Mid Sweden University

Background: Different indigenous peoples in the Philippines still utilize medicinal plants in treating gynecologic diseases. However, there is a lack of information regarding these medicinal plants used in treating gynecologic conditions in the Philippines. Hence, this systematic review compiled the available literature on medicinal plants used for gynecologic healthcare by various indigenous groups in the Philippines. Methods: Ethnobotanical studies that reported medicinal plants used for gynecologic diseases were obtained from OVID Medline, Scopus, and EBSCO CINAHL. A review of titles, abstracts, and articles was done independently by four reviewers. The quality of the studies was assessed using the quality assessment tool for ethnobotanical studies. Results: A total of 27 studies, including 98 different records, that cited the use of medicinal plants to treat gynecologic diseases were included in the qualitative synthesis. Most ethnobotanical studies were conducted in Northern Mindanao, Central Luzon, and Caraga, Philippines. The most common plant family, genus, and species were Fabaceae, Mimosa, and Mimosa pudica L., respectively. Leaves, roots, and stems were predominantly used, commonly prepared by decoction. Medicinal plants reported in ethnobotanical studies were widely used to treat dysmenorrhea (34 ssp.), irregular menstruation (28 spp.), myoma (four spp.), and infertility (four spp.). A significant proportion of medicinal plants used to treat gynecologic diseases in the Philippines had records of toxicologic (18 spp., 31.03%) or teratogenic (one sp., 1.72%) properties. Other species were reported as both nontoxic and toxic (five spp., 8.62%) and toxic and teratogenic (one sp., 1.72%). However, some were nontoxic or teratogenic (11 sp., 18.97%). In addition, 22 plant species had no data on toxicity or teratogenicity. Conclusion: This systematic review showed that medicinal plants and traditional healing practices are crucial in gynecologic healthcare in the Philippines.