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A Scientific Evaluation of Medicinal Plants Used in the Folk Medicinal System of Five Villages in NARSinghdi District, Bangladesh

Mohammed Rahmatullah*
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Lutfor Rahman
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Fatema Rehana
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Marjina Akter Kalpana
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, 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
Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road CB2 1PD, Cambridge, UK

M. Taufiq-ur-Rahman
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

A.B.M. Anwarul Bashar
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

A.K. Azad
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in five villages of Narsinghdi district, Bangladesh. It was observed that most village people rely on folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) for their primary health-care needs. The Kavirajes used medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. Following informed consent obtained from the Kavirajes, interviews were conducted of the Kavirajes with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. All plant species as pointed out by the Kavirajes were identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. A total of 41 plant species distributed into 27 families was found to be used by the Kavirajes of the five villages surveyed. The Asteraceae family, by itself, contributed five plant species. Leaves constituted the major plant part used for treatment of ailments (56.3%), followed by whole plant (18.8%), and bark (12.5%). Common ailments like gastrointestinal disorders, fever, respiratory tract diseases, and infections of the skin were mostly treated by the Kavirajes. 11 plant species were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, 9 plant species for treatment of cold, coughs, and respiratory problems, and 5 plant species for treatment of fungal infections of the skin. Other more complicated disorders treated by the Kavirajes included cardiovascular disorders, hepatic disorders, and diabetes. One plant species was used not for its curative properties but for its preventive properties. The Kavirajes advised periodic oral administration of root juice of Hibiscus vitifolius to cleanse kidneys and allow normal renal functioning. Overall, the plants present considerable potential for discovery of newer and more efficacious drugs, since a perusal of the scientific literature indicated that a number of medicinal plants obtained in the present survey are validated by scientific findings in their uses by the Kavirajes.

Keywords: Folk medicine, Medicinal plants, Narsinghdi, Bangladesh

Location: Five Villages in Narsinghdi 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 five villages in Narsinghdi district, which lies in the central part of Bangladesh and to compare the use of medicinal plants by the Kavirajes with findings obtained from a perusal of the scientific literature available on the plants. It was felt that to obtain more information on folk medicinal uses of medicinal plants, since village Kavirajes form the first tier of such information, it would be worthwhile to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among such village Kavirajes. The overall objective of our ongoing ethnomedicinal survey is to cover every region and tribe of Bangladesh such that a comprehensive picture of the folk medicinal practices of the whole country is obtained. It is to be noted that this is the first of its kind within the country.

Methodology:

Site Narsinghdi district is in the central part of Bangladesh and lies between 90^o 35 - 91^o 00 E and 23o 45 - 24^o 15 N. The district comprises an area of 1140.76 square kilometers; the annual average temperature ranges from a minimum of 12.7^o C to a maximum of 36^o C; the annual rainfall is around 2376 mm. Hills are present in the northern part of the district while the southern part mainly comprises of plain land. The main occupation of the district dwellers is agriculture, with industrial occupation forming only 2.2% of the work force. The main crops are paddy, jute, wheat, sugarcane and vegetables. The villages of Amlabo, Bajnabo, Choramlabo, Kabirpur, and Nobad lie within the district and were chosen as the sites for the present ethnomedicinal survey among village folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes).

Data Collection and Mode of Survey: There were five Kavirajes in the villages surveyed. Two of them were females and the rest males. Informed consent was obtained from all Kavirajes prior to the survey. The Kavirajes were explained as to the purpose of the visit and it was agreed that the information obtained may be disseminated both nationally and internationally. Survey was conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire; the basic method followed was the guided field-walk method as described by Martin (Martin, 1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers on field-walks through the areas from where they collected the plants, pointed out the plants and described their uses. Other relevant data were collected from the Kavirajes in evening sessions at time periods agreed to by the Kavirajes. All interviews were conducted in the Bangla language, which is spoken by more than 98.5% of the people of Bangladesh including the Kavirajes and the interviewers. Plant specimens were photographed, collected and dried on the spot. All plant specimens were later brought back and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium.

Scientific Evaluation of Results: A perusal of scientific literature was conducted following identification of the collected plant species as shown by the Kavirajes. Particular attention was given to the use of any particular plant as mentioned by the Kavirajes and validation of such uses as reported in scientific publications.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 4(1): 55-64, 2010 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Studies on the indigenous or folk medicinal use of medicinal plants are important from the scientific point of view in that it enables rapid scientific studies towards finding and development of newer drugs from centuries old practical use-derived knowledge of medicinal plants. In the present study, it was observed that at least 17 plants on which scientific studies have been conducted are validated in their uses by the Kavirajes. Plants like Andrographis paniculata, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Alstonia scholaris, Terminalia arjuna, Coccinia indica, and Centella asiatica have been studied in greater details and the findings are well in agreement with their folk medicinal uses in the five villages of Narsinghdi district. It may be pointed out in this respect that not all medicinal plants reported by the Kavirajes have been studied yet; in fact, scientific studies on most plants remain preliminary at the best and there is an enormous potential for conducting further scientific experiments regarding their pharmacological activities and their phytochemical constituents. Doubtlessly, more studies have the probability of validating the uses of more medicinal plants reported in the present survey.

The second aspect that is of concern is that most medicinal plants are rapidly becoming endangered in their wild habitat. Serious efforts need to be made for their conservation and rapid scientific studies, before they become highly endangered or totally extinct. It is hoped that this ethnomedicinal survey shall lead to wider public and Governmental recognition of these medicinal plant species and spur conservation efforts toward saving both plants and the folk medicinal knowledge.

Knowledge Management: Journal