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A Survey of Medicinal Plants Used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners in Balidha Village of Jessore District, Bangladesh

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

Md. Majedul Hasan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mansur Ahmed
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mohammad Washim Khan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Md. Shahadat Hossan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Md. Mahbubur Rahman
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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

Z.U.M. Emdad Ullah Miajee
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Rownak Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences, 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.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Folk medicinal practitioners form the primary line of health-care among a substantial section of the rural and urban population of Bangladesh. These practitioners (Kavirajes) use a variety of medicinal plants to treat various ailments and possess considerable expertise on use of medicinal plants. Since the medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes can differ widely even between adjoining areas, it was the objective of the present study to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of Balidha village situated in Jessore district in the southern part of Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained of the Kavirajes and interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. A total of 73 plant species distributed into 43 families were obtained from the Kavirajes. The Fabaceae family contributed the maximum number of plants (6) followed by the Rutaceae and the Solanaceae family with 4 plants each. The Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Moraceae, Myrtaceae, and Zingiberaceae families contributed 3 plants per family. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (44.3%), followed distantly by roots (17.5%) and fruits (9.3%). Gastrointestinal disorders and sexual disorders formed the major disorders treated by the Kavirajes. 19 plants were used for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and 17 plants for treatment of sexual disorders. 9 plants were used to treat pain and 7 plants for treatment of respiratory tract infections. 3 plants were used to treat diabetes. A perusal of the scientific literature showed that uses of several plants by the Kavirajes are validated by scientific studies on the pharmacological activities of the relevant plant species. Overall, the plants present considerable potential for further scientific studies leading to discovery of novel drugs.

Keywords: Folk medicine, Medicinal plants, Balidha village, Jessore, Bangladesh

Location: Balidha village of Jessore District, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

A recent review has shown that approximately 25% of modern medications have been plant derived, while 75% of new drugs against infectious diseases that have arrived between 1981 and 2002 originated from natural sources (Bedoya et al., 2009). It was the objective of the present study to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of Balidha village in Jessore district, which falls in the southern part of Bangladesh.

Methodology:

There were two practicing Kavirajes in the village of Balidha in Jessore district. The Kavirajes were interviewed together at their request. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes prior to the interviews. The Kavirajes were explained as to the purpose of the visit and consent obtained to disseminate the results obtained in national and international publications. Interviews were conducted with the help of a semistructured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method as described by Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers on guided field-walks through spots from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, gave their local names, and described their uses. In Balidha, this work was facilitated for both Kavirajes maintained nurseries within their homesteads from they used medicinal plants for treatment. This was because as they explained medicinal plants were becoming hard to find in the wild. Interviews were conducted in the Bangla language, which was spoken by both interviewers and Kavirajes. Plant specimens were collected and dried in the field and later brought back to Dhaka for complete identification at the Bangladesh National Herbarium.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 4(2): 111-116, 2010 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Knowledge of folk medicinal uses of medicinal plants can prove valuable for further scientific studies in the quest for newer and more efficacious drugs. Seven medicinal plants obtained in the present study showed validation of their uses through reported relevant pharmacological activities. This finding only highlights the importance for conducting further scientific studies on the remaining plants. It is expected that newer studies can not only lead to discovery of novel compounds from these plants, which can prove useful in medicine but also raise public awareness on the conservation and sustainable uses of these plants.

Knowledge Management: Journal