Ancient Science of Life, Vol No. III No.4 April 1984, Pages 209 - 212

JAUNDICE : TRIBAL MEDICINE

KOPPULA HEMADRI AND SWAHARI SASIBHUSHANA RAO

Regional Research Centre, Vijayawada 520 010, .

Received: November 24, 1983 Accepted: January 12, 1984

ABSTRACT: Till this date, Modern Medicine has not offered any satisfactory remedy for Jaundice. In contrast, Traditional Medicine and Tribal practices have been rescuing the patients since time immemorial. Presented in this article are some of such remedies rediscovered by the authors in the Dandakaranya area during the Ethno – Botanical Surveys.

Ethno – Botany has helped ‘rediscovering’ ‘Herbal Cure Centres’, manned by villagers the ‘healing herbs’ and also the ‘Art of and tribals. Instead, Clinical Researchers Healing’ inherited by the remote villagers should look into various Folk remedies and and aboriginals dwelling amidst jungle help enrich the present knowledge in thickets. The authors in the following pages combating the ever increasing epidemic of present some of such common practices Jaundice. followed in Dannadakaranya area covering and Phulbani Districts of Orissa, ABBREVIATIONS Bastar District of and the vast belt of in L : Latin Name bordering Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and F : Family Name Maharastra, to cure Janudice. V : Vernacular Name Some of the tribal practices in vogue such S : Sanskrit Name as, rubbing the soles with oil and Bell metal, applying paste of ‘Eranda bija’ and P : Place of Collection ‘Bhrngarja mula’ to the eyes, wearing L : Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ‘Udumbara mula’ in the form of a necklace, consuming soup of ‘Kangudi’ bird and Ex Nees drinking ‘Panca mutra’ on empty stomach F : ACAANTHACEAE etc., are so striking that one might wonder, how these simple remedies actually act upon S : Bhunimba and overcome the dreaded disease. V : Bhulimb

Even till this date, Modern Medicine has not P : Sankanpalli near Madded : Bastar district offered any satisfactory remedy for (Madhya Pradesh). Jaundice. Hence nobody need wonder even if the urban and suburban patients affected with the disease directly flock into the

Pages 209 - 212 Whole plant of ‘Bhulimb’ and stem barks of P : Thotapalli near Kathipudi : East ‘Nimba’ [ L : Azadirachta indica a. Juss; V : Godavari district (Andhra Pradesh). Limb, Yaap] and Kutaja [ L : Holarrhena antidysenterica (Linn) Wall ex. G. Don ; V : Koriya] are taken in equal quantities, Leaf along with five peppers is ground well pounded well and mixed in water about 6 into a paste, mixed in water and given times by volume. A red hot brick is then internally. dropped in to it and filtered. The extract thus obtained is given internally. Dose : 25 gms. of paste in 100 ml of water, once a day for 5 days. Dose : 25 ml. 3 – 4 times a day for 3 days. Note : Salt should be avoided during the L : Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. treatment and fish, mutton, brinjal and redgram preparations for six months after F : CUCURBITACEAE the treatment. S : Kusmanda L : Cordia dichotoma Forst. F. V : Kokharu F : BORAGINACEAE P : Nakadisaroo near Gatchapoda : S : Slesmataka Phulbani district (Orissa). Fruit juice is V : Gonni, Iriki given internally. P : Chennur : (Andhra Dose : 50 ml. once a day for 3 days : Sugar Pradesh). is added for taste.

L : Cajanus cajan (Linn.) Millsp. Leaf juice is given internally.

F : FABACEAE Dose : 20 ml. once a day for 3 days. S : Adhaki L : Curcuma angustifolia Roxb. V : Arhar, Kandul F : ZINGIBERACEAE P : Boudh : Phulbani district (Orissa). V : Teekur kanda Leaf juice mixed with honey is given P : Vishrampur : Bastar district (Madhya internally. Pradesh). Dose : 25 ml. thrice a day for 3 days.

50 gms. of milky white powder obtained L : Cassia torra Linn from ‘Teekur’ tuber and 50 gms. of 3 years F : CAESALPINIACEAE old Tamarind are soaked in 250 ml. of water, kept over night and filtered. To this S : Prapunnada liquid, 250 ml. of milk and sufficient sugar V : Tantepumokka is added and given internally.

L : Curcuma melo Linn. var. agrestis Naud.

Pages 209 - 212 F : CUCURBITACEAE V : Bommedu V : Budamakaaya baddu P : Dongapalli near Jannaram : Adilabad P : Chandrapur near Muniguda, (Andhra Pradesh). district (Orissa). A necklace made of small bits of root is

made to wear around the neck by the patient. Roasted meat and feathers of a bird locally

known as ‘Kaamalodi’ ‘Kangalodi’ or L : Legenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley ‘Kangudi’ and root of the above plant are ground into a paste and given internally. F : CUCURBITACEAE

S : Alabu Dose : 20 gms. once a day for 3 days. V : Chedu aanaba Note : 1) Preparation of Tamarind and other P : Vempalli near Kagaznagar : Adilabad sour articles and fish should be avoided. Only limited quantities of salt, sugar and district (Andhra Pradesh). ghee may be taken.

