Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40314322›Full record

ReviewPharmaceutical biology2025

Medicinal plants of Sabah (North Borneo): lest we forget.

Carynn Tanbuda, Mazdida Sulaiman, Pauline Yong Pau Lin, Nor Azizun Rusdi, Jaya Sathiya Seelan, Ng Shean Yeaw, Fiffy Hasnidah Saikim, Mogana Rajagopal, Nicholas Pang Tze Ping, Melanie Martos Garcia and 5 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Pharmaceutical biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Carynn TanbudaInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Mazdida SulaimanDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Pauline Yong Pau LinUnit for Ethnography Research and Development, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Nor Azizun RusdiInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Jaya Sathiya SeelanInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Ng Shean YeawInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Fiffy Hasnidah SaikimInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Mogana RajagopalFaculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Nicholas Pang Tze PingFaculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Melanie Martos GarciaCollege of Health Sciences, Mapua Malayan College Mindanao, Matina, Davao, Philippines.
Jhonnel VillegasFaculty of Education and Teacher Training, Davao Oriental State University, Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines.
Shari JeffriSabah Society, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Veeranoot NissapatornSchool of Allied Health Sciences, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
Mark S ButlerMSBChem Consulting, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Christophe WiartInstitute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextThe discovery of plants and bioactive compounds with the potential to become botanical or pharmaceutical drugs remains a cornerstone of drug innovation. Many of these valuable molecules originate from traditional botanical pharmacopeias, repositories of centuries-old knowledge that are often underappreciated in modern research.

objectiveThis review highlights the medicinal plants identified in Sabah from 1922 to 2024, analyzing their taxonomical distribution, uses, utilization among ethnic groups, and their potential for clinical uses.

methodsThe data for this review were gathered from Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PubMed, the Internet Archive, and Google Books. A keyword combination of "Medicinal" and "Plants" and "Sabah" yielded 21,700 results. Each result was examined, and articles that did not contain information relevant to the topic or came from non-peer-reviewed journals were excluded. Each of the remaining 87 selected articles was critically reviewed to extract pertinent information.

resultsA review of the available data indicates that 696 plant species are used in Sabah, including 412 angiosperms. These plants are primarily utilized to treat diseases or symptoms related to infections, digestive issues, injuries, and pains. Notably, 156 species employed by local Sabahan Dusunic, Murutic, and Kelabit ethnic groups remain unstudied in terms of their phytochemical and pharmacological properties, highlighting their potential for further investigation.

conclusionSabah's medicinal plants offer tremendous potential for discovering natural products of therapeutic value.

Indexed as

Plant ExtractsPlants, MedicinalAnimalsBorneoHumansMedicine, TraditionalPhytochemicalsPhytotherapyPhytochemicalsPlant ExtractsAustronesiansdrug discoveryethnopharmacologymedicinal plantsNorth BorneoSabah

Identifiers

PMID40314322
PMCPMC12051592

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.