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Folk Medicinal Practices in Vasu Bihar Village, Bogra District, Bangladesh

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

Md. Rashedul Islam
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Md. Zahirul Kabir
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Md. Harun-or-Rashid
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rownak Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rahima Begum
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

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

Mst. Afsana Khatun
Present address: 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 Lum pur, Malaysia.

Anita Rani Chowdhury
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Bangladesh has over 86,000 villages spread throughout the country. The primary health-care providers of the village inhabitants are usually folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) since the villagers either lack access to modern medical facilities or cannot afford the price of modern medicines. Kavirajes rely on simple preparations of medicinal plants for treatment; the use of medicinal plants can vary widely between Kavirajes of different villages. We conducted an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of Vasu Bihar village located within Bogra district, Bangladesh to know about the folk medicinal practices of the village Kavirajes. Following obtaining informed consent from the Kavirajes, interviews were conducted with the help of a semistructured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. All medicinal plants as pointed out by the Kavirajes were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. It was observed that the Kavirajes of Vasu Bihar village utilized 53 plant species distributed into 31 families for treatment of various ailments. The Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, and the Fabaceae families contributed four plants per family followed by the Rutaceae family with three plant species. 11 plants were used for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, 6 for pain, and 5 plants for skin disorders, indicating that these are possibly the most common ailments prevalent within the village. Interestingly, the Kavirajes used 3 plants for treatment of cancers or tumors and 3 plants for treatment of diabetes, which are either incurable diseases or not completely cured with modern allopathic medicine. Leaves constituted 45.1% of total uses, followed by fruits (14.1%). Other plant parts used by the Kavirajes included whole plant, stem, shoot, root, flower, fruit, seed, bark, and rhizome. The folk medicinal use of plants offers tremendous potential for scientists to conduct further research on these plants to discover lead compounds and more efficacious drugs.

Keywords: Folk medicine, Medicinal plants, Vasu Bihar, Bogra, Bangladesh

Location: Vasu Bihar village, Bogra district, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Development of Host and Medicinal Plants

Commodity: Medicinal Plants

Objectives:

For a greater understanding of these indigenous sources of knowledge, the present survey was conducted among the Kavirajes of Vasu Bihar village, which lies in the Shibganj subdistrict of Bogra district in Bangladesh.

Methodology:

Shibganj sub-district is one of the twelve sub-districts of Bogra district. It falls within the western part of the district and is characterized by its densely wooded areas and uncultivated land covered with shrubs and secondary growth vegetation. The annual average temperature ranges between a maximum of 35^o C and a minimum of 12^o C; the annual rainfall is about 1600 mm. Paddy is one of the principal crops grown within this sub-district. The main occupation of the people is agriculture and agricultural laborer. The present study was conducted in the village of Vasu Bihar in Shibganj sub-district.

The village of Vasu Bihar is serviced by two Kavirajes. Informed consent was obtained from both Kavirajes prior to interviews. Interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method as described by Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the Kavirajes took the interviewers to spots from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants and described the ailments they were being used for. Plant specimens were collected on the spot, dried and brought back for identification at the Bangladesh National Herbarium in Dhaka. All information as to local names of plants, plant parts used, and ailments treated were double-checked with the Kavirajes in later sessions.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 4(1): 86-93, 2010 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

It can be generally concluded from the above scientific findings that at least several plants used by the Kavirajes of Vasu Bihar are validated in their uses. This observation leads to the conclusion that other plants used by the Kavirajes may also be validated when appropriate scientific studies on their pharmacological activities are carried out. Overall, the present survey highlights the importance of documentation of folk medicinal uses of medicinal plants. Such documentation can prove invaluable in the continuous quest for the discovery of safer and more efficacious drugs. Furthermore, the conservation of these medicinal plants cannot be neglected. As more and more plants become endangered in the wild because of encroachment of human habitat, conservation efforts are desperately needed to save these plants from going extinct.

Knowledge Management: Journal