Abstract
Objective
To explore traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge of different tribes of Coochbehar district of West Bengal, India, and its present status.
Methods
With the help of standardized questionnaires, traditional healers and resource persons were interviewed on medicinal use of local flora in all the tribal villages of Coochbehar district during July, 2007 to December, 2009 and some of the places were revisited for this purpose again during July to December of 2012.
Results
A total of 46 plant species belonging to 42 genera and 27 families were reported to be used for treating 33 various physical ailments. In terms of the number of medicinal plant species, Fabaceae (5 species) and Euphorbiaceae (4 species) are dominant families. Among different plant parts used for the preparation of medicine, leaves were most frequently used for the treatment of diseases.
Conclusions
In all tribal villages we found the use of medicinal plants, particularly to treat common physical problems like smaller injuries, stomachache and abdominal disorder. However, non-availability of such plants in close vicinity is imposing restriction on using medicinal plants. Further research on these species may lead to the discovery of novel bioactive molecules in one hand and also it may open up a new horizon of sustainable development.
Keywords: Tribal ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Coochbehar district
1. Introduction
About 70% of Indian population inhabits in rural areas and many of them reside in the vicinity of forest and use various plant parts as food, medicines, and in many other purposes for their daily livelihood. Indian people are using medicinal plants from prehistoric period[1]. Indigenous healing practices have been culturally accepted during all phases of human culture and environmental evolution. Traditional medicine is widely used and accounts for about 40% of all health care delivered[2]. About 85% of traditional medicines are plant derived[3]. Medicinal plants have a long-standing history in many indigenous communities, and are an integral part for treating various diseases, particularly to curve daily ailments and this practice of traditional medicine is based on hundreds of years of belief and observations. Almost every section of Indian population use plants as medicine and altogether about 7 500 species of plants are being used by several ethnic communities. Particularly, tribal people collect and preserve locally available wild and cultivated plant species and practice herbal medicine to treat a variety of diseases and disorders. With enormously diversified ethnic groups and rich biological resources, India represents one of the great emporia of ethnobotanical wealth[4].
In developing countries, there is an increasing attempt to incorporate traditional medicines, especially herbal preparations in the local health care systems and many modern researchers are involved today to explore the huge potential of ethnobotanical knowledge for treating various diseases[4]–[7]. However, The ethnomedicinal plants are under threat due to deforestation, overgrazing and their reckless utilization. So, it indicates the urgent need of their conservation. Conservation of biological resources as well as their sustainable use is important in preservation of traditional knowledge[8].
In spite of flurry of researches about use and status of medicinal plants in various parts of India, no such scientific documentation has been made in Coochbehar district of West Bengal so far. So we designed this study to survey the use of medicinal plants among tribal people of Coochbehar district, as well as to check the recent status of the medicinal plants in this area through an intensive survey.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Study Area
Coochbehar, the northern district of West Bengal, situated at the foothill of the Eastern Himalaya. The name Cooch-Behar is derived from the name of the Koch tribe. Other than Koch, several other tribes like Meich, Rava, Munda, Santhal, Garo, Oraon, etc. inhabits this area and the indigenous culture is maintained by them in more or less in its native form.
The district is known for its rich floristic composition and traditional culture which probably is the attribute of its geography (26°36′20″-26°57′47″ North; 89°54′35″-89°47′44″ East) (Figure 1) and climate. Coochbehar has a moderate climate characterized by heavy rainfall during the monsoons. Average annual rainfall is 3 201.3 mm with an average of 102 rainy days. Maximum mean daily temperature during summer is 36.5 °C and minimum mean daily temperature is 10.4 °C during winter. The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except from February to May, when relative humidity is around 50 to 70 percent.
Figure 1. Location map of Coochbehar district in West Bengal, India, showing different blocks.
2.2. Data collection
A simple but very basic work plan was adopted for this survey work. At first various government departments like Forest Department, Department of Backward Classes, Panchayet Offices, etc. were approached for getting information about checklist of forest villages with relevant demographic information and to get detailed information about tribal population and tribal villages of the district. Relevant information was also collected from internet. On the basis of that information a plan of work was chalked out for our survey. Then extensive survey was conducted during the period of July, 2007 to December, 2009 and some of the places were revisited again during July to December of 2012.
During field survey, detailed information on types, traditional method of preparation, mode of consumption, shelf life and ethnic value of the medicinal plants were collected from elderly persons and traditional healers of tribal communities. Information was collected through well structured pretested questionnaires and discussions among the informants in their local language.
The plant specimens were collected as directed by the resource persons in flowering and fruiting conditions. Digital photographs of the plants were also taken. Collected specimens were dried, chemically treated, and herbarium sheets were prepared for possible identification. Identifications were made using available literature[9]–[10].
3. Results
In this study 46 plant species of 27 families (Table 1) were found to be used for medicinal purposes by various tribes of Coochbehar district as reported by medicine men or traditional healers. Most of this knowledge was transmitted from one generation to next. The traditional medicine men are integral part of the community and take care of the common ailments of the folk in their home setting[11].
