Folk therapeutic uses of ethnomedicinal plants to cure gynecological disorders- A Meta-Analysis of West Bengal State in India

Abstract

Background. The present paper is an ethnopharmacological review of plants used to treat gynecological ailments by the indigenous communities of West Bengal. The review abridged the data collected on the plants used to treat gynecological ailments, the plant parts used, and their modes of preparation and administration documented by reviewing the past studies from West Bengal, India. Methods. Systematic review of published literature was done to catalogue, collate and synthesize all available documented evidence on the topic through standardized methods of systematic review protocol. We have reviewed different scientific literature published from 2003 to 2021 related to ethnomedicinal plants used for treating gynecological ailments by the indigenous communities of West Bengal state in India. Only those references where field-based surveys reporting first-hand information on ethno-medicinal plants used to treat human ailments were reviewed. In total we retrieved 50 research papers on ethnomedicinal plants of West Bengal and finally after screening 26 research papers were selected which had references of gynecological disorders/problems for analysis. Result. A total of 114 plant species represented by 63 families and 107 genera were found documented for their traditional therapeutic uses against gynecological ailments by the indigenous communities in the state. Among all the plant parts, roots were the most frequently utilized plant part and herbal remedies for the gynecological ailments were prepared as paste, extract or as solution. Conclusion. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat gynecological ailments in West Bengal is not very common. However, the review is a useful inventory highlighting the medicinal plants particularly for gynecological ailments which can be used as reference for future documentation and research on formulation of new drugs. Keywords. Gynecological problems; Ethnomedicinal plants; Traditional knowledge; West Bengal