Indigenous uses of ethnomedicinal plants among forest-dependent communities of Northern Bengal, India

Abstract

BackgroundTraditional knowledge on ethnomedicinal plant is slowly eroding. The exploration, identification and documentation on utilization of ethnobotanic resources are essential for restoration and preservation of ethnomedicinal knowledge about the plants and conservation of these species for greater interest of human society.MethodsThe study was conducted at fringe areas of Chilapatta Reserve Forest in the foothills of the eastern sub-Himalayan mountain belts of West Bengal, India, from December 2014 to May 2016. Purposive sampling method was used for selection of area. From this area which is inhabited by aboriginal community of Indo-Mongoloid origin, 400 respondents including traditional medicinal practitioners were selected randomly for personal interview schedule through open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire covered aspects like plant species used as ethnomedicines, plant parts used, procedure for dosage and therapy.ResultsA total number of 140 ethnomedicinal species was documented, in which the tree species (55) dominated the lists followed by herbs (39) and shrubs (30). Among these total planted species used for ethnomedicinal purposes, 52 species were planted, 62 species growing wild or collected from the forest for use and 26 species were both wild and planted. The present study documented 61 more planted species as compared to 17 planted species documented in an ethnomedicinal study a decade ago. The documented species were used to treat 58 human diseases/ailments including nine species used to eight diseases/ailments of domestic animals. Stomach-related problems were treated by maximum number of plants (40 species) followed by cuts and wounds with 27 plant species and least with one species each for 17 diseases or ailments. Maximum number of 12 diseases/ailments was cured by Melia azedarach followed by Centella asiatica and Rauvolfia serpentina which were used to cure 11 diseases/ailments each.ConclusionsThe list of 140 plant species indicates that the Chilapatta Reserve Forest and its fringe areas are rich in biodiversity of ethnobotanical plant species. Rauvolfia serpentina were the most valuable species in terms of its maximal use with higher use value. The documentation of 78 species maintained in the home gardens indicates the community consciousness on the conservation values of these ethnobotanical species. The communities should be encouraged with improved cultivation techniques of commercially viable ethnobotanical species through capacity building, timely policy intervention along with strong market linkage. This will ensure income generation and livelihood improvement and ultimate conservation of these species.

Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Products in Rural Communities’ Livelihoods around Chilimo Forest, West Shewa, Ethiopia

“…Data were collected through personal interviews using a pretested structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (Dey et al, 2017b(Dey et al, , 2017aRaj et al, 2018;Suleiman et al, 2017). Moreover, key informants were also…”

Floristic composition and utilization of ethnomedicinal plant species in home gardens of the Eastern Himalaya

“…Home gardens of Cooch Behar are smaller with an average size of 0.61 ha than that of other parts of India or elsewhere but are generally high in native diversity including ethnomedicinal plants [ 1 , 7 – 11 ]. In India, particularly in West Bengal, people living in remote and rural areas are still dependent on traditional medicines for the treatment of various ailments due to lack of modern medical facilities and poor socioeconomic conditions [ 21 – 27 ]. Further, the elders of the region are skeptical on the retention of traditional knowledge and advocate documentation of these old age traditions and domestication of such valuable plant species for renewed interests among new generations and cultural transmissions of this valuable knowledge system [ 14 – 29 ].…”

“…One of the pioneering studies on ethnobotanical study in home gardens reported only 17 species [ 22 ]. The number increased to 78 species after a decade [ 27 , 31 ]. This indicates increasing use and importance given by the local community residing in the area.…”

“…The national government is also now promoting and integrating the use of traditional medicines in the national healthcare through establishing a separate Ministry of Ayush. In spite of all this, the urban population accepts a new wild plant product only after a proper testimony of the specialists [ 27 ]. Though home gardens are a very common feature of this region, very limited efforts have been made for the documentation of one of its key characteristics, i.e., ethnomedicinal plants [ 8 – 10 ].…”

Avaliação do Uso de Plantas Medicinais na Academia da Saúde do Município de Rio de Contas/BA

“…Segundo RAJ et al (2018), o uso de plantas medicinais com intuito de tratar várias doenças é algo explícito que faz parte da cultura humana. O conhecimento etnomedicinal é um recurso antigo valioso para o cuidado da saúde das pessoas, sendo, portanto, um saber milenar para futura sociedade no uso sustentável e sua conservação.…”