Studies on Ethnomedicinal Uses and Formulation of Herbal Drugs from Medicinal Plants of Ranchi District- A Survey

Introduction: Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history, and such traditional medicine is still widely practiced today. Modern medicine recognizes herbalism as a form of alternative medicine, as the practice of herbalism is not strictly based on evidence gathered using the scientific method. Modern medicine, does, however, make use of many plant-derived compounds as the basis for evidence-tested pharmaceutical drugs, and phytotherapy works to apply modern standards of effectiveness testing to herbs and medicines that are derived from natural sources.
Objectives: To examine the traditional therapeutic properties of indigenous medicinal plants in urban and rural location of Ranchi, North Eastern India. Methods: In the present study ehnomedicinal survey was conducted in various urban and rural locations of Ranchi District of Jharkhand state during March 2009 - Sep2010.
Results: The people of the study area have expertise in utilizing different plant parts as medicine for the treatment of all sorts of aliments. This paper additionally deals with the enlistment and documentation of traditional therapeutic properties of 74 indigenous medicinal plants, which are in practice for the treatment of diseases by inhabitants of the study area. The information on ethnomedicinal formulation is based on the interview with local traditional herbal practitioners, Vaidhya and other knowledgeable persons, who prescribe their herbal preparation to treat various ailment. Conclusion: The study exclusively examined many novel plants and plant products based on its medicinal uses and properties. This survey needs to be integrated with healthcare system (research & industrial level) to explore new drug formulation for medicinal upgradation of humans.

Author(s): P. R. Sahu, A. S. Khalkho*, S. Kumari and S. Alam

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