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

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Habibur Rahman

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.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Jin ◽  
Shanshan Zhang ◽  
Nasir Shad ◽  
Abid Naeem ◽  
Yandeng Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundLingchuan County is the main producing area of Chinese medicinal materials in Shanxi Province, rich in medicinal plant resources. The aboriginal residents of Lingchuan County have certain traditional knowledge and experience in the use of medicinal plants and can effectively use medicinal plants to treat common diseases. MethodologyA field survey in 53 villages was carried out over one year, i.e., November 2017—August 2018. Ethnomedicinal data was collected through designed questionaries/interviews by involving 180 informants familiar with medicinal plants utilization. Documented data were evaluated using the quantitative indices. ResultsA total of 138 traditional medicinal plants were investigated, belonging to 123 genera of 60 families. Among them, Asteraceae was the dominant plant family with 19 species. Roots were the most commonly used plant parts, and the dominant life form was herbs. Quantitative analysis revealed that Forsythia suspensa was with higher (0.33) RFC value, and Scutellaria baicalensis was recorded with higher (0.91) UV. Treated diseases were categorized in 12 groups and evaluated by their FIC value, in which gynecological diseases having higher (0.93) FIC value followed by urinary system diseases. The most medicinal plants are used to clear away heat and relieve the surface. At the same time, people use boiled water to use medicinal plants. Most of the plants investigated are non-toxic. ConclusionThis study reported traditional herbal medicines for the first time to be used against various disorders in Lingchuan County, China and are still practiced by the local communities. Some of the new ethnobotanical claims documented in this investigation should need to be further explored clinically. The medicinal plants with the highest use values recorded in this study may signpost the probable existence of valuable phytochemical compounds that requires a search for prospective new drugs to cure many human disorders.


Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1974
Author(s):  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Allah Ditta ◽  
Faridah Hanum Ibrahim ◽  
Ghulam Murtaza ◽  
Muhammad Nawaz Rajpar ◽  
...  

Lack of proper infrastructure and the poor economic conditions of rural communities make them dependent on herbal medicines. Thus, there is a need to obtain and conserve the historic and traditional knowledge about the medicinal importance of different plants found in different areas of the world. In this regard, a field study was conducted to document the medicinal importance of local plants commonly used by the inhabitants of very old historic villages in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. In total, 58 plant species were explored, which belonged to 28 taxonomic families, as informed by 200 experienced respondents in the study area. The vernacular name, voucher number, plant parts used, and medicinal values were also documented for each species. Among the documented species, Poaceae remained the most predominant family, followed by Solanaceae and Asteraceae. The local communities were dependent on medicinal plants for daily curing of several ailments, including asthma, common cold, sore throat, fever, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive disorders. Among the reported species, leaves and the whole plant remained the most commonly utilized plant parts, while extracts (38.8%) and pastes (23.9%) were the most popular modes of utilization. Based on the ICF value, the highest value was accounted for wound healing (0.87), followed by skincare, nails, hair, and teeth disorders (0.85). The highest RFC value was represented by Acacia nilotica and Triticum aestivum (0.95 each), followed by Azadirachta indica (0.91). The highest UV was represented by Conyza canadensis and Cuscuta reflexa (0.58 each), followed by Xanthium strumarium (0.37). As far as FL was concerned, the highest value was recorded in the case of Azadirachta indica (93.4%) for blood purification and Acacia nilotica (91.1%) for sexual disorders. In conclusion, the local inhabitants primarily focus on medicinal plants for the treatment of different diseases in the very old historic villages of Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Moreover, there were various plants in the study area that have great ethnobotanical potential to treat various diseases, as revealed through different indices.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (06) ◽  
pp. 4589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vardan Singh Rawat

The present study was conducted in the Thalisain block of Pauri Garhwal to document the medicinal plants used by the local communities. 53 plant species distributed in 38 families were documented. Of the total plant species 49% were herbs, 26% trees, 23% shrubs and 2% climbers. 16 different plant parts were used by local communities for different ailments. Medicinal plants were widely used by major sections of the community against common colds, cough, skin diseases, snake bite, fever, joint pains, bronchitis etc. Women and local healers called vaids have a vital role in environmental management due to traditional knowledge and use of plants as medicine with undocumented knowledge. It has been observed as one of the best option of sustainable livelihoods for the residents of the area.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahira Aziz Mughal ◽  
Hamna Yasin ◽  
Zubaida Yousaf ◽  
Ismat Naeem Naeem