Juice of root (bitter variety) is given Note: 2) According to a tribal belonging to internally in the morning on empty stomach. Ramgiri village near Gupteshwar (Koraput district), decoction of one or two dried Dose : 10 ml. once a day for 2 days. pieces (25 – 50 gms) of flesh of ‘Kangudi bird’ would cure jaundice. Note : In addition to the above treatment the

patient may wear a necklace made of L : Diospyros Montana Roxb. ‘Kakodumbara’ root [vide under Ficus F : EBENACEAE hispida Linn. f.]

V : Mutchutunaka L : Lawsonia inermis Linn. P : Akondapeta near Kadem : Adilabad F : LYTHRACEAE district (Andhra Pradesh). S : Mendika

V : Momjaathi Dried stem bark is kept overnight in water, pounded and boiled. 25 ml. of the decoction P : a) Phiringia near Phulbani : Phulbani thus obtained is heat – treated by dropping a district (Orissa). red hot piece of earthen pot, filtered and given internally. Root along with some pepper is ground well, Dose : 20 ml. once a day for 5 days. mixed in 50 ml. of rice wash [ S : Tandulodaka] and given in the morning on L : Ficus hispida Linn. f. empty stomach.

F : MORACEAE Dose : 5 gms. of root + 3 or 4 peppers once S : Kakodumbara a day for 3 – 7 days.

Pages 209 - 212 Note : Oil preparations, chillies and other spices should be avoided. Whole plant is made into a paste and given internally. Alternatively, its juice is mixed L : Oroxylum indicum (Linn) Vent. in curds and given.

F : BIGNONIACEAE Dose : 25 – 50 gms of whole plant once a S : Syonaka day for 3 days.

V : Pampini L : Ricinus communis Linn. P : Ravigudem (Papi Hills) : West Godavari F : EUPHORBIACEAE district (Andhra Pradesh) S : Eranda

V : Amudamu Stem bark is ground well into a paste together with turmeric, made into pills and P : Chedwai near Kagaznagar : Adilabad given internally. district (Andhra Pradesh).

Dose : 5 gms twice a day for 5 days. Dehusked Castor seed and root of Eclipta L : Oryza sativa Linn. alba (Linn) Hassk. [S : Bhringaraja; V : Guntagalijeru] are rubbed on a stone and the F : POACEAE paste thus obtained is applied to the eyes. In S : Sali addition to this, a mixture of ‘5 urines’ may be administered internally (vide Urine V : Dhaan Therapy). P : Nakadisaroo near Phulbani : Phulbani L : Solanum nigrum Linn. district (Orissa). F : SOLANACEAE

20 ml of honey is mixed in 80 ml. of ‘Kanji’ S : Kakamachi (V: Torani) and given internally. V : Kamini

Dose : 100 ml once a day for two days. P : Devapur near Mancheriyal : Adilabad

district (Andhra Pradesh). Note : Both the soles of the patient may be massaged with a bell – metal vessel whose surface is smeared with some oil. Equal quantities of leaf of ‘Kamini’, ‘ Amudamu’ { L: Ricinus communis Linn.] L : Phyllanthus asperulatus Hutch. and ‘Tellaaku’ [ L: Boerhavia diffusa Linn.] are ground together into a paste and given F : EUPHORBIACEAE internally. S : Bhudhatri, Tamalaki Dose : 10 gms. once a day for 7 days. V : Nela Usiri

P : Seethampeta : Sirkakulam district Note : Spices, sour and salt preparation should be avoided. (Andhra Pradesh).

Pages 209 - 212 Urine Therapy L : Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers ex. P : a) Devapur near Mancheriyal : Adilabad Hook f. et . Thoms. district (Andhra Pradesh). F : MENISPERMACEAE b) Chedwai near Kagaznagar : Adilabad S : Guduci district (Andhra Pradesh). V : Goluchi a) Urine of black goat collected early in the P : Ramgiri near Gupteshwar : Koraput morning is given internally on empty district (Orissa). stomach

Dose : 100 ml. once a day for 3 days. Starch obtained from stem (S: Guduchi

satva) is mixed in equal quantity of sugar b) A mixture of urines of goat, sheep cow, and given internally. bull and she-buffalo is given on empty

stomach. Dose : 8 gms. with water once a day for 7

days. Dose: 20 ml. of each urine.

Note : Jiraka [L ; Cuminum cyminum Linn;

V : Jilakaara ] together with some sugar

candy is ground well and mixed in the above

‘Pancha mutra’ to subside the unpleasant

odour and taste.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to Dr. V. N. Pandey, Director, Dr. K. Raghunathan, Deputy Director (Tech.), Central Council for Research in Ayurveda & Siddha, New Delhi and Dr. T. Seshagiri Rao, Assistant Director, Regional Research Centre, Vijayawada for providing facilities to undertaken survey work in Dandakaranya and for their keen interest in the Project. The Authors also thank Dr. C. Raja Rajeswara Sarma, Research Officer and other colleagues for helpful discussions and suggestions.

Pages 209 - 212