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

Ethnomedicinal Investigations Among the Sigibe Clan of the Khumi Tribe of Thanchi Sub-district in Bandarban District of Bangladesh

Bijoy Sarker
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Fatema Akther
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Umma Ayman
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Rolee Sifa
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Israt Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Mridul Sarker
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Suman Kumar Chakma
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Promith Kumar Podder
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.

Zubaida Khatun
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:

The Khumis are a small tribe mostly inhabiting the Thanchi sub-district of Bandarban district in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. An ethnomedicinal investigation was carried out among the Sigibe clan of the Khumis residing at Hoitong Khumi Para to document their use of medicinal plants and formulations for treatment of various diseases. A total of 36 formulations were obtained from the Khumi healer. The healer was observed to use 41 plants in his formulations, of which 33 could be identified and 8 remained unidentified. The 33 identified plants were distributed into 23 families. The various diseases or symptoms treated by the healer included various types of pain, kidney stones, dizziness induced by high fever, irregular menstruation, ringworm infection, fever with frequent passing of watery stool, gastric problems, severe fever, abscess, tearing of tendons, snake bite, jaundice, cuts and wounds, oral and anal infections, swelling due to injury, scabies and itches, asthma, and severe headache and dizziness because of adverse effects from other medicines. Close observations of indigenous communities have led to discovery of many modern medicines, because indigenous communities through their living in forest or semi-forest habitats have over long periods of time accumulated considerable knowledge of medicinal properties of various plants. It is expected that the medicinal plants and formulations used by the Khumi healer can play a role in the discovery of new medicines from these plants.

Keywords: Medicinal plants, Khumi, Sigibe, Bandarban, Bangladesh

Location: Thanchi sub-district in Bandarban district of 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 an ethnomedicinal survey among the Sigibe clan of the Khumi tribe residing in Hoitong Khumi Para of Thanchi sub-district in Bandarban district of Bangladesh.

Methodology:

The Sigibe clan of the Khumi community surveyed had one tribal healer, named Mangchai Khumi of around 32 years of age. He was Buddhist by religion. Informed consent was first obtained from the healer, who has explained the purpose of our visit, and his consent was obtained to disseminate any information provided in national or international publications. The healer understood and knew how to speak the Bengali language, which was the language spoken by the interviewers. Interviews were therefore conducted in Bengali with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method of Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the healer took the interviewers on guided field walks through areas from where he collected his medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. Plant specimens were photographed and collected on the spot, pressed and dried, and later brought back to Dhaka to be identified by Mr. Manjur-UlKadir Mia, ex-Curator and Principal Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh National Herbarium.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 6(4): 378-386, 2012 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Eupatorium odoratum was used by the Khumi healer to treat cuts and wounds; the tribals of Mizoram State, India use the plant also for treatment of cuts and wounds (Bhardwaj and Gakhar, 2005). The plant, Ageratum conyzoides was used by the Khumi healer to treat severe headache; the Adi tribes of Lower Dibang valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, India use the plant to stop bleeding from wounds (Gibji et al., 2012). Euphorbia hirta was used by the Khumi healer to treat oral and anal infections;The plant is used in traditional medicines of Kikuku village, Muleba district of the Kagera region in north western Tanzania for treatment of non-lactation, hypertension, warts and cataracts (Moshi et al., 2012). Mimosa pudica, used by the Khumi healer to treat swelling due to injury is used by the Gond tribe of Bhandara district, Maharashtra, India as an aphrodisiac and strength promoter (Gupta et al., 2010). Azadirachta indica was used by the Khumi healer to treat scabies and itches; the traditional healers in the Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu, India use the plant to treat small pox, rheumatism, and skin diseases (Muthu et al., 2006). Ficus hirta was used by the Khumi healer to treat abscess on the bottom of foot. The same plant is used by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayan region, India to treat cuts and wounds (Kala, 2005). Taken together, the various reports indicate the wide diversity of ethnomedicinal uses of the same plant species in various regions of the world and among various tribes or local people. The Khumi healer’s use of many of the plants as described in the present study is unique and adds significantly to the ethnomedicinal literature. It is expected that this study will go quite some way in preserving the traditional medicinal practices of the Khumi tribe and also spur conservation efforts to protect these medicinal plant species.

Knowledge Management: Journal