A Study on Exploration of Ethnobotanical Knowledge of Rural Community in Bangladesh: Basis for Biodiversity Conservation

Abstract

Rural home garden is an important traditional source of medicinal plants for daily curative uses throughout Bangladesh. Such knowledge is continuing from generation to generation without documentation. An ethnobotanical investigation was conducted through focus group discussions and households’ survey accompanied by field observation to document the indigenous knowledge of herbal medicines being used by the rural communities of Comilla district in Bangladesh. A total of 45 ethnomedicinal plant species belonging to 34 families were found, where trees (37.78%) were the most commonly utilized growth form. Plant resources are used to treat 31 different individual ailments ranging from simple cuts to heart disease. Plants are mainly used to treat dysentery (12 species), cold ailments, cough, and fever (6 species each). For curing ailments, the use of the above ground plant parts was higher (86.44%); particularly fruits (37.29%) and leaves (30.51%) were the most commonly used plant parts. More than half of the medicinal plants are indigenous (71.11%), being edible fruit bearer (48.89%), plants parts suitable for animals and birds (57.78%), and natural regeneration present (64.44%) indicated that medicinal plants play a vital role in biodiversity conservation in the study area.

Plant Biodiversity Conservation through Traditional Use and Cultivation in Meitei Home-gardens in Barak Valley of Assam, India

“…Growing plants of religious importance in Meitei home-gardens is quite uniform and species like Aegle marmelos, Ocimum tenuiflorum and some ornamentals those are required for worshiping their deities. Similar data has also been reported for the home-gardens in Bangladesh (Rahman 2013).…”

Chemical and Biological Investigations of Cerbera odollam Gaertn

“…Thrombolytic activity of the test samples were evaluated by following established protocol. 19 Streptokinase (SK) was used as a standard for this investigation. For the preparation of positive control, commercially available lyophilized Altepase (Streptokinase) Eppendorf tube of 15, 00, 000 I.U.…”

Ethnomedicinal Value of Antidiabetic Plants in Bangladesh: A Comprehensive Review

“…Also, Bangladesh comprises tropical forest and boggy jungle areas with bio-diverse flora. About 75% of the country’s population lives in rural territories, and almost 80% is reliant on medicinal plants for their primary healthcare whereas herbal medication is a well-known and acknowledged form of treatment [ 15 , 16 ]. Moreover, Bangladesh has various indigenous communities or clans, such as Chakma, Marma, Garo, Santal, Manipuri, Tripura, who still depend on their traditional or tribal medical practitioner for treatment of assorted illnesses, including, diarrhoea, infection, diabetes, cold, cough, fever, malaria, etc.…”