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Ethnobotanical Survey of the Santal Tribe Residing in Thakurgaon District, Bangladesh

Mohammed Rahmatullah
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

Md. Ariful Haque Mollik
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

A.T.M. Ali Azam
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

Md. Rofikul Islam
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

Md. Asif Mahmood Chowdhury
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

Rownak Jahan
Faculty of Life Sciences,University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A, Dhanmondi, 1 Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh

Majeedul H. Chowdhury
New York City College of Technology The City University of New York Broooklyn, NY 11201, USA

Tawfiq Rahman
Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road CB2 1PD, Cambridge, UK

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The Santals are one of the largest tribes of Bangladesh residing in the northern districts of Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Rangpur and Rajshahi. Since very little is known of the traditional medicinal practices of the Santal traditional healers of the country, the objective of this study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey of Santal traditional healers amongst the Santals of Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh. Interviews of the healers were conducted following obtaining informed consent from the healers. The healers pointed out medicinal plants and described their uses. Plant samples were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. It was observed that the Santal healers used 47 medicinal plants (distributed into 29 families) for treatment of various ailments like gastrointestinal tract disorders, respiratory tract infections, sexual disorders, helminthiasis, diabetes, leprosy, dengue fever, eye diseases including cataract, skin disorders, burns, rheumatism, tumors (swellings), fractures, delivery pain, snake and scorpion bites, debility, mental depression, restless feeling in the body, cuts and wounds, fever, deformities in head of children, and biliary disorders. Some plants were also as blood purifier; the healers claimed that certain infections were caused by poisoning or accumulation of toxins in blood. Four plants were used for ethnoveterinary purposes and one plant was used as soap. It is expected that further scientific studies conducted with the plants can lead to discovery of novel phytochemicals and drugs.

Keywords: Santal, Ethnomedicine, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh

Location: Thakurgaon District, 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 of the Santal community living in Thakurgaon district, Bangladesh to find out more about the traditional medicinal practices of this tribe.

Methodology:

2.1 Area of survey Thakurgaon district is at the northeast corner of Bangladesh and falls roughly between 88 05 - 88 40 o o E and 25 40 - 26 10 N. The annual average temperature fluctuates between a maximum of 33.5 C and minimum of 10.5 C; average annual rainfall is around 254 cm. The main occupations are agriculture and o agricultural laborer, which comprise around 77.7% of the occupations. The district is divided into several sub-districts, namely Baliadangi, Haripur, Pirganj, Ranisankail and Thakurgaon Sadar. The present survey was conducted among the Santal communities residing in the village of Rautnagar, which falls within the Ranisankail sub-district and the village of Boliahat, which falls within the Thakurgaon Sadar sub-district. The Santals number around 700 in Rautnagar and around 400 in Boliahat. Each community had its own Headman.

2.2 Ethnobotanical methods The two Santal communities surveyed had one healer each. Both healers were interviewed during the present survey. Gonesh Mormo practiced in the village of Rautnagar and Kharu practiced in the village of Boliahat. Both healers claimed that their knowledge of medicinal plants derived from the same teacher or ‘Guru”, whom they declined to name. However, it was observed that the medicinal plants named by the healers did not differ or contradict each other but supplemented each other. Ethnobotanical methods like semistructured interviews were employed to obtain the necessary information. The basic method employed was that of the guided field-walk method as described by Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the informant takes the observer on field trips to areas from where the informant collects the medicinal plants. Plants are then shown to the observer along with the local names and a description of their uses, which includes plant parts used, ailments treated, formulations and dosages. Informed consent was obtained from both healers as well as the Headman of both communities prior to the survey. The purpose of the survey was clearly explained and consent obtained for dissemination of the knowledge both nationally and internationally. With the exception of only a few plants, the healers declined to have the exact formulations and dosages published on the ground that this could damage their professional interests. Any Intellectual Property Right Agreement was not signed with the healers or the Headmen for this falls under the jurisdiction of the Government of Bangladesh. However, a verbal agreement was reached that any financial benefit accruing from any published information shall be given to the Santal community.

Interviews were conducted in the Bangla language; most of the Santal community members were fluent in both Santal language and the Bangla language. It was observed that the Santal community has adopted the Bangla language particularly well because most of them, lacking any land by themselves, work as day laborers in the agricultural fields or homesteads of the adjoining Bangla-speaking population. It was also observed that the healers chose to provide the names of the medicinal plants used by them in Bangla language rather than the Santal language. However, it was also observed that despite adopting Bangla as a second language, both Santal communities have preserved their own tribal customs and rituals including visiting their own traditional medicinal practitioners for treatment of any ailments.

Information obtained from the healers during field-walks (particularly plant names and ailments treated) was later verified in evening meetings with the healer, Headman and any member of the Santal community who wished to be present. Plant specimens were collected, pressed, dried and brought to the Bangladesh National Herbarium for proper identification, where voucher specimens were also deposited.

Source of Information: American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 3(4): 889-898, 2009 ISSN 1995-0748

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

1.

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Rangpur to treat skin eruptions, fever, and dysentery). When questioned about these differences, the Santal healers of Thakurgaon district mentioned several possible reasons to account for the differences. The knowledge of the healers stem from three sources: knowledge obtained from their individual “gurus” or teachers, knowledge obtained from trials and errors in individual clinical practices, and knowledge obtained from intermixing with non-Santal traditional healers, i.e. the traditional or folk medicinal healers (known as Kavirajes) practicing among the majority Bangla-speaking population of the country. Since the acquired knowledge (through whatever means) is usually kept as a secret within the healer’s family and because the Santal communities are differently located, this could account for the observed differences. However, the huge differences in the choice of medicinal plants for the treatment of same or similar ailments further suggest that the Santals have lost most of their own traditional medicinal knowledge; otherwise, there would have been more similarities than differences if there had been so to say, a central knowledge database present in their community. Any differences between the availability of medicinal plants in the three districts mentioned can only be an insignificant factor, for Bangladesh is a small country and all three districts surveyed have highly similar climate and vegetation patterns.

Reported pharmacological activity studies on some of the plants used by the Santal healers validate their treatment for the ailments used. A number of other plants are yet to be studied. The most interesting plants seem to be the combination of Eclipta alba, Cynodon dactylon and Scoparia dulcis for treatment of diabetes. Diabetes is a debilitating disease, which affects a large percentage of the population in both developed and developing countries. Modern medicine has no known cures for the disease. It would be interesting to research this combination of medicinal plants to find out whether they can form an efficacious treatment for diabetes. The various other plants also need to be studied for their potential in the discovery of novel drugs. In such cases, bio-activity-guided fractionation studies can be done along with the identification of phytochemicals causing the desired pharmacological effect(s), followed by clinical trials on the isolated phytochemicals. Since medicinal plants are increasingly becoming hard to find, it is important that conservation efforts be started for the effective preservation of these valuable floral species.

Knowledge Management: Journal