Ethnomedicinal plants used for the prevention and treatment of anemia in the Philippines: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants are still used in developing countries, including the Philippines, to treat common diseases in the community. Anemia is a common disease encountered in the community. It is characterized by a lower-than-normal level of red blood cell count. This systematic review identified the medicinal plants used for anemia treatment in the Philippines. METHODS: The study was conducted based on the PRISMA flow diagram, starting with a data search on electronic databases. The collected studies were screened based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The necessary information was extracted from the eligible research papers, and the studies’ quality was assessed through a developed quality assessment tool. RESULTS: A total of 20 ethnobotanical studies on medicinal plants used for anemia treatment were obtained from different provinces within the 12 regions of the Philippines. Most ethnobotanical studies were conducted in Region X (Northern Mindanao), CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region), and Region XIII (CARAGA), Philippines. The most common plant family is Convovulaceae, with nine records (21.95%), followed by Cucurbitaceae, with six records (14.63%), and Moringaceae, with five records (12.2%). The most common plant part used was the leaves. Others involved mixing different plant parts, with fruits and leaves being the most common combination. The most common route of administration utilized was drinking the decoction, followed by eating the plant. Most medicinal plants used to treat anemia in the Philippines had records of toxicologic (four species, 15.38%) or teratogenic (one species, 3.85%) properties. Eight plant species were reported as nontoxic (30.77%). In addition, ten plant species (38.46%) had no data on toxicity or teratogenicity. CONCLUSION: There were only 20 ethnobotanical studies that documented the use of plants in treating anemia in the Philippines. This study listed several medicinal plants used in treating anemia in the Philippines. However, pharmacological and toxicological studies are still needed to determine their safety and efficacy in treating anemia in the community. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41182-023-00515-x.