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Family • Cyperaceae
Malalubigan
Mapania cuspidata (Miq.) Uittien

Scientific names Common names
Lepironia cuspidata Miq. Babakal (Sub.)
Lepidstachya praemorsa Zipp. ex Miq. Maribari (S. L. Bis.)
Mapania cuspidata (Miq.). Uittien Malalubigan (Tag.)
Mapania humulis F.-Vill.  
Mapania inopinata (Miq.). Uittien  
Mapania lucida N.E.Br.  
Mapania petiolata C.B.Clarke  
Mapania platyphylla Merr.  
Mapania stolinifera Uittien  
Mapania triquetra Ridl.  
Pandanophyllum wendkabduu auct.  
Mapania humilis F.-Vill. is a synonym of Mapania cuspidata (Miq.) Uittien The Plant List
Mapania cuspidata (Miq.) Uittien is an accepted name. The Plant List
Lubigan is a common name shared by (1) Acorus calamus, and (2) Mapania humilis, Malalubigan.

Other vernacular names
INDONESIAN: Parang hantu, Parang hantu putih, Daung sangkor.
MALAYSIA: Siak-siak rimba, sempit (peninsular), penawar fatimah (sarawak), Pandan tikus
OTHERS: Pompo onan.

Botany
Malalubigan is a plant with short rhizomes, obliquely descending, and passing upwards into a short stem terminated by a crown of densely equitant leaves. Leaves are 30 to 90 centimeters long, 2.5 to 4 centimeters wide. Scapes are axillary in the lower leaves, 5 to 12 centimeters long, clothed by scales at the base. Inflorescences, when young, are oblong, and when mature, ovoid.

Distribution
- In damp primary forests at low and medium altitudes throughout the Philippines.
- Native range is Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand to New Guinea.
- Also occurs in the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago.

Constituents
- In a study of five different Mapania species, ten group flavonoid compounds were identified viz. 5-deoxyisoflavones, isoflavones, chalcone, flavanones, anthocyanins, flavone glycoside, flavones, flavonols, glycosylflavones and aurones. (see study below) (5)

Properties
- Antibacterial, antidiarrheal, febrifuge.

Parts used
Leaves.

Uses
Folkloric
- Leaves used as a remedy for fever.
- In Malaysia, used for fever; also, as tonic and antidote. (1) Used for dysentery. (6)
- Used for dysentery. (2)
- In Malaysia, root decoction used for treatment after childbirth; leaves used to treat diarrhea. (3)
- In Indonesia, used for treatment of heartache. (8)
- In Sarawak, leaves and roots are burned, mixed with coconut oil, and used for treatment of of poisonous caterpillar stings. (9)

Studies
• Antibacterial: Study evaluated the leaves and rhizomes of five different Mapania species. M. cuspidata var petiolata showed the highest inhibition zone (1.4 cm) among all the species with MIC of 0.125 mg/ml in both E. coli 0157:H7 and B. cereus ATTC 33019. The leaves showed higher inhibition than the rhizomes. (5)

Availability
Wild-crafted.

Updated May 2020 / October 2017 / October 2015
                                                 PHOTOS / ILLUSTRATIONS
IMAGE SOURCE: / Mapania cuspidata / Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Oct. 2002. -- Scott Zona / Creative Commons Attribution / Click on image to go to source page / flickr
OTHER IMAGE SOURCE: / Mapania cuspidata (Miq.) Uittien [as Mapania lucida N.E. Br.] / Illustration horticole, vol. 32: t. 557 (1885) / Creative Commons Attribution / /PlantIllustrations
Additional Sources and Suggested Readings
(1)
Mapania cuspidata / Asia Medicinal Plants
(2)
Antimicrobial screening of plants used for traditional medicine in the state of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia /
C. Wiart, S. Mogana, S. Khalifah, M. Mahan, S. Ismail, M. Buckle, A.K. Narayana, M. Sulaiman / Fitoterapia, 2004; 75: pp 68–73 / https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fitote.2003.07.013
(3)
The Use of Medicinal Plant Species by the Temuan Tribe of Ayer Hitam Forest, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia / FARIDAH HANUM and NURULHUDA HAMZAH / Pertanika J. Trap. Agric. Sci., 1999, 22(2): pp 85-94
(4)
Mapania cuspidata / Synonyms / The Plant List
(5)
Preliminary study of antibacterial properties in Mapania / Nur Syauqina Syasya Binti Mohd Yusoff / Thesis / Plant Resource Science and Technology Department of Plant Science and Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
(6)
Antimicrobial screening of plants used for traditional medicine in the state of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia / C. Wiarta,* et al / Fitoterapia, 2004: 75: pp 68–73
(7)
Mapania cuspidata / Plants of the World online / Kew science
(8)
The ecology use and local knowledge of medicinal plants in Nanga Juoi West Kalimantan Indonesia / Izefri Chaniago / Dissertation, 1996 / University of Montana
(9)
Medicinal plants used by various ethnic groups in Sarawak / B A Fasihuddin and Laily B Din / Malaysian Journal of Science, 1999; 18: pp 7-11

                                                                          DOI
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                                                            List of Understudied Philippine Medicinal Plants

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