Traditional practices of ethnomedicinal plants among forest-dependent communities of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

/ A Basic Overview of Environment and Sustainable Development, IAPH Books, Science Book / By

Dr. Rupa Sanyal
Department of Botany, Bhairab Ganguly College, WBSU, West Bengal, India.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/bhietm.2022.e01.006

Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, Ethnic community, Medicinal plants, Ailments.

Abstract:
Since ancient times, people have used plants to treat illnesses and soothe physical suffering. Plant-based medicines have a special place in the world, even though allopathic pharmaceuticals have sparked a revolution. Due to illiteracy, traditional applications of plants as medicine have not been fully documented and have instead been passed down through families as a domestic custom. This study aims to retrieve the indigenous knowledge of herbal plants from tribals of West Medinipur district by conducting focus group discussions in ‘Jabola, Amlasol, Daldali, Kakrajhore, Jujardhara and Mayurjharna villages’ and exercising semi-structured questionnaire to the traditional herbal practitioners. The common ailments/diseases the locals face include Jaundice, Typhoid, Dysentery, Digestive disorder, Leucorrhoea, Malaria, Snake bite, Headache, Body pain etc. Through extensive interviews with the traditional practitioner (Vaidya and Ojhas), it was revealed that the most frequently used medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases-Uraria lagopoides, Smilex ovalifolia, Emblica officinalis, Asparagus racemosus, Curculigo orchioides, Dregea volubilis, Ziziphus nummularia, Cisssus adnata. Among these plants, the first two are highly exploited commercial plants with high medicinal values of multipurpose usage. Different parts of Uraria lagopoides are used for the treatment of various ailments like leprosy, wound healing, cough and cold, mental disorder, and harhiya, as reported by the respondents. The traditional uses of Asperagus racemosus roots are used to cure bloody urine and blood diarrhoea. Additionally, they treat piles with rhizomes and utilise leaves to treat night blindness. The area’s Santhal, Munda, and Lodha populations indicated that the additional uses included treating general discomfort, stomach pain, waist pain, leucorrhoea, and constipation. Learning is made feasible by recalling the lifetime experiences of the ethnic community and herbal practitioners. Exploration and rigorous documenting of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants are necessary.

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The Basic Handbook of Indian Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine Vol. 1 Cover
The Basic Handbook of Indian Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine Vol. 1

How to Cite:
Rupa Sanyal (2022). Traditional practices of ethnomedicinal plants among forest-dependent communities of Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. © International Academic Publishing House (IAPH), B. Sarkar (eds.), The Basic Handbook of Indian Ethnobotany and Traditional Medicine,Vol. 1, pp. 74-84.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52756/bhietm.2022.e01.006