Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences 

About: Advances in Natural and Applied Sciences is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Islam & Malay. It has an ISSN identifier of 1995-0772. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 207 publications have been published receiving 1347 citations.

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

Abstract: 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.

Brine shrimp toxicity study of different Bangladeshi medicinal plants

Abstract: Twenty three Bangladeshi medicinal plants used in traditional medicines were evaluated for brine shrimp lethality toxicity. Different solvent extracts of Abroma augusta, Acanthus ilicifolius, Alstonia scholaris, Calotropis procera, Catharanthus roseus, Citrus grandis, Coccinia grandis, Croton tiglium, Cuscuta reflexa, Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera fomes, Ipomoea aquatica, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Madhuca indica, Musa sapientum, Nypa fruticans, Piper peepuloides, Premna esculenta, Saraca asoca, Sonneratia apetala, Stevia rebaudiana, Syzygium fruticosum, and Trichosanthes dioica were used in the study. Of the 23 plants tested, about 80% were toxic to brine shrimp (LC50 < 30 g/ml). Among the extracts screened, the methanolic extract of Croton tiglium had the highest toxicity to brine shrimp (LC50 = 0.0924 g/ml). The drug vincristine sulfate was considered as reference standard.

Medicinal plants used by the folk and tribal medicinal practitioners in two villages of Khakiachora and Khasia Palli in Sylhet District, Bangladesh

Abstract: The inhabitants of Bangladesh are mostly Bengali speaking (about 98% of the population, the other 2% being tribal population). Folk medicinal practitioners play an important role in the Bengali-speaking rural society of Bangladesh, where people still rely on them for provision of health-care. This is not only because the rural population of Bangladesh lacks proper access to modern medical facilities, but also because of tradition, which dates back to centuries ago. The common feature of folk medicinal practitioners is use of single or multiple plants for cure of ailments. The ailments treated vary from simple ailments like coughs or cold to complicated ailments like diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, or paralysis. Almost every village of the 86,000 villages of Bangladesh has one or more practicing folk medicinal practitioners, known as Kavirajes. Additionally, Bangladesh has over two dozens of tribes, who have their own tribal medicinal practitioners, and who as a group can be included within the Kavirajes, since both Kavirajes (of the Bengalispeaking majority people) as well as tribal medicinal practitioners rely almost exclusively on medicinal plants for treatment. Since our ongoing studies have shown wide divergences in the selection of medicinal plants selected by any individual Kaviraj for treatment of a particular ailment, it was the objective of the present study to document the medicinal plant uses by the Kaviarjes of Khakiachora and Khasia Palli villages, which lie near the Lawachora National Park, a forest region in Sylhet district in northeastern Bangladesh. A unique feature of the villages, which were within 2.5 kilometers of one another was that Khakiachora village was inhabited by Bengali-speaking people, while Khasi Palli was inhabited by the Khasia tribal people. Khakiachora village was serviced by two Bengali Kavirajes, while Khasia Palli was serviced by one Khasia tribal medicinal practitioner. It was observed that the three Kavirajes, in between themselves, used 59 plant species for treatment of various ailments. These plant species were distributed into 40 families. The Combretaceae and the Euphorbiaceae family provided six plants per family, followed by the Lamiaceae family with 5 plants. The various ailments treated included pain, coughs, cuts and wounds, paralysis, sexual disorders, skin disorders, helminthiasis, gastrointestinal disorders, fever, bone fracture, puerperal fever, asthma, tongue lesions, diabetes, jaundice, tumor, and mental disorders. Surprisingly, only a few plants were mentioned by the Khasia tribal medicinal practitioner, suggesting that the majority Bengali culture represented in the medicinal field by the Kavirajes is eroding the tribal medicinal knowledge and practices, as practiced by Khasia tribal medicinal practitioners. It is concluded that (a) proper documentation of Khasia medicinal practices are important before they become totally lost, and (b) documentation of folk medicinal uses of plants by the Kavirajes is similarly important, because the plants present enormous potential for scientific research and new drug discoveries toward treatment of debilitating diseases like diabetes or paralysis. Notably, these two diseases cannot be cured with modern allopathic medicines. Also since drug-resistant microorganisms have developed against a number of allopathic drugs, the plants used by the folk and tribal medicinal practitioners of Khakiachora and Khasia

An ethnomedicinal, pharmacological and phytochemical review of some Bignoniaceae family plants and a description of Bignoniaceae plants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladesh

Abstract: The Bignoniaceae family comprising of about 110 genera and 650 species is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the Trumpet Creeper family, Jacaranda family, Bignonia family, or the Catalpa family. Plant species belonging to this family are distributed worldwide, but most of them occur in the tropical and sub-tropical countries. However, a number of temperate species also grow in North America and East Asia. Although the family is small, the Bignoniaceae plants are important for their reported bio-active constituents and diverse pharmacological activities. Bignoniaceae family plants are also widely used in traditional medicinal systems of a number of countries, including Bangladesh, where folk and tribal medicinal practitioners use a number of species for treatment of diverse ailments. Since folk medicinal practitioners form the first tier of primary health care in Bangladesh, the objective of the present study was to conduct a review of reported bioactive constituents from this family and compare the traditional medicinal uses of Bignoniaceae family plants in various countries of the world including Bangladesh. Accordingly, a survey was conducted among traditional medicinal practitioners of Bangladesh, which included folk medicinal practitioners (catering to the mainstream population and otherwise known as Kavirajes) as well as tribal medicinal practitioners of various tribes residing within the country. It was observed that the traditional medicinal practitioners use a total of seven Bignoniaceae family species for treatment of ailments like cancer, snake bite, skin disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory tract disorders, gynecological disorders, hepatic disorders, epilepsy, cholera, pain, urinary problems, malaria, heart problems, and sexually transmitted diseases. The seven species of Bignoniaceae family plants in use were Crescentia cujete, Heterophragma adenophyllum, Oroxylum indicum, Stereospermum suaveolens, Tabebuia argentea, Tecoma gaudichaudi, and Tecoma stans. Since the available scientific literature validates the use of a number of these plants for the ailments they are prescribed for by the Kavirajes and tribal medicinal practitioners, the plants present excellent potential for further scientific studies, which may result in discovery of novel compounds of therapeutic interest.