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A Survey on the Use of Medicinal Plants by Folk Medicinal Practitioners in Five Villages of Boalia Sub-district, Rajshahi District, Bangladesh

Mohammed Rahmatullah
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Md. Ariful Haque Mollik
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mst. Afsana Khatun
Dept. of Pharmacy, Lincoln College, Mayang Plaza, Block A, No 1, Jalan SS 26/2, Taman Mayang Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Rownak Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Anita Rani Chowdhury
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Syeda Seraj
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Dilruba Nasrin
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Zubaida Khatun
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in the villages of Muktarpur, Shyampur, Belgharia, Naodar, and Yusufpur situated in Boalia sub-district, Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. The objective of this survey was to find out about medicinal plants used by the folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) of the five villages to treat various ailments. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes prior to the survey. Interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method, where the Kavirajes took the interviewers to places from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. It was observed that the Kavirajes used a total of 48 plants distributed into 30 families. The Fabaceae family contributed 5 plants, followed by the Euphorbiaceae and Meliaceae families with 4 plants each, and the Combretaceae and Lamiaceae families with 3 plants each. Of the 48 medicinal plants used, 13 plants were cultivated for homestead use or commercial purposes. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (27.6%), followed by fruits (15.3%), and seeds (14.3%). Other plant parts administered for treatment included whole plant, roots, stems, barks, flowers, and tubers. Gastrointestinal disorders made up the major ailment treated by the Kavirajes, followed by skin disorders and respiratory tract disorders. The Kavirajes also treated ailments like reproductive disorders, hepatic disorders, cardiovascular disorders and hypertension, sexually transmitted diseases, cancer, helminthiasis, edema, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, urinary tract disorders, nerve disorders, typhoid, eye disorders, leprosy, pain, hernia, goiter, anemia, cuts and wounds, and piles. Several of the above disorders are difficult to cure or incurable with modern allopathic medicines. These ailments include cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and epilepsy. That the Kavirajes have been treating these ailments for years points to considerable patient satisfaction in obtaining a cure. Thus the plants used by the Kavirajes present considerable potential for further scientific analysis and the discovery of better medicines.

Keywords: Folk medicine, Medicinal plants, Boalia, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Location: The villages of Muktarpur, Shyampur, Belgharia, Naodar, and Yusufpur situated in Boalia sub-district, Rajshahi district, Bangladesh.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

The objective of this present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of Muktarpur, Shyampur, Belgharia, Naodar, and Yusufpur villages of Boalia sub-district in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh.

Methodology:

Rajshahi district lies in the north-west of Bangladesh. The climate of this district is characterized by monsoons, moderate temperature, high humidity and moderate rainfall. Boalia sub-district is one of the thirteen sub-districts of Rajshahi district. The villages of Muktarpur, Shyampur, Belgharia, Naodar, and Yusufpur fall within Boalia sub-district. The main occupation of the village population is agriculture and agricultural laborer. To access any modern health facilities or visit a specialized doctor, the people of the villages has to go to Rajshahi city. Most people prefer to treat their ailments through visiting the local Kavirajes as a first-stop measure. Kaviraj Nitai Chandra (who was the main source of our information) and his associates are well known in the above-mentioned villages and even practices in Rajshahi city, where he also administers to a substantial number of patients. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes prior to commencement of survey. Interviews were carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided filed-walk method as described by Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers on field-walks through areas from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. All information obtained including the local names of plants was cross-checked with the Kavirajes in later sessions. Plant specimens were collected and dried in the field and brought back to Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka for complete identification.

Source of Information: Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences, 4(1): 39-44, 2010 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

When the differences between treatments of completely different ailments with the same plant by different Kavirajes in different areas of Bangladesh are taken into account, a comprehensive survey of the use of medicinal plants pertaining to the whole country cannot be over-emphasized. Terminalia arjuna is used in Boalia sub-district villages for treatment of hypertension, anemia, and leprosy, while it is used for treatment of erectile dysfunction in Bagha sub-district. Experimental studies have shown that the bark of this plant has considerable inotropic and hypotensive effects thus increasing coronary artery flow and protecting myocardium against ischemic damage (Dwivedi, S., 2007). However, other pharmacological activities of the plant related to its folkloric use are yet to be identified. The same is true for many other plants obtained in the present survey, pharmacological activity studies of which are yet to be carried out. At the same time, a survey of the scientific literature suggests that the uses of a number of plants by the Kavirajes are validated by scientific evidence. The medicinal plants used in the folk medicinal system of Bangladesh thus presents considerable potential for further scientific studies and discovery of newer drugs, more so, because our survey indicated considerable patient satisfaction with the Kavirajes’ mode of treatment.

Knowledge Management: Journal