Ethnobotany
Throughout Southeast Asia, and particularly in Borneo, Nepenthes plants have been utilized by native peoples for a variety of purposes. Perhaps the most widespread use is of the long climbing vines as cordage. These are stripped of their leaves and bark and used to tie bundles of wood or even in longhouse construction, and they are very durable.
In Sarawak, the pitchers of several species of Nepenthes are often collected for use as rice cooking containers. The general procedure is to first wash out the pitcher contents and remove the peristome, then fill it with uncooked rice. The pitcher is then sewn shut with a small stick and placed in a pot with coconut milk and boiled until cooked. Another method is to smear mud on the outside of the pitcher and hang it over the coals of a fire, allowing the rice to slowly cook inside.
A number of medicinal uses have been attributed to Nepenthes, ranging from treatments for incontinence to leukemia, but few have received pharmacological research.
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Collecting the strong vines of Nepenthes.
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Pitcher of N. ampullaria being prepared for cooking.
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