Herbal Folk Remedies in cure of Arthritis by Ethnic communities in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The study was conducted in pockets of Madhya Pradesh having pre-dominance of ethnic communities comprising of Gond, Baiga, Bediya, Bhil, Bhilala, Bhariya, Korku, Pardhi Kol, Mawasi, Patni (sub-group of Gond tribes) and Padwania (Sub group of Kol tribes) tribes, in districts of Jabalpur, Seoni, Hoshangabad and Chindwara to document plants prevalent in cure of Arthritis. Arthritis is the most common disease causing intolerable pain and inflammation due to abnormal metabolism of uric acid, which are deposited in the cartilage of joints with frequent pains and swelling of joints. The present investigation was carried out in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India during period 2013 September to 2016 February. The study was conducted by interviews and focus group discussions with local indigenous communities. During the visits a number of traditional herbal healers, elderly person of tribal communities, were contacted and information was collected through interview, observations and discussion held during field survey. The local traditional herbal healers (vaids) had specialized knowledge about availability of these plants (trees, shrubs, herbs, and climbers) as well as their seasonal availability, time of collection and collected roots, leaves, seeds and fruits in cure of ailments known as arthritis and prepared different herbal formulations which varied from locality to locality and one ethic community to other. The study revealed that plants from 32 genera comprising of 22 plant families with 22 prescriptions of herbal folk medicines were prevalent among different ethnic communities as documented from 18 Indigenous and traditional healers locally known as Vaidraj. These vaidraj used different prescription in different pockets within the tribal community as well as varied from one ethnic community to another based on species in abundance in forest and around forest fringes of their habitat. These healers were collecting plants from 32 genera with 22 plant families from 33 species. They used to collect roots, leaves, seeds, fruits, bark and rhizomes and were formulating powder, paste, extract, decoction, juice and oil and were administered on patients suffering from pain in order to cure ailment called as Arthritis. These elderly folk healers as well as members of ethnic communities had vast knowledge about these plants, mode of administration of dose and were using these information since several generations. But during the survey it was revealed that among the younger generation this vital knowledge was declining gradually. The study concludes that herbal folk medicines have been recognised as of great importance in primary health care of ethnic communities across the globe. Plant based traditional knowledge is being used as a tool for search for new sources of drugs in herbal medicines.