversity produces a variety of cultures, traditions and local wisdom. One of the local wisdoms of the people of West Sumatra is the use and utilization of the biodiversity around it as a medicine for various diseases. The type of medicinal plant that is the focus of this research is the type of Akar Kuning plant (Arcangelisia flava Merr.). This research is an educational research conducted using an ethnoscience approach, meaning that it is based on the indigenous knowledge of the local community. This study aims to reconstruct knowledge from a cultural / community perspective in the health sector. which later will become a knowledge with scientific explanation. The data were obtained through direct observation to the research location regarding indigenous knowledge about the Akar Kuning plant and also based on laboratory test data on antibacterial activity carried out in the biology laboratory of Semarang State University. All data obtained will be analyzed and also strengthened by various sources. The analysis concluded that the Akar Kuning (Arcangelisia flava Merr.) Plant contains bioactive compounds that act as antibacterials, thus inhibiting bacterial growth. This is evidenced by the inhibition zone diameter data produced during laboratory tests showing the results that the Yellow Root plant extract (Arcangelisia flava Merr.) Key words: Reconstruction, Akar Kuning (Arcangelisia flava Merr.), Scientific explanation, Ethnoscience.