Folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) of Bangladesh are consulted for treatment of various ailments by a substantial segment of the rural and urban population of the country. The major element that distinguishes the folk medicinal practitioners from other forms of medical practices is their use of simple formulations of medicinal plants for treatment. The plant(s) used by the Kavirajes for treatment of any specific ailment vary considerably in the various parts of the country, and such differences exist even among Kavirajes of adjoining villages. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of two villages, namely Babla and Terbaria, which lies in Tangail district in the central portion of the country. Each village had one practicing Kaviraj. After obtaining informed consent from the Kavirajes, interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. It was observed that the Kavirajes of the two villages used a total of 28 plants distributed into 22 families for treatment of various ailments. Leaves constituted the major plant part used, being used 48.7% of the time. From the number of plants used, it appeared that gastrointestinal tract disorders formed the major complaint of the patients with 5 plants used for treatment of various complaints like constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, and loss of appetite. Four plants each were used for treatment of pain, and skin disorders (scabies, eczema), and as blood purifier. Four plants were used for treatment of diseases in cattle. Among other ailments treated by the Kavirajes were tuberculosis, sexual disorders, urinary problems, infections, fever, hepatic disorders, kidney problems, pneumonia, stomach stones, diabetes, swellings, debility, helminthiasis, hypertension, vitamin C deficiency, tumor, and poisoning. One plant was used to maintain the body in good health and so served as a preventive measure instead of a curative effect. Since a number of allopathic medicines have been derived from medicinal plants, the plants reported in the present survey can, following scientific inquiry, form novel sources of newer drugs.

A survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal practitioners in two villages of Tangail district, Bangladesh.

Folk medicine is a traditional form of medicinal practice in Bangladesh, which is practiced by practitioners who exist both among the mainstream Bengali-speaking population as well as among the various tribes of Bangladesh. The mainstay of the folk medicinal formulations consist of medicinal plants, which are used directly or in the form of decoctions, juice, pastes and are administered either orally or topically, depending upon the ailments treated. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the traditional medicinal practitioners, otherwise known as Kavirajes of two villages of Madhupur sub-district in Tangail district of the country. One practitioner catered to the medicinal needs of the Bengali speaking population, while the other belonged to the Garo tribe and administered to the medicinal needs of the Garo village community. It was observed that a total of 53 plant species were prescribed by the two practitioners, of which 37 plants were prescribed by the non-Garo practitioner and 16 plants by the Garo practitioner. The various plant species belonged to 37 families. Major families included the Fabaceae family, which contributed 4 plants and the Acanthaceae, Combretaceae and Rutaceae families, which contributed 3 plants per family. Leaves formed the major plant part used (43.8%) in the formulations followed by stems and fruits at 14.1% each. Roots were used 12.5% of the time. Other plant parts used included sap, bark, flower, fruit, seed, oil and rhizome. Whole plants were not used at all by any of the two practitioners surveyed. The major ailments treated were gastrointestinal disorders (including diarrhea, dysentery and acidity) and sexual disorders (including loss of libido, infertility and passing of semen with urine). Nine plants were used for treatment of pain in various parts of the body and 8 plants were used for treatment of skin diseases. Four plants were used for treatment of jaundice and three plants each were used for treatment of fever, cholera, or urinary problems. Other diseases treated by the practitioners were helminthiasis, asthma, heart disorders and hemorrhoids, sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis and gonorrhea and chicken pox. Two plants were used for preventive purposes; Opuntia dillenii was advised to be taken for maintenance of health and mental strength, while Tinospora crispa was advised to be taken for prevention of intestinal disorders. The Kavirajes also prescribed Zanthoxylum simulans not for treatment of any disease but as a vitamin source. Plants have always formed an important source for discovery of modern allopathic medicines. It is expected that the plants observed to be used for treatment of various diseases by the Kavirajes can be subjected for further bio-activity studies, which studies can lead to discovery of better drugs.

A survey of medicinal plants used by Garo and non-Garo traditional medicinal practitioners in two villages of Tangail district, Bangladesh.

Folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) are possibly the most ancient practitioners of traditional medicine in Bangladesh and in general are the primary health-care providers to a majority of the rural population and a substantial segment of the urban population in the country. The major characteristic that separates the folk medicinal practitioners from other systems of existing medicinal practices is their almost exclusive use of simple preparations of medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. Since the population of Bangladesh is primarily rural, village Kavirajes form the major unit from whom ethnomedicinal data can be obtained. The objective of the present study was to conduct a randomized ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of four villages, Kalakandi, Gorashal, Kadamtoli, and Gunjar, all villages being situated in Daudkandi sub-district of Comilla district in Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes and surveys were carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method, where the Kavirajes took the interviewers to places from where they collected their medicinal plants, pointed out the plants and described their uses. All plant specimens were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. It was observed that the Kavirajes of the four villages surveyed used 44 plant species distributed into 32 families. The Lamiaceae family contributed 4 plants, followed by the Leguminosae, Rutaceae, and Solanaceae families with 3 plants each. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (45.3%), followed by roots (13.2%), and whole plants, fruits, and seeds (7.5% each). The various ailments treated included respiratory tract problems, gastrointestinal disorders, sexual problems, fever, cardiovascular disorders, mental disease, diabetes, loss of hair, vomiting, menstrual problems, skin disorders, hepatic disorders, piles, leprosy, calcium deficiency, dental diseases, cracked foot, bleeding, insect bites, mumps, rabies, chicken pox, body ache, and bone fracture. Cumulatively, the plants obtained in the present survey present considerable potential for further scientific research towards discovery of lead compounds and more efficacious drugs.

