Keywords

Folk remedies; Ethnomedicine; Ethnobotony; Pharmacy

Introduction

In the developed countries there is a perceptible revival of the use of herbs in health care programs. It is probably due to countries introduction of a large number of synthetic drugs and antibiotics by pharmaceutical companies resulted in wide spread toxicity. Today more than 25% of the formulations contain plant products [1]. These has also been considerable increase in the sale of herbal teas and health foods. People in general are now prefer to use natural products. In Bankura district the large tribal population have their own system of herbal medicines practiced the ancient time some time Ethnomedicine is used in their original form but plant extraction is also used for preparing medicine without mixing of any chemical product.

Study Area

The area of study is mainly concentrate in the Bankura district, lying between 22°46'-22°38' N and 86°36' E, Bankura is one of the main tribal inhabited place of west Bengal the principal tribal are Oraôn, Santal, Munda.

Totaly 200 families are studied. The total area covered 6,882 km² (2,657 sq. m). Totaly 200 families are studied, the sex ratio of Bankura district 914 and the literacy rate is 70.95% (2011 census report) (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Totaly 200 families are studied, the sex ratio of Bankura district 914 and the literacy rate is 70.95% (2011 census report).

Materials and Methods

There are mainly three tribes of Bankura district studied they are Munda, Oraôn and Santal. They have their own unique culture and life style. In spite of rapid urbanization, effecting remarkable changes in the social, cultural and economic spheres, the traditional art of herbal cure and health care is still popular among tribal [2]. This indigenous system of medicine has almost remained unexplored except for a few reports. The present endeavor aims to record the less known medicinal uses of species of angiosperms as practiced by tribal of district, which were ascertained following a through screening of the literature, in respect of the medicinal significance already documented against the respective species. Information on the medicinal uses of plans were gathered on the basis of intensive field surveys in the tribal inhabited localities of the district, interrogation of folk doctors and knowledgeable local informants in respect of each herbal recipe and personal experience.

Results and Discussion

Among the studied population the tribes are mainly used the Ethnomedicine in extract form or use plant part as medicine (Figure 2). The studied medicine and their preparation for using is enlisted in Table 1.

Figure 2: Some medicinal plants.

Table 1: The studied medicine and their preparation.

Conclusion and Recommendation

The work bring into focus the herbal medicines used by the tribes of Bankura district very effectively against some common ailments. Almost 20 plant species have studied which belong to the mainstream usage of Ethnomedicine in Bankura. This information could flourish the present day therapeutic practice. The usage of Ethnomedicine is found in large number in the tribal as they are more familiar with the nature, but now for the effect of industrialization and globalization, in many case the biomedicine and allopathic medicine is used as well for curing the disease. All of the Ethnomedicine are really very effective and positively used by them as alternatives of allopathic medicine which have no side effect and cheaply available in the district. For that some organization is trying to preserve and spread the traditional medicine system for the sake of human welfare.

References

1. Deepak A, Anshu S (2008) Indigenous Herbal Medicines: TribalFormulations and Traditional Herbal Practices. Aavishkar Publishers Distributor,Jaipur.
2. Johnson TM, Sargent CF (1996) Ethnopharmacology: TheConjunction of Medical Ethnography and the Biology of Therapeutic Action". Medical Anthropology: Contemporary Theory and Method. Westport,Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.