Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

A Comparison of Medicinal Plant Usage by Folk Medicinal Practitioners of Two Adjoining Villages in Lalmonirhat District, Bangladesh

Farhana Israt Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Md. Rajib Ul Hasan
Beximco Pharmaceuticals, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh.

Rownak Jahan,
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Syeda Seraj
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Anita Rani Chowdhury
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Md. Tabibul Islam
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Zubaida Khatun
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Mohammed Rahmatullah
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1205, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) provide primary health care to the rural population of around 86,000 villages in Bangladesh. Every village has at least one or more practicing Kavirajes. The Kavirajes rely almost exclusively on medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. It was of interest to find out whether differences exist among the Kavirajes of the same as well as adjoining villages in the type of ailments treated and the species of medicinal plants used for treatment of any specific ailment. Interviews were conducted of the folk medicinal practitioners with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and using the guided field-walk method. Plant specimens as pointed out by the practitioners were collected and pressed on the field and identification completed at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. The survey was conducted among the five Kavirajes practicing in the adjoining villages of Uttar Musrat Madati and Kisasat Madati in Lalmonirhat district, Bangladesh. The five Kavirajes of the two surveyed villages used 85 plant species distributed in to 51 families for treatment of various ailments. While some similarity was noted in the plant species and formulations used for treatment of a specific ailment, overall, the Kavirajes differed considerably as to the selection of plants and the formulations used for treatment. Each Kaviraj also specialized in his own unique list of ailments, which ailments were not treated by the other Kavirajes. Each Kaviraj seemed to have his own unique repertoire of plant species for treatment of ailments, a knowledge which was not shared usually with other Kavirajes. Moreover, available scientific literature validated the traditional use of a number of plants and indicated that they can be potential sources of newer drugs.

Keywords: Asian medicine, CAM, Ethnomedicine, Infectious diseases, Pharmacology

Location: Two Adjoining Villages in Lalmonirhat district, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

The objective of the present study was not only to obtain knowledge on medicinal plants used by Kavirajes of two adjoining villages in Lalmonirhat district, Bangladesh but also to find out whether differences exist even within village level among practicing Kavirajes as to ailment(s) treated and the medicinal plants selected for treatment of any particular ailment.

Methodology:

Area of survey Lalmonirhat district is in the northern part of Bangladesh and falls roughly between 88^o 55' - 89^o 40' E and 25^o 40' - 26^o 30' N. The survey was conducted in the adjoining villages of Uttar Musrat Madati and Kisasat Madati. Both villages lie near the center of Lalmonirhat district and are adjacent to Nilphamari district on the west. The combined population of the two villages was about 2,000. The villages have a predominantly Muslim population but also contain a number of Hindu families. The main occupations of the people are agriculture and agricultural laborer (i.e. people who do not possess land of their own and work on other people’s land). Paddy, tobacco, maize, jute, wheat, potato and sugar cane are the principal crops grown by the people of the two villages surveyed along with cultivation of seasonal vegetables. Overall, the populations of the two villages are poor to middle income level, signifying an earning level of less than Bangladeshi Taka 25,000 per year (70 Bangladesh Taka = US $1). The villages also suffer from food scarcity twice during the year, which are locally known as the Boro (Greater) and the Choto (Lesser) Monga. The greater Monga occurs during the lean season preceding the harvest of paddy in the Bangla months of Ashwin and Kartik (mid-September to mid November), and the smaller Monga occurs during the lean season preceding the harvest of paddy in the Bangla months between Chaitra and Jaistha (mid-March to mid-June). Besides tradition, the poor income status of the people of these two villages together with the absence of modern medical facilities have made the people more dependent on folk medicinal practitioners (locally termed Kavirajes) for treatment of their various ailments.

Ethnobotanical methods A total of five Kavirajes practicing in Uttar Musrat Madati and Kisasat Madati villages were interviewed in the present survey. Cumulatively speaking, they formed the total number of Kavirajes practicing in these two villages. Of the five Kavirajes, Kaviraj 1-4 (Md. Abdul Aziz, Md. Mohubar, Md. Shafiuddin, and Ramzan Ali) practiced in Uttar Musrat Madati village, while Kaviraj 5 (Durgamohan Debnath) practiced in Kisasat Madati village. Kavirajes 1-4 were about 52-55 years old, whereas Kaviraj 5 was about 64 years old. Informed consent was obtained from each Kaviraj prior to the interviews. The Kavirajes were apprised as to the type of information wanted and further told that the collected information will be disseminated in national or international publications. The Kavirajes had no objections to the information being disseminated. Ethnobotanical methods like semi-structured interviews were employed to obtain the necessary information. Information was collected as to local names of plants, ailments treated, plants or plant parts used, formulations and dosages, and any other information which the Kavirajes consented to provide voluntarily. The basic method followed was that of Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). Briefly, in this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers on day time guided field-walks through areas from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. Kavirajes 1 and 5 had more than one acre of land around their homesteads where they cultivated various medicinal plants and used such plants in their practices. All information was cross-checked with the Kavirajes in later evening sessions. Interviews were conducted in Bengali, the language spoken by both Kavirajes and interviewers. Plant specimens were photographed, collected and dried on the spot and later brought to Dhaka for complete identification. Plant identifications were done by Mr. Manjur-ul-Kadir Mia, ex-Curator and Principal Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Medicinal Plant Collection Wing of the Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative where specimens from previous ethnomedicinal surveys were already preserved.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 5(1): 46-66, 2011 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

A number of medicinal plants observed to be used by the Kavirajes in the present survey are yet to be studied. The available scientific literatures on the few medicinal plants that have been studied as for any relevant activity in line with their traditional uses strongly validate such uses. Traditional forms of medicine have been neglected to a considerable extent since the advent of modern allopathic medicine. However, it is becoming increasingly evident that for newer and more efficacious drugs (to replace modern drugs with serious side-effects or against which resistance has grown), one has to turn back to the plant kingdom and their indigenous medicinal uses. The plants observed to be in use by the Kavirajes in the present survey can form a basis for future studies leading to discovery of lead compounds and novel therapeutics.

Knowledge Management: Journal