A Randomized Survey of Medicinal plants used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners in Daudkandi sub-district of Comilla district, Bangladesh

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out at Station Purbo Para village of Jamalpur Sadar sub-district in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh. Information on 121 medicinal plant species was obtained from the folk medicinal practitioners. All plants were screened in the scientific databases and scientific journals for pharmacological activities or presence of phytochemicals, which could be relevant to their folk medicinal uses. 61 plants (50.4%) of the total were found to have relevant pharmacological activities consistent with their uses. The actual number of relevant plants can increase further for a number of plants used by the folk medicinal practitioners are yet to be studied through relevant scientific experiments. The results suggest that the medicinal plants used by the folk medicinal practitioners of Bangladesh cannot be dismiised as irrelevant; in fact, the present study demonstrates that a substantial percentage of plants should be scientifically studied as soon as possible in a thorough manner for they can be sources of potentially important and efficacious drugs.

A pharmacological evaluation of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal practitioners of Station Purbo Para village of Jamalpur Sadar Upazila in Jamalpur district, Bangladesh.

The Bede community people are an indigenous community of Bangladesh and because of their preference for living and travelling on boats are also known as the river gypsies. They seldom reside for long at any given place but travel constantly on the waterways to ply their trade at various riverside villages. The community keeps mostly to themselves except when interacting with village people to sell sundry items, catch snakes, and practice their traditional medicinal system, which consists of cupping (drawing blood) and selling medicinal products containing plant, animal or fish parts. Medicinal plants form the chief item in their formulations for treatment of diverse ailments. The community has various professional groups within them based on their profession, among which one such group being the Dhanantari Vaidyas, who supposedly are able to cure all diseases. In recent times, the Government is trying to settle them by various riversides so as to enable them to get access to education and modern health care. The older generation, however, still prefer their traditional medicines to allopathic medicines. One such Bede group was located by the Turag River in Kamar Para village on the outskirts of Dhaka city in Dhaka district, Bangladesh. During the course of an ethnomedicinal survey among this community, it was observed that the Dhanantari Vaidyas advocated consumption of a number of plants in the cooked form for not only therapeutic but also preventive purposes. It was the objective of the present study to document the use of these plants. It was observed that 32 plant species were prescribed by the Vaidyas for regular consumption (preventive) or consumption during times when a particular disease occurred (therapeutic). These species were distributed into 20 families; the Fabaceae family contributed 4 species, while the Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, and Cucurbitaceae families provided 3 plants each. Most of the plants were leafy vegetables with their leaves and stems prescribed for consumption following cooking; however, a few of them had their roots or fruits prescribed for consumption without cooking. Four plants (Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Capsicum frutescens and Coriandrum sativum) were used as accessories when cooking other plants. Among these four plants, Allium sativum was also used by itself for prevention and treatment of any type of dysentery and stomach problems, and Coriandrum sativum used by itself for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and to increase appetite. Only two plant (Eclipta alba and Curcuma longa) parts were administered topically. Consumption of plants or plant parts for preventive purposes can be a cost-effective form of health care. As such, the plants prescribed for consumption by the Dhantari Vaidyas of the Bedes merit further scientific studies to assess their full curative potentials.

Plants prescribed for both preventive and therapeutic purposes by the traditional healers of the bede community residing by the turag river, dhaka district

The rural population of Bangladesh has traditionally depended on folk medicinal healers for cure of their ailments. These healers use medicinal plants as their primary source of medicinal formulations. Rural patients are more dependent on traditional or folk medicinal healers for cure of urinary tract infections (UTI) and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) for a number of reasons including lack of access to modern medical facilities, clinging to traditional approaches, and finally hesitancy to relate this form of illnesses in front of unknown doctors. Since the traditional healer usually resides in the same village or in an adjoining area, the patient is more comfortable in seeking their treatment. We conducted an ethnomedicinal survey amongst the traditional healers of various ethnic groups and in several regions of the country to obtain information on medicinal plants used to treat UTI and STD. Interviews were conducted in the local dialect or language and information gathered as to plant and plant parts used, ailments, formulations, and dosages. Plant specimens were photographed and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. A total of 32 plants distributed into 23 families were reported by the traditional healers of several districts and tribes of Bangladesh as to their being used as remedy for UTIs, including leucorrhea, frequent or infrequent urination, cloudy urination and burning sensations during urination. A total of 10 plants divided into 9 families were reported to be used against STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea.

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Shahnawaz Sarwar

Papers

Traditional use of medicinal plants in Bangladesh to treat urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases