A survey of medicinal plants used by Kavirajes of Chalna area, Khulna district, Bangladesh

Researchers at the University of Development Alternative (Bangladesh) and New York City College of Technology conducted an ethnomedicinal survey amongst the Kavirajes (traditional healers) of Chalna area, Khulna district, Bangladesh, which is known to contain a diversity of medicinal plants. Information on 50 plant species was obtained, including plants used to treat skin diseases, intestinal tract disorders, cancer/tumor, rheumatoid arthritis, wounds (including tiger and snake bites), jaundice, diabetes, leprosy, sexually transmitted diseases, impotence, helminthiasis and heart disorders.

Prominent among those medicinal plants (ie, those used to treat four or more ailments) were Barleria lupulina, Hygrophila auriculata, Sansevieria trifasciata, Amaranthus spinosus, Spondias dulcis, Centella asiatica, Gnaphalium luteo-album, Tridax procumbens, Carica papaya, Brassica oleracea, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Excoecaria agallocha, Cassia fistula, Cassia occidentalis, Saraca indica, Sesbania grandiflora, Anisomeles malabarica, Clerodendrum inerme, Cuphea hyssopifolia, Psidium guajava, Cedrus deodara, Hygroryza aristata, Phragmites australis, Zea mays, Persicaria hydropiper, Richardia scabra, Murraya paniculata, Veronica officinalis and Boehmeria macrophylla.

From the discussion section:

“Our survey indicated that the plant species used for medicinal purposes in Chalna area differ from other areas of Bangladesh. However, the diseases treated by the Kavirajes of Chalna area were quite similar to diseases treated by Kavirajes in other regions of Bangladesh. One notable exception, as pointed out earlier, was the comparatively large number of plant species used to treat cancer. A number of the medicinal plant species are collected from the Sunderbans forest. Since depletion of this forest region is going on at an alarming rate, it is imperative that modern scientific studies be conducted as soon as possible on the medicinal plants of the area. Not only such scientific studies can lead to possible discoveries of novel pharmacologically active compounds, but also such discoveries can be an inducement for preservation of the forest region.”

Read the complete article at PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Globalization and loss of plant knowledge: challenging the paradigm

To investigate the transnational dynamics of immigrants’ knowledge of medicinal plants  from their origin in the Dominican Republic to their new home in New York City, researchers from The New York Botanical Garden systematically queried participants on their knowledge of plants reported to treat 30 common health conditions.

Contrary to their initial hypothesis, and widely held belief among scholars, the authors found a significant and non-age-dependent increase in knowledge of medicinal plants among Dominicans living in New York City as compared to the Dominican Republic:

“The widely held paradigm is that plant knowledge declines with cultural change associated with modernization and globalization in many migrant and non-migrant communities world-wide. Our study demonstrated that cultural knowledge about medicinal plants in the context of a highly urbanized, transnational community in a globalized setting is kept alive and actively transformed by the geographic dynamics of that community. The increase in knowledge about food medicines in NYC was unexpected and is the first study to report a statistically measurable increase in this type of cultural knowledge associated with migration. We did not expect this to be the case in the NYC metropolis with its dramatically different ecological and social environment as compared to the DR, where people readily obtain medicinal plants free of charge from their backyards or surroundings. New Yorkers from Latino descent, however, operate a culturally-based healthcare system through botánicas that exists in parallel with the biomedical system.”

Among the health-policy implications of this finding is that ethnobotanists may have an important role to play in U.S. medical education.

Read the complete article at PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

An alternative paradigm for the role of antimalarial plants in Africa

Steven Maranz, a visiting scientist with the David H. Murdock Research Institute, proposes a shift from in vitro research into antimalarial plants used in African traditional medicine, and toward in vitro research. As stated in the abstract:

“Most investigations into the antimalarial activity of African plants are centered on finding an indigenous equivalent to artemisinin, the compound from which current frontline antimalarial drugs are synthesized. As a consequence, the standard practice in ethnopharmacological research is to use in vitro assays to identify compounds that inhibit parasites at nanomolar concentrations. This approach fails to take into consideration the high probability of acquisition of resistance to parasiticidal compounds since parasite populations are placed under direct selection for genetic that confers a survival advantage. Bearing in mind Africa’s long exposure to malaria and extensive ethnobotanical experimentation with both therapies and diet, it is more likely that compounds not readily overcome by Plasmodium parasites would have been retained in the pharmacopeia and cuisine. Such compounds are characterized by acting primarily on the host rather than directly targeting the parasite and thus cannot be adequately explored in vitro. If Africa’s long history with malaria has in fact produced effective plant therapies, their scientific elucidation will require a major emphasis on in vivo investigation.”

The author posits that a greater emphasis on in vivo testing would better capture the interaction between host, parasite and drug, and perhaps aid in the discovery of better long-term interventions.

Read the complete article at PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.