Medicinal Plants used by Traditional Healers in Lohagara Upazila of Narail District, Bangladesh

Introduction

The plant having properties to cure the disease and have the same properties as Pharmaceutical drugs are called medicinal plants. These plants are rich in those ingredients which are used in the preparation of medicine [1]. Medicinal plants are being used for the treatment of various diseases by the tribal people for a generation. Medicinal plants are an essential part of the human health care system because of less expensive, lesser side effects and toxicity [2]. Sometimes, the medicine is also called herbal medicine due to its properties. The tribal people prefer to use medicinal plant and plant-based medicine because of the cheap price and easy availability as compared to costly pharmaceuticals’ [3]. These people have inherited indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants from their ancestors since time immemorial; and they discover the therapeutic activity of medicinal plants against diseases through their traumatic experiences [4].

The rudimental knowledge of medicinal plants is scientifically and culturally very significant to society. According to the local people, plants not only have nutritional value but also have medicinal and ritual values. These plants play a vital role in the development of drugs. World Health Organization estimates that 80% of populations from many countries are using traditional folk medicine to cure various ailments [5]. The main objective of this study is to identify and assess the indigenous knowledge of the medicinal plants present in several villages in Lohagara Upazila of Narail district, Bangladesh.

Results and Discussion

Medicinal plants survey was employed to collect information from traditional healers in Lohagara Upazila of Narail district, Bangladesh was recorded from November 2018 to March 2020. One hundred and one medicinal plant species 89 genera belonging to 55 families were reported by the traditional healers for the treatment of 73 human ailments in the study area. For each species, scientific name, local name, family, habit, diseases, mode of administration and part(s) used are provided. The result of this information showed that these traditional healers in the study area still depend on medicinal uses of plants for the treatment of asthma, anaemia, abdominal pain, alopecia, burning sensation, blood dysentery, dyspepsia, bronchitis, diuretic, constipation, cough, chronic fever, chicken fox, dog bite, dysentery, diabetes, eczema, heart disease, high blood pressure, headache, inflammation, jaundice, leprosy, mouth ulcer, malarial fever, menstrual bleeding, piles, scabies, rheumatism, skin cracks, scurvy, snake bite, stomachache, swelling, toothache, tumours, throat pain, tuberculosis, ulcers, vomiting, wound, weakness, and many types of diseases. This is the first-ever exploration of the study area which will assist the new researcher in future especially in the field of traditional medicinal plants.

Out of 101 species, 38.61% species were herb, 17.82% species were shrub, 9.90% species were climber and 33.66% tree species were used as medicine (Table 1, Figure 1). Different plant parts of different spp. are used as medicine for treating various diseases; leaf of 45.54%, the bark of 16.83%, the fruit of 21.78%, the root of 20.79%, seed of 12.87%, stem of 5.94%, whole plant of 18.81%, flowers of 3.96%, the rhizome of 2.79%, gum of 3.96%, petiole of 1.98%, bulb of 1.98% and latex of 0.99% species were used as medicine (Figure 2). The distribution of medicinal plant species in the families shows variation. Out of 55 families, 2.97% species were used in the family Lamiaceae, followed by 3.96% Apocynaceae, 2.97% Cucurbitaceae, 4.95% Rutaceae, 2.97% Moraceae, 4.95% Fabaceae, 3.96% Malvaceae, 3.96% Piperaceae, 4.95% Euphorbiaceae, 2.97% Solanaceae, 2.97% Arecaceae and 2.97% Asteraceae (Figure 3). Out of 73 categories of diseases, fever (18.81%), dysentery (16.83%), cough (11.88%), diarrhoea (9.09%), asthma (9.09%), diabetes (10.89%), skin disease (10.89%) and jaundice (9.09%) was dominant diseases in the study area (Figure 4).

The collected medicinal information is comparable with the result of other studies in Bangladesh and foreign. In Bangladesh, a total of 70 medicinal plant species under 36 families were recorded in the Bandarban district [13]. 86 plant taxa belonged to 84 genera under 46 families were recorded in Garo ethnic community, Tangail [14]. A total of 111 species under 93 genera of 53 families have been documented which are used for the treatment of various diseases [15]. Forty medicinal plants have been documented in Paba Upazila of Rajshahi [16]. A total of 45 medicinal plants under 43 genera and 33 families have been recorded in Daulotpur Upazila of Kushtia District, Bangladesh [17]. 111 medicinal plants used to cure various diseases in Rajshahi metropolitan city [18]. A total of 52 plant species under 50 genera and 37 families have been documented in Jamalpur district [19]. A total of 93 medicinal plants were recorded in the Chapai Nawabganj district [20].

A total of 105 plant species under 97 genera belonging to 57 families were recorded in the Dinajpur district [21]. A total of 61 medicinal plants were recorded in Sadar Upazila of Joypurhat District [22]. 94 medicinal leafy vegetables were recorded in Rajshahi [23]. A total of 127 plant species under 105 genera of 66 families have been documented in Puthia Upazila of Rajshahi [24]. A total of 147 medicinal angiosperm weeds was documented in Rajshahi metropolitan city [25]. In India, a total of 40 plant species 37 genera and 28 families were recorded for medicinal purposes [26]. In Ethiopia, 47 medicinal plant species belonging to 23 families were reported by the traditional healers for the treatment of various human ailments [27]. In Pakistan, a total of 81 plants are recorded as medicinal belonging to 45 families and 75 genera [28]. In Nigeria, a total of one hundred and three (103) medicinal species belonging to fifty-two (52) families were identified [29]. In Pakistan, a total of 150 medicinal plants belonging to 98 genera and 60 families were documented [30]. In Kenya, a total of 66 plant species under 58 genera belonging to 36 families were reported as medicinal values [31]. The present findings showed that there was a high diversity of plant species used in traditional medicine by the traditional healers in Lohagara Upazila of Narail district, Bangladesh. Medicinal plants traditionally used as remedies for various illnesses and health problems were proven to have bioactivity properties due to their phytochemical compounds. Documentation of indigenous knowledge on traditional medicine generated in this research has an important role in preserving best practices on traditional medicine which serve as the basis for new drug discovery in modern medicine.

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Summary and Conclusion

The indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants of Lohagara Upazila of Narail district, Bangladesh was reported in this research. Results have shown that 101 medicinal plants used by traditional healers to treat various diseases. The most utilized plant families were Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae followed by Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Arecaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Moraceae, Piperaceae and Rutaceae. The highest proportions of the medicinal plants (38.61%) are herbs followed by trees (33.66%), shrubs (17.82%) and climbers (9.90%). Commonly treated diseases are diabetes, dysentery, headache, eczema, heart disease, high blood pressure, piles, scabies, jaundice, asthma, bronchitis, constipation, cough, chronic fever, chicken fox, dog bite, snake bite, toothache, ulcers, vomiting and wounds. The major threats to medicinal plants and the associated knowledge on these particular plants are agricultural expansions, firewood collections grazing and drought in that order to overcome these problems traditional healers have gone far to get the plants that used for the medication. Despite this fact, traditional healers still depend to a greater extent on naturally growing species, as they believe those species in the wild vegetation are more powerful in the treatment of different ailments and health problems the scarcity of the plantation area for growing the plants in the study area. Further pharmacological and phytochemical research studies are recommended to identify active components in the recorded medicinal plants, and their efficiency to cure the different human diseases.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the local people in Lohagara upazila of Narail district, Bangladesh for their co-operation and help during the research work.