Abstract
BackgroundThere is a worldwide interest in the use of Cannabis sativa for biomedicine purposes. Cannabis has ethnomedicinal usage as a natural medicine in Bangladesh and cultivated during the British Empire period for revenues.ObjectiveFolk medicine practitioners (FMPs) from different districts of Bangladesh have been using Cannabis sativa, but until now there have not been any compiled studies particularly regarding this practice. Hence, this review is an effort to retrieve the traditional usage of Cannabis sativa as a phytomedicine from published ethnomedicinal studies.Methods and materialsInformation was searched by using the search terms “ethnomedicinal Cannabis sativa and Bangladesh”; “Bangladesh cannabaceae and ethnomedicinal survey”; “ganja, bhang and folk medicine Bangladesh”; “tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinoid and therapeutic, clinical trial”; and “cannabis and pharmacological/biological” and retrieved from ethnobotanical articles available on PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases. A search of the relevant scientific literature also was conducted to assess the efficacy of the ethnomedicinal usage of Cannabis sativa.ResultsWhile reviewing over 200 ethnomedicinal plants’ survey articles, we found that FMPs of Bangladesh from 12 different districts used Cannabis sativa to treat cited ailments like sleep-associated problems (n=5), neuropsychiatric and CNS problems (n=5), and infections and respiratory problems (n=5) followed by rheumatism, gastrointestinal, gynecological (n=4 each), cancer, sexual, and other ailments including hypertension, headache, itch, increases bile secretion, abortifacient, dandruff, fever, and urinary problems (n=1 each). There are a total of 15 formulations identified from the 11 out of 18 ethnomedicinal plant survey reports. The leaf was the main plant part used (53.8%), followed by root (23%), seed (7.7%) and flower, inflorescence, resin, and all parts 3.8% respectively.ConclusionsSales and cultivation of Cannabis are illegal at present in Bangladesh, but the use of Cannabis sativa as a natural phytomedicine has been practiced traditionally by folk medicine practitioners of Bangladesh for many years and validated through relevant pharmacological justification. Although Cannabis sativa possesses ethnomedicinal properties in the folk medicine of Bangladesh, it is, furthermore, needed to conduct biological research to consolidate pharmacological justification about the prospects and challenges of Cannabis and cannabinoids’ use in Bangladesh as safer biomedicine in the future.
Highlights
There is a worldwide interest in the use of Cannabis sativa for biomedicine purposes
While reviewing over 200 ethnomedicinal plants’ survey articles, we found that Folk medicine practitioners (FMPs) of Bangladesh from 12 different districts used Cannabis sativa to treat cited ailments like sleep-associated problems (n=5), neuropsychiatric and Central nervous system (CNS) problems (n=5), and infections and respiratory problems (n=5) followed by rheumatism, gastrointestinal, gynecological (n=4 each), cancer, sexual, and other ailments including hypertension, headache, itch, increases bile secretion, abortifacient, dandruff, fever, and urinary problems (n=1 each)
Ailments treated by the folk medicine practitioners (FMPs) in Bangladesh It has been found that Bangladeshi FMPs from 12 different districts used Cannabis sativa to treat various ailments wherein the maximum number of cited ailment is sleep-associated problems (n=5), neuropsychiatric and CNS problems (n=5), and infections and respiratory problems (n=5) followed by rheumatism, gastrointestinal, gynecological (n=4 each), cancer, sexual, and other ailments (n=1 each)
Summary
There is a worldwide interest in the use of Cannabis sativa for biomedicine purposes. Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is known as a country of cultural, ethnic, and language diversities To date, this country has 7 divisions, 64 districts, 492 sub-districts, and 87,310 villages. Kabirajes are important sources of ethnomedicinal knowledge which they have inherited from their ancestors (Rashid 2017) They enjoy considerable trust and support from their patients thanks to their holistic approach to treatment (Biswas et al 2011). Each Kabiraj normally keeps his or her knowledge of medicinal plants within the family and passes this knowledge through from generation to generation. Over time, this knowledge becomes unique to the Kabiraj and his successors (Jahan et al 2011)
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