Table 1. Medicinal plants used by tribals of Coochbehar district.
| Name | Family | Local distribution status | Uses |
| Amaranthys spinosus | Amaranthaceae | Common wild | Leaves taken as vegetable to treat anemia; root paste applied on stomach to treat urinary disorder |
| Ageratum conyzoides | Asteraceae | Common wild | Leaves used to treat cut |
| Alstonia scholaris | Apocynaceae | Common wild | Bark extract used to treat intestinal worm; bark juice used to treat fever |
| Andrographis paniculata | Acanthaceae | Commonly cultivated | Leaf extract to treat jaundice; dried leaf extract to treat body pain |
| Azadirachta indica | Meliaceae | Common wild | Young twig used in cleaning teeth; leaf extract to treat liver ailment |
| Cajanus cajan (=indicus) | Fabaceae | Commonly cultivated | Leaf decoction for jaundice; leaf extract to treat dysentery |
| Calotropis gigantea L | Asclepiadaceae | Common wild | Leaves used to treat rheumatism |
| Calotropis procera | Asclepiadaceae | Common wild | Leaves used to treat rheumatism and cuts; latex used in dog bite |
| Cassia occidentalis | Fabaceae | Common wild | Root extract applied to treat snake bite |
| Centella asiatica | Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) | Common wild | Leaf used to treat diarrhea and dysentery; leaf extract to treat eczema |
| Chenopodium album L | Chenopodiaceae | Common wild and cultivated | Leaves used to treat intestinal worm |
| Cleome rutidosperma | Cleomaceae | Common wild | Seeds used in menstrual problems |
| Coccinia grandis (=indica) | Cucurbitaceae | Common wild | Leaves used to treat hypertension |
| Croton bonplandianum | Euphorbiaceae | Common wild | Leaf extract used to treat cut and wounds |
| Curcuma longa | Zingiberaceae | Commonly cultivated | Rhizome paste applied in cuts and wounds |
| Cyperus rotundus | Cyperaceae | Common wild | Root extract used to treat cuts |
| Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. | Fabaceae | Cultivated for timber | Leaf juice used to treat stomach disorder |
| Drymaria diandra | Caryophyllaceae | Common wild | Dried leaves smoked to treat cough |
| Eclipta prostrata | Asteraceae | Common wild | Leaf extract used to disinfect cut and wounds |
| Eupatorium odoratum | Asteraceae | Common wild | Fresh leaf juice externally applied to cuts and wouds to stop bleeding |
| Euphorbia hirta | Euphorbiaceae | Common wild | Leaves used to treat menstrual problems and extract used to stop irregular periods |
| Glycosmis arboroea (=pentaphyla) | Fabaceae | Uncommon wild | Root powder used in fever, hepatopathy, eczema, skin diseases, to treat wounds and liver complaint |
| Gmelina arborea Roxb. | Verbenaceae | Commonly cultivated for timber | Root extract used in stomach disorder |
| Heliotropium indicum | Boraginaceae | Common wild | Juice of plant used to treat eye infection |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L | Malvaceae | Commonly cultivated | Leaves used to treat burning sensation, fatigue and skin diseases; root extract used to treat cough and fever |
| Hydrophila schulli (Buch. Ham.) | Acanthaceae | Restricted wild | Leaf extract used to treat anemia |
| Jatropha curcas L | Euphorbiaceae | Common wild and cultivated | Latex used to treat wounds and dysentery |
| Justicia adhatoda L | Acanthaceae | Common wild and cultivated | Leaf juice taken for several days as expectorant to treat chronic bronchitis, caugh and cold |
| Leucas plukenetii syn. L. aspera | Labiatae | Common wild | Leaf juice used in jaundice |
| Ludwigia perennis | Onagraceae | Common wild | Boiled plant extract used externally to reduce fever |
| Malvaviscous arboreous | Malvaceae | Common cultivated | Flower buds are used to stop bleeding |
| Mangifera indica L | Ancardiaceae | Common wild and cultivated | Bark used for the treatment of loose motion |
| Ocimum basilicum L | Labiatae | Cultivated in marshy places | Seed paste applied against stings of wasps, bees and other venomous insects |
| Ocimum gratissimum | Labiatae | Uncommon wild | Leaf extract applied on cut to stop bleeding |
| Plumbago zeylanica | Plumbaginaceae | Uncommon cultivated | Root used to treat high fever; leaves used to treat cut |
| Psidium guajava | Myrtaceae | Common | Bark used as contraceptive; young leaf used to treat stomach pain |
| Rauvolfia serpentina (L) ex Kurz | Apocynaceae | Rare wild | Root extract used in stomach pain and to treat intestinal worm |
| Rauvolfia tetraphylla L | Apocynaceae | Uncommon cultivated | Root extract used in stomach pain and to treat intestinal worm |
| Ricinus communis | Euphorbiaceae | Common wild | Seed oil is used as pain killer |
| Scoparia dulcis | Scrophulariaceae | Common wild | Leaf juice against stomach disorder |
| Sesamum indicum | Pedaliaceae | Cultivated | Fried fruit taken in case of fever |
| Sesbania grandiflora | Fabaceae | Cultivated | Extract of leaves used in jaundice |
| Sida acuta | Malvaceae | Common wild | Root extract used against blood urea, boils and nephritis |
| Solanum indicum | Solanaceae | Common wild | Seed applied on teeth and gum to treat infection |
| Stephania glandulifera | Menispermaceae | Common wild | Root used in headache |
| Vitex negundo | Verbenaceae | Common wild | Extract of leaves used against whitening of hair and memory loss, also to treat cancer |
The reported plants were arranged according to their scientific name, family, vernacular names (as recorded during the field work), local status on availability, parts used, therapeutic uses and method of usage of herbal preparations. However, we were not able to collect information about method of usage of herbal preparations in all cases; because many of the traditional healers believe that upon disclosure of the knowledge (particularly to urban people) the effect of medicine will diminish.
