SURVEY AND SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY THE PAHAN AND TELI TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF NATORE DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

Authors

  • Mohammed Rahmatullah University of Development Alternative
  • Zubaida Khatun University of Development Alternative
  • Abid Hasan University of Development Alternative
  • Waheda Parvin University of Development Alternative
  • Md Moniruzzaman University of Development Alternative
  • Asha Khatun University of Development Alternative
  • Mostafi Jumrut Mahal University of Development Alternative
  • Md Shaiful Alam Bhuiyan University of Development Alternative
  • Sadia Moin Mou University of Development Alternative
  • Rownak Jahan University of Development Alternative

Keywords:

Asian medicine, CAM, ethnomedicine, alternative therapy

Abstract

The Pahans and the Telis are two of the smallest indigenous communities in Bangladesh. The Pahans, numbering about 14,000 people are widely scattered in several northern districts of the country, while the Telis are such a small community that nothing has been reported on their numbers and lifestyle. Both tribes are on the verge of disappearance. One each of the Pahan and the Teli community was located after much search in two adjoining villages of Natore district, Bangladesh. Since the tribes were found to still depend on their traditional medicinal practitioners for treatment of ailments, it was the objective of the present study to document their traditional usage of medicinal plants and to evaluate such plants against modern research-based pharmacological activity studies on these plants. Interviews were conducted of the practitioners of the Pahan and Teli community of Natore district with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and using the guided field-walk method. Plant specimens as pointed out by the practitioners were collected and pressed on the field and identification completed at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. The Pahan tribal practitioners used 13 plants distributed into 9 families for treatment of 14 different ailments. The Teli tribal practitioner used 15 plants divided into 14 families for treatment of 17 different ailments. Eight out of the thirteen plants used by the Pahan tribal practitioner (61.5%) had reported relevant pharmacological activities in the scientific literature, while six out of the fifteen plants used by the Teli tribal practitioners (40%) had such relevant pharmacological activities in accordance with their usage. The medicinal plants used by the Pahans and Telis warrant further scientific studies toward discovery of lead compounds and efficacious drugs and the documentation and protection of the traditional medical knowledge held by these tribes.

Author Biographies

Mohammed Rahmatullah, University of Development Alternative

Professor and Dean Faculty of Life Sciences University of Development Alternative

Zubaida Khatun, University of Development Alternative

Lecturer, Faculty of Life Sciences

Abid Hasan, University of Development Alternative

Graduate student, Faculty of Life Sciences

Waheda Parvin, University of Development Alternative

Graduate student, Faculty of Life Sciences

Md Moniruzzaman, University of Development Alternative

Graduate student, Faculty of Life Sciences

Asha Khatun, University of Development Alternative

Graduate student, Faculty of Life Sciences

Mostafi Jumrut Mahal, University of Development Alternative

Lecturer, Faculty of Life Sciences

Md Shaiful Alam Bhuiyan, University of Development Alternative

Lecturer, Faculty of Life Sciences

Sadia Moin Mou, University of Development Alternative

Lecturer, Faculty of Life Sciences

Rownak Jahan, University of Development Alternative

Professor and Chairperson, Faculty of Life Sciences

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Published

2012-02-01

How to Cite

Rahmatullah, M., Khatun, Z., Hasan, A., Parvin, W., Moniruzzaman, M., Khatun, A., Mahal, M. J., Bhuiyan, M. S. A., Mou, S. M., & Jahan, R. (2012). SURVEY AND SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY THE PAHAN AND TELI TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF NATORE DISTRICT, BANGLADESH. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 9(3), 366–373. Retrieved from https://athmsi.org/journals/index.php/ajtcam/article/view/1412

Issue

Section

Research Papers

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