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A Folk Herbalist’s Use of Medicinal Plants in Feni District, Bangladesh

Janifer Kalam
Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative, Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Md Shamim Bappy
Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mohammed Rahmatullah*
Professor
Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative, Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A folk herbalist (FH) is generally considered a folk medicinal practitioner with a small repertoire of medicinal plants or who practices folk medicine on a part-time basis. Usually, FHs do not treat a large number of diseases, but occasionally they would use a known plant for a novel therapeutic purpose. The objective of this study was to document the therapeutic uses of plants by a FH in Feni district, Bangladesh. The FH was observed to use only 6 plants distributed into 6 families, which plants were used for treatment of pyorrhea, gastrointestinal problems, pain, diabetes, urinary tract infections, fever and coughs.

Keywords: Phytotherapy, Folk herbalist, Feni, Bangladesh

Location: Feni district, Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-00-2017

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

The objective of the present study was to document the use of plants for therapeutic purposes by an FH from Feni district, Bangladesh.

Methodology:

The documentation was carried out in 2017 with a male FH named Kamal Uddin practicing in Abdul Nabi village in Feni district, Bangladesh. Prior Informed Consent was first obtained from the FH. He was told about the nature of our visit. Actual interviews were conducted in the Bengali language, which was spoken fluently by the FH as well as the interviewers. The interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method of Martin and Maundu. In this method the FH took the interviewers on guided field-walks through areas from where he collected his medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. All plant specimens were photographed and collected on the spot, pressed, dried and brought back to Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka for identification. Voucher specimens were also deposited with the Medicinal Plant Collection Wing of the University of Development Alternative.

Source of Information: Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies 2018; 6(2): 175-177

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The above discussion suggests that the FH did not use plants indiscriminately for therapeutic purposes. Instead, all his plants can be taken as scientifically validated in their therapeutic uses from available pharmacological studies. This does not automatically qualify a plant as a drug; bio-active components need to be isolated and identified, toxicological studies need to be carried out, clinical trials need to be performed. But the results clearly point out that plants have been and still can be potential sources of useful drugs.

Knowledge Management: Journal