They use these forty six species of medicinal plants to treat 33 various types of physical ailments. Most of the plants reported in this study were collected from natural vegetation (72%) and few of them from home gardens (28%). Fabaceae is represented by the highest number of species (five species), followed by Euphorbiaceae (four species), Apocynaceae, Acanthaceae, Asteraceae, Malvaceae and Labitae each comprising three species. Two families (Asclepiadaceae, and Verbenaceae) contained two species each and eighteen families represented by only one species.
Among different plant parts used for the preparation of medicine (Figure 2), leaves (48%) were found to be the most frequently used plant parts followed by roots (21%), seeds (8%), stem bark (8%), latex (4%), whole plant parts (4%), and only in one occasion each by tuber, fruit, flower and stem.
Figure 2. Percentage of plant parts used for the preparation of medicine by tribal people of Coochbehar district, India.
Most of the ethnobotanical studies confirmed that leaves are the major portion of the plant used in the treatment of diseases[12]–[17]. The methods of preparation fall into four categories, viz. plant parts applied as a paste, juice extracted from the fresh parts of the plant, and plants used to prepare decoction in combination with water and powder made from fresh or dried material.
4. Discussion
In every nook and corner of the Coochbehar district plants are used as medicine. The herbal preparations made from the traditional medicinal plants were mostly used to treat cut and wounds, and stomachache and abdominal disorder (ten species each), for treatment of jaundice and liver problems (six species), and to treat intestinal worm, and fever (four species each). The study showed that a good number of the collected plants were used for the treatment of multiple diseases. Glycosmis arboroea (=pentaphyla) are used for the treatment of six diseases; Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L for the treatment of four diseases; Sida acuta and Vitex negundoare for the treatment of three diseases; and 14 other plants are used to treat two diseases.
Use of medicinal plants among tribals of Coochbehar district in treatment of various diseases has definitely been out numbered today by the allopathic treatment. But still their dependence on plants of their surroundings to get relieved from day to day ailments is unquestionable. However, all persons, who are using plants as medicine, are complaining about the gradual fading out of many of the medicinal plants from their surroundings. It is presumable that availability of such plants in the vicinity may increase the use of plants as medicine. So possibilities of propagation and cultivation of these plants in this area should be explored to achieve the goal of sustainable development. Also further research on the medicinal plants mentioned in this study might provide some potential leads to fulfill the needs of search for bioactive compounds and the discovery of new drugs to fight diseases.
Acknowledgments
We are thankful to the tribal people in Coochbehar District for their valuable help in documentation of indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge. We gratefully acknowledge West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology. Government of West Bengal, India. (Grant no. 269/WBSCST/D/0144/06; dated 17.05.2007) for financial assistance and active guidance to make the project a success. We are grateful to the Principal of Ananda Chandra College, Jalpaiguri, for providing necessary laboratory facilities and infrastructure for this work. Sincere thanks to the Forest Department, West Bengal for their help and cooperation without which this survey work wouldn't have been possible.
Comments
Background
Medicinal plants have a long-standing history in many indigenous communities, and are an integral part for treating various diseases and this practice of traditional medicine is based on hundreds of years of belief and observations. This study aims to survey the use of medicinal plants among tribal people of Coochbehar district, as well as to check the recent status of the medicinal plants.
Research frontiers
Through an extensive survey we have enlisted all the plants that the tribal of Coochbehar district use for treating various diseases. Also we have studied the present status of those medicinal plants in that area.
Related reports
Exploration of medicinal plant is a global phenomenon. As because tribal society are intricately associated with folklore medicine, various researchers have studied medicinal plants used by different tribes.
Innovations and breakthroughs
This study depicts a comprehensive list of traditionally used medicinal plants among tribes and their abundance in the Coochbehar district, West Bengal, India.
Applications
This study might provide some potential leads to fulfill the needs of search for bioactive compounds and the discovery of new drugs to fight diseases.
Peer review
This is a valuable research work in which authors have enlisted 46 plant species of 27 families that different tribes of Coochbehar district of West Bengal, India use to treat different diseases. Also we tried to explore the present status of those plants in this region.
Footnotes
Foundation Project: West Bengal State Council of Science and Technology. Government of West Bengal, India. (Grant no. 269/WBSCST/D/0144/06; dated 17.05.2007).
Conflict of interest statement: We declare that we have no conflict of interest.
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