Use of local health traditions for prevention and cure of diseases by households in northern India

Abstract

Introduction: “Traditional” medicine is a system of medicine that has been practiced in its country of origin for many years. More emphasis is being given to include the Traditional Systems of Medicines into the National Health System. Local Health Traditions (LHT) where household food items and plants are used as medicine is widespread in India. Objectives: To determine the knowledge about medicinal plants and food items used as medicine. To document the use of LHT for specific disease conditions. To elicit community perception of any change in utilization of LHT Methods: The study was carried out in the urban slums and poor neighbourhoods of Aligarh city. One hundred households belonging to lower middle class, poor slum dwellers or homeless households purposively selected. Efforts were made to assess the attitude towards value of LHT in their day to day existence. Care was taken that no leading questions were asked. Results: More than 104 plants were named by respondents as being useful for treatment of different ailments. The use of home remedies for acute conditions was high (50% -98%). Home remedies were also extensively used for chronic diseases. A large number of household foods and herbs were used to improve lactation. Traditional home remedies were also used for care of newborn. Conclusion: The respondents were universally aware of the value of LHT and utilized it for both acute and chronic disease. There is change in practice over time of LHT. LHT should be viewed as complementary to other systems.