• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.217-227
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• 2021

This study is a record of ethnomedicinal knowledge in Begumganj province focussed on medicinal plants and their local uses for primary health care. The aim was to document and preserve the ethnomedicinal knowledge used by traditional healers of Begumganj upazila, Bangladesh, to treat human diseases and evaluate the relative efficacy of the medicinal plants. The uses of medicinal plants were documented as an ethnomedicinal data sheet using direct observation, field interview, plant interview and group interview techniques from December 2012 to January 2014 in the study area. Data were collected from 98 traditional healers through a questionnaire survey and analyzed through informant consensus factor and fidelity level. This study revealed comprehensive relationship among various diseases and families, forms and parts of plants and modes of preparation. Overall, 75 plant species under 71 genera of 47 families were documented, which are used to treat 41 diseases. Data analysis revealed that 41.33%, 14.67%, 36% and 8% of the medicinal plant species were herbs, shrubs, trees, and climbers, respectively. Leaves were the most used parts, followed by stem, root, fruit, bark, latex and rhizome. The most frequently treated diseases were dysentery, rheumatism and skin diseases. This is the first ethnobotanical survey, which recorded the importance of medicinal plants in Begumganj upazila, Bangladesh. This study can contribute to preserving the indigenous knowledge on the traditional use of medicinal plants in this region and new drug development with attracting future generations towards traditional healing practice.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.149-185
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• 2022

Objectives: The Barak Valley is well known for its rich diversity of medicinal plants. Ethnomedicinal practices are prominent among Barak Valley's major and minor ethnic groups. This systemic review focuses on traditionally used medicinal plants found in the Barak Valley as reported in different ethnobotanical surveys. Methods: We searched various databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, to find ethnomedicinal surveys conducted in the Barak Valley. The search was performed using different terms, including ethnomedicinal survey, folk medicine, indigenous knowledge, and Barak Valley. Potential articles were identified following the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Results: A total of eight ethnobotanical surveys were included in this study. We identified a total of 216 plant species belonging to 167 genera and 87 families, which are widely used by the ethnic communities who live in the rural areas of Barak Valley for the treatment of various diseases and ailments. Conclusion: Folk medicine is the result of decades of accumulated knowledge and practices by people who live in rural communities based on their needs and provides an important source of information to assist the search for new pharmaceuticals. Therefore, available information on traditional medicinal plants needs to be explored scientifically to find effective and alternative treatments for different diseases.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.91-123
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• 2020

The application of antique medical instructions, practices, skills and knowledge has been considered as the most affordable treatment in many developing countries. The use of these preparations and prescriptions over generations has made a useful and valuable guide for drug discovery in modern medicine. Medical herbs have been of a high importance for this purpose. The genus Dorema, of Apiaceae family (Umbelliferae) has a wide use in ethnobotany and traditional medicine around the world. It has been used as a treatment for CNS disease, convulsion, upper respiratory tract problems, gastrointestinal disorder and high blood sugar. Furthermore, phytochemical investigations have reported Dorema species to contain a wide range of constituents including terpenes, coumarins and phenolic compounds. The current review summarizes comprehensive information regarding botany, phytochemistry and pharmacological aspects of Dorema spp.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.240-264
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• 2017

The present study was carried out to identify traditional konwledges on Korean Campanulaceae plants and conduct a comprehensive review of them through analyzing phytochemistry and pharmacology of Korean Campanulaceae plants. According to the literature study, the ethnobotanical plants of Korean Campanulacae consisted of a total 18 taxa. Of them, 12 taxa including Platycodon grandiflorus, Adenophora triphylla var. japonica, Codonopsis lanceolata and others have been used as ethnomedicinal plants. These plants have been used for the treatment of 49 diseases such as cold, asthma and postnatal care. Phytochemical studies have identified the constituents present from Korean Campanulaceae (Adenophora, Codonopsis, Platycodon, Campanula and Asyneuma). A wide range of chemical compounds comprised 109 triterpenes, 8 sterols, 4 polyacetylenes, 21 alkaloids, 14 flavonoids, 14 phenolic acids, 11 phenolic glycosides, 8 phenylpropanoids and 22 other compounds. Pharmacological studies of these compounds have demonstrated immuno-stimulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, apophlegmatic and anti-allergic effects. They have also shown antioxidant, estrogenic, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antinociception and anti-tumor activities, as well as anti-obesity and cardiovascular effects. In light of traditional knowledge and phytochemical and pharmacological studies summarized, uses of Korean Campanulaceae based on traditional knowledge (for the treatment diseases and conditions of respiratory, pregnancy, childbirth, puerperium, genitourinary, circulatory, musculoskeletal and other systems) have been supported by phytochemical and pharmacological studies.