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A Survey of Medicinal Plants Used by the Traditional Medicinal Practitioners of Khulna City, Bangladesh

Mira Akber
Department of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh.

Syeda Seraj
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Farhana Islam
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Dilara Ferdausi
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Rasheda Ahmed
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Dilruba Nasrin
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Nusratun Nahar
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Shamima Ahsan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Farhana Jamal
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Mohammed Rahmatullah*
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Bangladesh has several existing traditional medicinal systems, which are practiced along with modern allopathic medicine. The four major traditional medicinal systems include homeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, and folk medicine. Ayurveda has an Indian origin and is well established in Bangladesh, the country being a part of the Indian sub-continent. Unani medicine, originally arising from the Greeks and later developed by the Arabs, also has a strong presence in Bangladesh, primarily because of the majority Muslim population. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine are locally known as Kavirajes or Vaidyas, while practitioners of Unani medicine are known as Hakims or Hekims. Like allopathic doctors, Ayurvedic Kavirajes and Unani Hakims are located more in the urban than in the rural areas. Folk medicinal practitioners (also known as Kavirajes) practice a more simple form of medicine, particularly in the rural areas, where medicinal plants form the chief and most often only ingredients of formulations. The formulations also are simple, being mainly juice obtained from whole plant or plant parts, which may be orally or topically administered depending on the disease. Medicinal plants also form a major base for Ayurvedic and Unani formulations but are mixed with other ingredients depending on the imbalances in ‘humor’ leading to the disease (as in Ayurveda) or the ‘temperament’ of the disease as well as the ingredient (as in Unani). The objective of the present survey was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the folk medicinal practitioners of Khulna city, which is in the south-western part of Bangladesh. A total of five prominent folk medicinal practitioners were interviewed in the present survey. Among the five, three termed themselves as Hakims, showing the influence of Unani medicinal practices in their folk medicinal treatments. Also surprisingly, among the three Hakims, two were Hindus, which was unusual, for Hakims generally come from the Muslim religion. The other two termed themselves Kavirajes. Although medicinal plants formed the major base for all formulations of all the practitioners, some of their formulations contained additives not observed to be used in other ethnomedicinal surveys conducted by us in other regions of the country and which strongly suggested, particularly Unani medicinal influences. Another unusual feature was the use of a single plant for treatment of wide and diverse type of ailments. A total of 67 plant species were used by the five practitioners. Taken together, the results suggest the enormous potentialities of the plant kingdom in the treatment of ailments, some of which are incurable by modern allopathic medicine. The present survey, conducted in an urban area, further suggests that at least in Khulna city, folk medicinal practitioners may be influenced by other forms of traditional medicine.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Folk medicine, Khulna, Bangladesh

Location: Khulna City, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

The objective of the present study was to conduct a survey among the practicing Kavirajes of Khulna city (in the southwestern portion of Bangladesh) to document medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes, and to determine whether the treatment given by the Kavirajes was to any extent influenced by other traditional medicinal practices.

Methodology:

Khulna city lies in the southwestern portion of Bangladesh and is close to the Sunderbans Forest with its diversity of mangrove species. A preliminary survey was conducted in Khulna city, Bangladesh to find out about practicing folk medicinal practitioners. Five folk medicinal practitioners were identified with repute and a large number of patients, and these five practitioners were chosen for further interviews. They were Hakim Ashraf Hossain Morol, Kaviraj Md. Ayub Ali, Hakim Krishna Pada Gayen, Hakim Sheikh Abdul Quddus, and Hakim Nipendranath Bairagi. Folk medicinal practitioners in Bangladesh usually term themselves Kavirajes after the fashion of Ayurvedic medicinal practitioners, who also term themselves Kavirajes. On the other hand, Unani medicinal practitioners term themselves Hakims. Almost all Hakims are Muslims because the Unani medicinal practice was developed by the Muslim Arabs following the Greek medicinal methods. When the Arabs arrived in the Indian sub-continent, and in due course Bengal (a part of the Indian sub-continent), the Muslims introduced the practice to India as well as Bengal. Bangladesh constitutes a part of Bengal, which is now a sovereign country. On the other hand, Kavirajes have generally come from Hindu families in Bangladesh although in recent times many Muslims have taken on the profession of Kavirajes. It is worth noting that out of the five folk medicinal practitioners interviewed, three were Muslims and two were Hindus. Out of the three Muslim folk medicinal practitioners, two termed themselves Kavirajes, while the other termed himself Hakim. On the contrary, both Hindu folk medicinal practitioners termed themselves Hakims, suggesting that not only Unani influences exist among the folk medicinal practitioners of Khulna city but also transcends the religious nature of the practitioners.

Informed consent was obtained from all Kavirajes prior to the interviews. The Kavirajes were explained as to the nature of the visit, and consent obtained to disseminate the information both nationally and internationally. Interviews were conducted in the Bengali language, which was spoken by both Kavirajes and interviewers. Actual interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method of Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). Briefly, in this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers on guided field-walks during daytime through areas from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants and described their uses. Data collected during the daytime was cross-checked in later evening sessions with the Kavirajes. Plant specimens were collected on the spot, dried, and identified by Mr. Manjur-ul-Kadir Mia, ex-Curator and Principal Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 5(2): 177-195, 2011 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

To summarize, there were two important differences that were noted between the folk medicinal practitioners of typical rural areas of Bangladesh and folk medicinal practitioners of Khulna city. The folk medicinal practitioners of Khulna city seemed to be more knowledgeable about the medicinal use of plants as a whole and individual plant parts in general. Secondly, this greater knowledge of medicinal plants could be, at least, partly attributable to influences from other traditional medicinal systems of Bangladesh, notably Unani medicinal system. This was evident not only by the use of the term Hakim by several of the folk medicinal practitioners interviewed (the term Hakim is used by Unani medicinal practitioners before their names just as allopathic practitioners use the term Doctor before their names), but also by the fact that a number of preparations used by the folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) of Khulna city contained ingredients used in Unani medicines.

Bangladesh, as mentioned earlier, has several ongoing forms of traditional medicinal practices. The present survey suggests that at least in cities, there is some interaction between the various types of traditional medicinal practices, possibly because of the large number of practitioners that tend to converge in the cities. It is very possible that this interaction between different types of medicinal practices can only enrich traditional medicine systems in an overall manner. Furthermore, these types of interactions open up newer avenues for modern scientific research towards discovery of more efficacious treatments.

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