Abstract

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY A FOLK MEDICINAL PRACTITIONER IN SAVAR, DHAKA DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

Alima Sultana and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Background. Ethnomedicinal reports are increasing in numbers every year because it is now well recognized that knowledge of indigenous use of plants can form the basis for further research towards discovery of new drugs. However, most reports lack a comparative analysis of indigenous uses of plants versus any scientific validations, if any, of the plants, either from reports on relevant phytochemical components or pharmacological studies. The objective of this study was to document the medicinal plants used by a folk medicinal practitioner (FMP) at Savar in Dhaka district, Bangladesh and critically analyze the plants used for scientific validation in their folk medicinal uses. Methods. Interview of the FMP was carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. Results. The FMP used a total of 10 plants distributed into 8 families in his formulations. Conclusion. The results suggest that the uses of most of the plants by the FMP are scientifically validated based on available scientific literature.

Keywords: Folk medicine, medicinal plants, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh.