Use of Medicinal Plants by Folk Medicinal Practitioners among a Heterogeneous Population of Santals and Non-santals in Two Villages of Rangpur District, Bangladesh

The villages of Shekhertek and Badarganj lie in Rangpur district, which is one of the northern districts of Bangladesh. The villages are inhabited by a mixture of members of the indigenous Santal community as well as Bangali settlers, the latter constituting greater than 98% of the population of Bangladesh. The objective of the present study was to conduct a survey among the folk medicinal practitioners of the two villages on use of medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. The major point of interest was to determine the extent to which tribal medicinal practices among the Santal tribe has been influenced by the presence of folk medicinal practices of the majority population of Bangladesh because of the presence of Bangali settlers. It was observed that Santal tribal practitioners did not exist at all in the two villages, and Bangali folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) serviced both the Santal as well as the Bangali population. A total of 50 medicinal plants were observed to be used by the Kavirajes. Among the 50 plants used, use of only two plants appeared to be of Santal origin since the Kavirajes named the plants in the Santal language. The plants belonged to 34 families. The Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae families contributed 3 plants per family. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (38.9%), followed by whole plants (18.5%) and roots (16.7%). Among the various ailments treated, sexual disorders (low semen density, low sperm count, loss of libido) counted for the most frequent plant usage, being treated by 14 plants. Gastrointestinal disorders were treated with 12 plants. Other major plant uses included urinary problems like frequent urination (6 plants), respiratory tract infections (5 plants), cuts and wounds, infections, and pain (4 plants each). The Kavirajes also treated ailments like hepatic problems, conjunctivitis, paralysis, fractures, kidney stones, helminthiasis, elephantiasis, skin disorders, gonorrhea, menstrual problems, frequent hiccups, insanity, and rheumatism. The medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes offer considerable potential for further scientific research and discovery of new drugs. At the same time, the loss of indigenous knowledge due to the influences and practices of the majority culture suggests that steps need to be immediately taken for preservation of such knowledge before they totally disappear as more and more indigenous culture is absorbed by the mainstream culture of Bangladesh.