SURVEY ON THE COMPOSITION AND VALUE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS FOR TREATING EYE DISEASES ACCORDING TO THE EXPERIENCE OF THE KHMU ETHNIC COMMUNITY IN SOP COP SPECIAL-USE FOREST, PROTECTION AREA, SON LA PROVINCE

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the composition of medicinal plants used by the Khmu ethnic community to treat eye diseases in the Special - use Forest, Sop Cop Protection Area, Son La province. Using traditional botanical research methods, it was conducted from July 2023 to March 2025. The results obtained 41 medicinal plant species belonging to 37 genera, 24 families of the Magnolia phylum. There are 4 families with the most species. 10 species have UV ≥ 0.80. The life form of plants used to treat eye diseases is constructed as follows: SB = 46.34Ph + 14.63Th +12.20Cr + 9.76Hm + 4.88Ch. Regarding geographical factors, there are 5 main geographical factors: the highest is tropical accounting for 60.98%, followed by Intertropical accounting for 17.07%, paleotropical, temperate and cultivated land accounting for 7.32%. The habitat of plant species is mainly in home garden habitat (symbol e) where the highest number of species is recorded, with 22 species (accounting for 53.66%) followed by swidden fields (h) with 9 species (21.95%); impacted forests (a) and rice fields are habitats with 8 species (19.51%); Finally, shrubland (c) with 4 species (accounting for 9.76%), limestone mountain forests (b) are the habitats that record the lowest number of species, with only 3 species (accounting for 7.31%). The medicinal plants used by the Khmu ethnic group are different to treat 11 groups of diseases, of which the medicinal plants used to treat pink eye account for the highest proportion of species, 16 species (39.02%). The parts used to make tobacco are the most used, accounting for 48.78%. The distribution of medicinal plants is in habitats such as: forests, fields, roadsides, home gardens, shrub beds, and moist streams. One medicinal plant species (accounting for 2.44%) has been identified as being at risk of being threatened, listed in the Vietnam Red Book (2007) and in Decree 84/2021/ND-CP. This is a species with a small number of individuals, so priority policies for conservation and development are needed.