A Scientific Evaluation of Medicinal Plants Used in the Folk Medicinal System of Five Villages in Narsinghdi District, Bangladesh

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in five villages of Narsinghdi district, Bangladesh. It was observed that most village people rely on folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) for their primary health-care needs. The Kavirajes used medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. Following informed consent obtained from the Kavirajes, interviews were conducted of the Kavirajes with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. All plant species as pointed out by the Kavirajes were identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. A total of 41 plant species distributed into 27 families was found to be used by the Kavirajes of the five villages surveyed. The Asteraceae family, by itself, contributed five plant species. Leaves constituted the major plant part used for treatment of ailments (56.3%), followed by whole plant (18.8%), and bark (12.5%). Common ailments like gastrointestinal disorders, fever, respiratory tract diseases, and infections of the skin were mostly treated by the Kavirajes. 11 plant species were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, 9 plant species for treatment of cold, coughs, and respiratory problems, and 5 plant species for treatment of fungal infections of the skin. Other more complicated disorders treated by the Kavirajes included cardiovascular disorders, hepatic disorders, and diabetes. One plant species was used not for its curative properties but for its preventive properties. The Kavirajes advised periodic oral administration of root juice of Hibiscus vitifolius to cleanse kidneys and allow normal renal functioning. Overall, the plants present considerable potential for discovery of newer and more efficacious drugs, since a perusal of the scientific literature indicated that a number of medicinal plants obtained in the present survey are validated by scientific findings in their uses by the Kavirajes.