Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Iranun ethnic along the downstream of Keguraan river, Kota Belud, Sabah

This ethnobotanical study was conducted to document the medicinal plants that used to treat various ailments among Iranun community along the downstream of Keguraan River in Kota Belud, Sabah. There were four villages selected as the study area includes Kg. Rampayan Ulu, Kg Rampayan Laut, Kg. Nanamun and Kg. Kayu Putih which majorly lived by Iranun ethnic. The ethnobotanical data were collected through guided field walk and semi-structured interview with the practitioners and knowledge-able elders. A total of 53 plants species were discovered useful to local Iranun traditional includes their life form, harvesting methods, plants parts used, preparation method, administration routes and ailments they treated. The identified plants were constituted of 1 Phylum, 2 Classes, 9 Sub-classes, 26 Orders, 31 Families and 51 Species. The Use Value (UVs) index was employed to determine the relative importance of each medicinal plant. The results obtained from this study are worth being further investigated to validate the local Iranun indigenous knowledge scientifically and assist in conservation priorities.