Socio-demographic Profile of Traditional Health Practitioners (Managtambal) Using Herbal Plants in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Northern Philippines

Abstract

The study aims to know the socio-demographic profile of traditional health practitioners of Bolinao, Pangasinan which will serve as baseline data for future correlation studies on cultural transmission and erosion involving ethnobotanical knowledge. Survey method was used in the study with 19 respondents which were purposively sampled. Socio-demographic characters such as sex, age, civil status, education, primary occupation, religion, number of children, and number of years practicing traditional healing were recorded. Results showed that they are mostly male, have the age of 60 and above, married, elementary graduates, Catholic, have more than three children, have 16-20 years of experience in traditional healing and have the primary occupation of fishing. It was revealed also in the study that the presence of deployed barangay health workers discouraged the consultation of folks to traditional health practitioners although herbalists were documented as such.