Herbal Folk Remedies of Bankura and Medinipur Districts, West Bengal

Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 2(4), October 2003, pp. 393-396

Herbal folk remedies of Bankura and Medinipur districts, West Bengal

Ashis Ghosh Ramkrishna Pally, Medinipur (West)-721 101, West Bengal Received 10 January 2002; revised 24 January 2003

Twenty two medicinal plants belonging to nineteen families used by the tribals/ local communities of Bankura and Medinipur districts, West Bengal have been reported as the potential drugs against twenty common ailments of the people. Keywords: Herbal folk remedies, Tribals, Bankura, Medinipur.

Herbal medicines are assuming greater krn. and the total forest area of 1404 sq. importance in the primary health care of km. Medinipur, the largest district of individuals and communities in many West Bengal, lies between 21° 36' & 22° developing countries. There has been an 57' North latitude, and 86° 33' & 88° 11' increase of demand in international trade East longitudes. It occupies an area of because herbal medicines are very 14,081 sq. km. and the total forest area of 2 effective, cheaply available, supposedly 1,70,895.13 hectare approximately1. • have no side effects and used as In Bankura, 12% population are tribals. alternative to allopathic medicines. The principal tribals are the Bhumij, Moreover, in most countries the herbal Karas, Mahali, Mech, Munda, Kora and medicine market is not adequately Santhals. In Medinipur, the tribals are regulated and the products are therefore 10% of the total population. Some of the unregistered and often not controlled by backward groups in this area are Sabar, regulatory bodies. The establishment of Santhal, Kadut, Naskar, Munda, Mahato, regulation and registration procedures has Sardar, Rajan, Sidhar, etc. Although these become a major concern in both people are very poor but they have their developed and developing countries. own unique culture and life style. Both Two rural districts, Bankura and the tribals and local people of the districts Medinipur (previously Midnapur, depend on the plants for day-to-day Midnapore) are the tribal inhabited medicinal purposes. Indeed, they have regions of West Bengal. Bankura lies perfected their art of healing too. In spite between 22° 38' & 23° 38' North latitude of rapid urbanization, effecting and between 86° 36' & 87° 46' East remarkable changes in the social, cultural longitudes. It has an area of 6,881.24 sq. and economic spheres, the traditional art 394 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 2. No. 4, OCTOBER 2003 of herbal cure and health care is still names; first name is considered in case of popular among the tribals and local multi-component preparations. The people. This indigenous system of plants, their local names, parts used, and medicine has almost remained unexplored method of application against various except for a few reports. The present ailments, have been documented. These endeavour aims to record the less known are as follows : medicinal uses of 22 species of Acacia nilotica (Linn.) Willd. ex angiosperms as herbal medicines. There Delile syn. A. arabica (Lam.) Willd. var. are also some earlier reports of herbal indica Benth. (Mimosaceae) (Babla) . medicine applicable to patients in Ten to twelve gram of dried latex, 1 6 Bankura and Medinipur • • along with ghee and sugar, is fried, and used with a glass of milk, once a day. for Methods of survey 7 days in case of spermatorrhoea. The present work is based on Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Correa ex information collected from tribal and Roxb. (Rutaceae) (Bel). local informants concerning common The juice extracted from root bark and ailments of the people. The survey was mixed in a cup of milk is prescribed to conducted during 1999 to 2001, among induce sleep and as a remedy for the villagers, the folk doctors, tribals and depression and weak heart. local commumtles. Information was Allium cepa Linn. (Liliaceae) collected from them through personal (Piyaz). contact at first, and then the treatments Bulbs are eaten . as raw food i. were applied to the patients to test their especially in summer season to prevent effectiveness. The name of some sunstroke. informers from Bankura and Medinipur Amaranthus tricolor Linn. districts are: Neul Lahar (Joypur, (Amaranthaceae) (Lal-notey). Bankura), Ratan Kisku (Bachurdoba, Root juice is applied locally to the cut Jhargram, Medinipur), Parthasarthi wounds to check bleeding. Mishra (Panchal, Bankura) and Amar Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Kisku (Chilkigarh, Medinipur). (Meliaceae) (Neem) leaves and Piper nigrum Linn. (Piperaceae) (Golmorich) Findings of survey fruits. The raw materials for medicine The leaves of Neem and fruits of preparations were collected from the Golmorich, 5 each, are given to diabetic fields, forests, and sometimes purchased and high blood pressure patients from local market also. Medicines were regularly. prepared at home, whenever necessary, Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken by boiling, crushing, mixing the syn. B. calycinum Salisb. (Crassulaceae) materials, preparing the pastes, etc. (Pathar-kuchi). The plant drugs are arranged Tender leaves are crushed along with a alphabetically in order of their botanical pinch of rock salt and extracted. Two GHOSH : FOLK REMEDIES OF BANKURA AND MEDINIPUR 395 spoonful extract is taken twice a day m Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) case of hyper-acidity and indigestion. (Sajina). Calotropis procera (Ait.) Ait. f. One spoonful juice of fresh leaves is (Asclepiadaceae) (Shet akanda). taken dai ly in empty stomach in case of The latex of the plant is locally applied hi gh blood pressure. to the cut wounds, till cured. Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. syn. N. Citrus sinensis (Linn.) Osbeck speciosum Willd. (Nymphaeaceae) (Rutaceae) (Musambi). (Padma) . The patients having general weakness Four seeds are crushed in half glass of are advised to take musambi juice daily. water and a drink is prepared. The drink Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae) (Green is given daily in the morning for 21 days fruit- Dab). for the treatment of habitual abortion. Milk of the green coconut is used as Piper betle Linn. (Piperaceae) (Pan). cream to the chicken pox scar. Warm petiole is applied locally to th e Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers. cut wounds thrice a day, till cured. (Poaceae) (Dw-ba). Psidium guajava Linn. (Myrtaceae) Five shoots are crushed along with 25 (peyara). grai ns of poli shed rice in cold water and Four pieces of mature fruit are the paste is eaten once a day in empty immersed in half glass of water for stomach for a month for the treatment of overnight and a drink is prepared. The habitual abortion. drink is given every day to the blood Ficus benghalensis Linn. (Moraceae) sugar patients. (Bot). Syzygium jambos (Lam.) Alston Tender bot leaves are immersed in half (Myrtaceae) (Jam). glass of water for overnight and the One spoonful juice of fresh leaves, infusion is used as a drink in the morning along with ghee, is taken in th e evening every day in case of blood sugar. in case of enuresis. Two pieces of prop root cap, fried with Tamarindus indica Linn. ghee, is given to the patient suffering (Caesalpiniaceae) (Tentul). from dysentery, once a day for 3 days. Tentul fruit is given daily to reduce One drop of fresh latex mixed with a cholesterol. pinch of karpur, is applied externally to Trichosanthes anguina Linn. the eye in case of cataract, till cured. (Cucurbitaceae) (Chichinga). Lawsonia inermis Linn. (Lythraceae) One spoonful leaf juice is taken twi ce a (Mehedi). day for I 0 days m case of menopausal Pillows made up of flowers are used to problems. induce sleep. Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. Leaf juice is applied locally to the (Cucurbitaceae) (Parol). wounds, 2-3 times a day, to cure Juice extracted from the roasted fruits candidiasis. is used as oil to the chicken pox scar. 396 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL 2, No.4, OCTOBER 2003

