Exploration of the knowledge of the tribals , who are using specific herbs for the treatment of diseases in their community

Exploration of the knowledge of the tribals , who are using specific herbs for the treatment of diseases in their community

Meenakshi Priyadarshni : meenakshi.botany111@gmail.com

Ritika Kumari  : ritikasingh1909@gmail.com

L.N.Shukla  :     lnshukla.botany@gmail.com

^1,2,3Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, University Department of Botany, B.R.Ambedkar Bihar University, Muzaffarpur,842001, Bihar, INDIA

 Abstract:

Medicinal herbs are in use by the ancient people for the treatment of different diseases. Along with the advent of allopathic medicine, people in general forgot the application of these medicinal herbs but even today, certain ethnic groups totally depend on the herbal treatment of all kinds of disease.In the present study the “Tharu” of West Champaran district were consulted and after several round of discussion they were taken in confidence to explain some of the mystery about their traditional method of treatment of different diseases.They revealed some extraordinary properties and applications of such wild species which are totally neglected and destroyed as weeds.These plants are Boerhaavia, Achyranthes, Bacopa, Phyllanthus niruri, Lipia nudiflora,Cyprus rotandus, Cassia tora, C. occidantalis, Tryanthema, Acternanthera, Heliotropium .They  utilize these plants for birth control, abortion, improvement of sperms and in curing impotency ,malarial fever, jaundice, vision defects ,to cure disordered menstrual cycle, hair growth, all types of skin diseases, digestive problem, cough and colds, rheumatism, bronchitis ,longevity, menopause ,memory loss, asthma, dysentery, diarrhoea, to cure joint pain, tonsillitis, night blindness, snake bites and insect stings etc . These informations are of immense value because we do not get all these mentioned elsewhere .

Keywords: Medicinal herbs, Ethnic groups, Tharu, Nightblindness, Memory loss