A Survey of Medicinal Plants used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners of Station Purbo Para Village of Jamalpur Sadar Upazila in Jamalpur district, Bangladesh

Folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) form the first tier of primary health care providers to a substantial section of the rural (village) population of Bangladesh. Kavirajes mostly administer decoctions, pastes, or juices of plant parts or whole medicinal plants in their treatment of ailments. Towards obtaining a comprehensive picture of the folk medicinal practices of Bangladesh and the various medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes, the present survey was conducted among five Kavirajes of Station Purbo Para village, which is within Jamalpur Sadar Upazila (sub-district) in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes prior to the survey. The survey was conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. Plant specimens, as named and pointed out by the Kavirajes, were collected together with information on formulations and dosages. All plant specimens were collected and dried in the field and alter brought back to Dhaka for identification at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. Information on a total of 121 plants distributed into 56 families was obtained from the Kavirajes. The Rutaceae family contributed the highest number of plant species (8), followed by the Fabaceae family (7), Cucurbitaceae family (6), and the Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae and Solanaceae families (5 plants each). The Moraceae and Poaceae families contributed 4 plants each, while the Acanthaceae, Araceae, Combretaceae, Lamiaceae, Liliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Piperaceae families contributed 3 plants per family. Leaves constituted the major plant part used by the Kavirajes (38.2%) followed by fruits (17.2%) and roots (8.9%). An interesting feature of the Kavirajes of this particular village was the use of motha (plant base which form the part of the plant immediately below and above the surface of soil) for treatment purposes. Motha use constituted 5.7% of total uses. The use of plants was most for gastrointestinal disorders (47 citations), followed respectively, by diabetes (21 citations), respiratory tract disorders (20 citations), weakness or debility (16 citations), and sexual disorders including low sperm count and infertility in women with 14 citations. Heart disorders were treated with 5 plants, and hepatic disorders like hepatitis and jaundice were treated with 8 plants. Among other notable ailments treated by the Kavirajes were menstrual problems, urinary problems, fever, skin infections, stones within the kidney, penis or gall bladder, pain, infections, animal and insect bites, anemia, cataract, helminthiasis, edema, epilepsy, insanity, typhoid, cholera, rheumatism, obesity, bone fractures, hair loss and garying of hair, measles, pox, hernia, hypertension, tooth and gum infections, allergy, cuts and wounds, and insanity. Six plants had ethnoveterinary applications. Cumulatively, the plants form a diverse group of plants,which can prove useful for further scientific studies leading to discovery of novel and more efficacious drugs.