MEDICINAL PLANTS USED AGAINST VARIOUS AILMENTS BY THE PEOPLE OF ”CHAR” AREAS IN RANGPUR DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

Abstract

The ”Char” area people live on islands formed in a river. These people have a somewhat different lifestyle and customs apart from the mainstream population. They rely mostly on herbal medicines administered by local traditional medicinal practitioners for cure of their various ailments. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethno-medicinal survey amongst the traditional medicinal practitioners of the ”Char” area people residing on various river islands of the river Jamuna in Rangpur district, Bangladesh. Interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Plant specimens were photographed as well as collected and sent to the Bangladesh National Herbarium for proper identification. A total of 48 plants distributed into 34 families were reported to be used by the traditional medicinal practitioners for cure of diverse ailments. Amongst the families, three plants each belonged to the Amaranthaceae and Solanaceae families, while two plants each belonged to the Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Labiatae, Liliaceae, Lythraceae, Piperaceae, Umbelliferae, Verbenaceae, and Zingiberaceae families. Other families represented by one plant each included Agavaceae, Alliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Bombacaceae, Boraginaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Combretaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Gentianaceae, Leguminosae, Meliaceae, Menispermaceae, Moraceae, Myrtaceae, Papilionaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rutaceae, and Sterculiaceae families. Cumulatively, the plants were used to treat diverse ailments like rabies, chicken pox, measles, pneumonia, jaundice, blood dysentery, leucorrhea, hematuria, infertility, cataract, bone fracture, leprosy, skin disorders, debility, helminthiasis, toothache, vitiligo, arthritis, and renal inflammation. The plants can form a useful source of discovery of novel pharmacological constituents for treatment of diverse ailments.