Learning Medicinal Plants in the Etnobotani School IPB
Kampong Legok Nyenang is in Bogor district, West Java. This kampong has potential to the area with abundant natural resources, especially medicinal plants. However, people in this Kampong had only limited formal education, therefore their knowledge on the use of medicinal plants is still limited, as they have never learned on medicinal plants.
The back to nature issue encouraged people to learn and understanding the with the surrounding natural resources, one of which is the vegetation. Every person or group of people have their own knowledge in using the plants around them such as medicinal plants, under plants, weeds, shrubs and other plants. The utilization of both forest and non-forest plants is necessary for economic and other cultural purposes, and is designated as medicine.
Accordingly, a group of students of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), namely Muhamad Yusuf, Yunaeni, Aditya Nugroho, and Indra Setiawan S, funded by Program Kreativitas Mahasiswa (PKM Student Creativity Program), organizing long-term training course on the utilization of medicinal plants through E-Coli (Etnobotani School IPB) program.
The E-Coli program had been conducted for 4 (four) months, starting from March to June 2017. The program had been carried out in MI AL Hidayah, Legok Nyenang village, Bogor, West Java, and was participated by 20 children. This program aims to educate children, especially MI Al-Hidayah students, on medicinal plants both in their knowledge and application in everyday life.
E-Coli was a community service program designed as media for informal education by applying EPA (Education, Practice, and Applicative) methods to provide knowledge and procedures to utilize medicinal plants as attractive as possible. E-Coli had been repackaged in Mini Medicinal Plant Laboratory in Elementary School, Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) Al-Hidayah, and covering Mini Toga Laboratory Module and facility and Ethobonic Game.
Through E-Coli, MI Al Hidayah students learned types of medicinal plants, their functions, and their utilization. Results of the 4 (four) – month informal education program proved increased the ability of children to understand the types and benefits of herbal medicine.
"Mini Toga laboratory has the potential to be developed for schools in Bogor district in particular, and Indonesia in general, as a medium of learning and consultation onmedicinal plants," said Yusuf. (Wied)
