Ethnomedicinal survey of Bheramara area in Kushtia district, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Traditional or folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) administer primary healthcare to most of the rural population in Bangladesh. They utilize medicinal plants for various formulations to treat diverse ailments. The medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes vary considerably from region to region. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the Kavirajes of Bheramara area, Kushtia district, Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained and interviews were conducted of the Kavirajes with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire. Plant specimens as pointed out by them were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. The survey resulted in obtaining names of 58 plant species used by Kavirajes for treatment of various ailments. These medicinal plants belong to 38 families. The Leguminosae family provided the largest number of species (5), followed by the Euphorbiaceae family (4 species). The various plant parts used included whole plants, leaves, stems, roots, barks, flowers, fruits, and rhizomes. Evaluation of reported pharmacological activity studies on a number of plant species obtained in the present survey indicate that these plant species can potentially lead to discovery of novel compounds of pharmacological interest.