Ethnomedicinal plants used for digestive system disorders by the Karen of northern Thailand

This study aimed at documenting the plants used to cure and prevent different types of digestive system disorders by Karen people of Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. Ethnomedicinal data were collected from six key informants and 172 non-specialist informants regarding their traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. Quantitative approaches were used to determine Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Fidelity Level (FL) values. The study revealed that 36 medicinal plant species were used to treat digestive system disorders. The most prevalent plant families were Zingiberaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Fabaceae. Leaves were the most commonly used plant part, followed by the bark. About 60% of the administrations were given orally by potion and consumption as food was also indicated (14%).