Vitex negundo Linn. (Yerbenaceae) Acknowledgement (Shet nishinda). The author is grateful to Prof. Bimal Crushed root bark with cold water is Krishna Das, Syecl Nurus Saiam, Prof. given to snake bite patients. Aloke Bhattacharya, Tuplu Putatunda and Sarathi Maity for their encouragement. Discussion It is observed that the traditional References medicinal plants in India are fast eroding. I Basak S K, Med icinal plants of Bankura (W.B.) It is necessary to inventorize and record and their uses, J Nat! Bot Soc. ( 1997) 6 1. all ethnomedicinal information among the diverse ethnic communi ties before they 2 Ghosh R B & Das D. A preliminary census and systematic survey of antidiabetic plants of are completely lost. The tribals of Midnapore di stri ct, West Bengal. India. J Ecnn Medinipur and Bankura district, West Taxon Bot, 23 ( 1999) 535. Bengal use locally available plants both 3 Namhata D & Ghosh A. Herbal folk medic in es ethnobotanically and ethnomedicinally in of Bankura di strict, West Bengal. Ceobios. Ne 1v vanous forms. Under herbal folk Rep, 12 ( 1993 ) 94. remedies, the role of these plants has 4 Chaudhuri R H N. Saren A M & Mol la H A. become very important. The present Some le ss known uses of plants from the tribal report aims at preservation and areas of Bankura di strict, West Bengal. Indian dissemination of such knowledge Mus Bull, 14(1982)7 1. practiced by these tribals and local 5 Namhata D & Mukhe1j ee A. Ethnomedici ne in commumttes. This information may be Bankura di strict, West Bengal, Indian J App/ helpful to further research because the Pure Bioi, 3 ( 1988) 53. medicines so prepared by these plants are 6 Ghosh A, Maity S & Maity M, Ethnomcdicine very effective, cheap and supposedly in Bankura di strict, West Bengal. J Ec011 Ta.wm have no side effects. Bot, Add/ Ser, 12 (1996) 3 18 .