Abstract Background The chief aim of this study was to enlist the Ethnobotanical uses of plants in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. Due to unique geographical and climatic conditions, Pakistan has a great floral diversity. Plants have been used by the indigenous people for treatment of different ailments since long. They are still dependent on the plants for their domestic purposes. Moreover, plants are used as first aid to treat diverse ailments such as hepatic disorders, cardiac diseases, neurological diseases, anticancer, respiratory diseases, ENT problems, gynecological problems etc. The traditional uses of medicinal plants lead to the discovery of natural drugs. This is first quantitative ethno medicinal documentation of medicinal plants in Dera Ghazi Khan. Punjab, Pakistan. Methods This ethno botanical information was collected from about 200 informants including male and female. Sample size was determined by statistical formula. The informative data was based on semi-structured interviews, group discussions, Questionnaire and field visits. Then the data was analyzed by applying different quantitative indices such as Informant Consent Factor (ICF), Use value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and the Fidelity level (FL). Results Almost 185 plants belonging to 52 families were reported. Most-frequently cited families were Astreaceae (20 species) and Solanaceae (10 species). The most dominant life form was herbs (51%). The most-used plant parts were leaves (68%), followed by whole plant (65%), Most common mode of administration is extraction (50%). Generally herbal medicines were acquired from fresh plant material. Many species were reported with their different medicinal uses as has been reported in literature. Conclusions This ethno botanical documentation revealed that the plants are still used by natives of rural areas in their day-to-day lives. This study provides basis for the conservation of local flora. Plants with high ICF, UV and FL can be further used for phytochemical and pharmacological studies. This documentation could provide baseline information which can be used to develop new plant-based commercial drugs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Shahijahan Dar ◽  
◽  
GH. Nabi Joo ◽  
Showkat Ahmad Ganaie ◽  
◽  
...  

Man has used plants since time immemorial to alleviate sufferings and ailments. The present study attempts to explore and document the medicinal plants used against several diseases by the tribal and rural community of Sata Pokhran area of district Pulwama. During the survey from March to September 2017, a total of 28 different plant species belonging to equal number of genera and 16 different families were found to be used as effective remedies. The present study revealed that either whole plant or some plant parts are used to cure different diseases. It was also observed that majority of plant species are used to treat more than one disease and likewise more than one plant species is used to treat a particular disease. The scientific, local and family names of these medicinal plants along with their parts used, mode of administration and ethno medicinal uses are presented in this paper


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Costanza Torri

The vast majority of the medicinal plants in Chile have been studied from a pharmacological point of view. These studies, although giving important insights into the understanding of the Mapuche’s traditional medicine in terms of the therapeutical value of the plants, fail, however, to portray the numerous sociocultural and symbolic aspects of this form of medicine. This article aims to overcome this shortcoming by analyzing the sociocultural and religious values of medicinal plants among the Mapuche’s rural communities in Araucanía, Chile, as well as their role in traditional medicine. The methods utilized combined participant observation with individual interviews with local shamans (machi) and villagers. Data from free-list interviews and conversations with research participants were used to develop a series of semi-structured interview questions on knowledge of herbal medicines and plants. Data show that the therapeutic efficacy of Mapuche medicine is not only based on ‘‘active agents’’ but is also related to the symbolic and religious meaning attributed to the treatments by healers and patients. The article concludes that in order to fully understand the therapeutic efficacy of the plants, it is thus necessary to comprehend the sociocultural context in which they are used.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Auemporn Junsongduang ◽  
Onuma Nabundit ◽  
Pimrudee Chinnawong ◽  
Wattana Tanming ◽  
Henrik Balslev

Abstract Background: Local knowledge of herbal medicine in rural communities is rich. This part of cultures plays an important role in societies where knowledge of indigenous medicine and folk healing has been passed down from generation to generation. Most of the knowledge was never written down and much such knowledge has disappeared over time when it was presented orally and through memorization. The objective of this study was to compile knowledge related to medicinal plants used by Tai Lao traditional healers in Roi et province and identify their explicit use in order to preserve the useful wisdom for the people. Methodology: In this study we identify and document medicinal plants and associated ethnobotanical knowledge held by 14 traditional Tai Lao healers. They were selected by snowball and purposive sampling and questioned using semi-structured interviews. Interviews about their knowledge, covered their training, the ailments they treated, the techniques they used, their methods of preparation and, in addition, several healing sessions were observed. During walks in the fields, we searched for the medicinal plant with help from the healers to review and document their availability at each locality and in different habitats around the villages. Use Values (UV) were calculated to estimate the importance of each medicinal plant and Informant Agreement Ratios (IAR) were calculated to understand how widely known the uses were among the healers. Results: We found 146 species of medicinal plants in 127 genera and 60 plant families that were used for medicinal purposes by the 14 traditional healers interviewed. The family with most medicinal plants was Fabaceae (12 spp., 8%) followed by Poaceae (9 spp., 6%) and Zigiberaceae (8 spp., 5%). The most important and widely used medicinal plants were the sedge Cyperus rotundus (UV=0.71) followed by the dicot tree Salacia dongnaiensis (UV=0.64) and the palm Borassus flabellifer (UV=0.42). The most common preparation method was decoction, which was done for 99 species (68%) followed by grinding with water to produce a drink for 29 species (20%). The 14 healers together used medicinal plants to treat 53 specific conditions. Itching had the highest informant agreement ratio (IAR) value among the specific conditions with 0.33 (4 use-reports, 3 spp.). The general category of digestive system disorders had an informant agreement ratio (IAR) value of 0.35 (57 use-reports, 37 spp.) and this category of treatments also had the highest degree of consensus. The most common life form among the medicinal plants was trees (56 spp., 38%), followed by herbs (41 spp., 28%). The medicinal plants were mostly collected in homegardens (60 spp., 41%). The most commonly used plant parts for medicine was the stem which was used for almost half of the species (69 spp., 48%), followed by the roots (54 spp., 37%). The age of the Tai Lao healers varied from 26–87 years. All of them were male. Their age and educations were not correlated with the number of known medicinal plants. The highest number of known medicinal plants was held by a 70 years old healer (55 spp.). Conclusion: Considering the richness of the healers’ pharmacopeia, and the fact that their profession is not being perpetuated, this study points to the urgent need to document the traditional knowledge from the old herbalists before it disappears with the last practitioners in the rural communities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berhanu Tsegay ◽  
Ethiopia Mazengia ◽  
Tadesse Beyene

Abstract. Mazengia E, Beyene T, Tsegay BA. 2019. Short Communication: Diversity of medicinal plants used to treat human ailments in rural Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. Asian J For 3: 75-82. Survey of traditional medicinal plants used to treat human ailments by the rural community of Bahir Dar City Administration was conducted from November 23, 2017 to May 30, 2018 with the aim of identifying and documenting plants and the associated knowledge used to treat humans. We collected data from six study sites using semi-structured interview, field observation and group discussion. Data analyses were made using preference ranking, direct matrix ranking and fidelity level index. A total of 77 medicinal plants were identified. The majority of plants (58.4%) are harvested from the wild. The largest number of plants were herbs (42.6%) followed by shrubs (32.6%). The most frequently used plant parts in human disease treatments are leaves (54%) followed by roots (18%). Most remedies are prepared by pounding and mixing (concoction) (36%). The remedial administration was mostly oral (51%) followed by dermal (31%). Allium sativum and Ocimum lamiifolium are frequently used. The community in the study area uses considerable diversity of plant species for maintaining their health care system. Nonetheless, conservation for those plants whose roots are harvested is necessary.    


Author(s):  
Muatasim Jan ◽  
Tawseef Ahmad Mir ◽  
Rakesh Kumar Khare

Kashmir Himalaya is known for it’s dense and diverse vegetation. People here have gained immense knowledge regarding the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of different ailments. The present study attempts to explore and document the medicinal plants belonging to the family Solanaceae and Polygonaceae used against different ailments by tribal communities of Uri, Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. Data was collected by using semi structured interviews and group discussions. Besides local tribal communities of Gujjar and Bakerwal, herbal healers and local knowledgeable persons were consulted during the course of the study. During the study, a total of 25 plants were reported with a species contribution of 10 and 15 of Solanaceae and Polygonaceae respectively. The study revealed that either the whole plant or some plant parts are used as remedies against different ailments in the area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. IQBAL ◽  
A. SHAH ◽  
R. SARVAT ◽  
M. ADNAN ◽  
N. PARVEEN ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: This preliminary study provides the traditional consumption of wild vegetables that mostly grow as weeds (>50%) and that are also medicinally important in the rural communities of Sargodha region, Pakistan. Through different surveys and interviews with key informants, data on perception, gathering, preparation and use of 40 wild vegetables belonging to 27 families were collected. Most common wild occurring family was Cucurbitaceae. The most of the plants found were from herbs followed by trees and shrubs. According to mode of consumption, majority of the plants are cooked while others are used as in salads form while juices, spices, pickles, raw form (their parts like fruits), jams etc. are also used. Most commonly used plant parts were fruits followed by shoots and leaves. According to medicinal view of collected wild vegetables, most of the plants are used for gastrointestinal disorders. The present study confirms the findings that the rural communities can harvest wild edible plants especially weeds as a survival strategy. It presents the baseline data on the use of plant resources as wild edible vegetables by the native communities of the area. Moreover, many potential medicinal plants should be the focus of future research, especially from the phytochemical point of view for boosting pharmaceutical industries.


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