Citation: Quamar MF, Bera SK. Ethno-Medico-Botanical Studies of Plant Resources of Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh, India: Retrospect and 03 Prospects. J Plant Sci Res. 2014;1(1): 101.

Abstract

The present communication reports the folk medicinal uses of plants by the tribes of Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh (India), which are therapeutically used against different ailments of human being as well as the livestock. In all, 179 plant species comprising 47 trees, 36 shrubs/undershrubs, 74 herbs, 21 climbers and 1 liana belonging to 76 families, used by the tribal people, have been enumerated and discussed, which signifies the ethnomedicinal values of plant species occur in the study area. The study, thus, highlights the potential of ethnobotanical research and the need for documentation of traditional knowledge pertaining to the utilization of plants as medicine. Pharmachemical analysis is obligatory in order to authenticate their accuracy and future prospects in the drug development with due benefit-sharing with the primary stakeholders for the greater advantage of mankind in the study area. The study could play a significant role in resolving the controversies pertaining to biopiracy and Intellectual Property Rights.

Introduction

“Ethnobotany”, the term coined by John Hershberger in 1895, is the study of “plants used by primitive and aboriginal people” [1]. The human society has developed close association with the plant life [2] since time immemorial. The relationship between the indigenous people and their surroundings forms the subject of ethnobotany, a science [3], which deals with the study of plants used by tribals for food, medicine and clothing [4]. The age-old tribal knowledge of plants is an important aspect of ethnobotanical research. The tribal tracts are the store house of information and knowledge on multiple uses of plants. By the end of 19th century, ethnobotany had started to develop as a science, providing a new tool for pharmaceutical research, that focus not only on the people-plant relationship in a multidisciplinary manner, but also incorporate collection and documentation of indigenous uses, in addition to ecology, economy, pharmacognosy, public health and other disciplines. Presently, ethnobotany has become increasingly valuable in the development of healthcare and conservation programmes in different parts of the world. The vast majority of people on this planet still rely on the traditional medicinal plants and other materials for their everyday healthcare needs. According to the estimates of WHO, about 80% of the population of most developing countries relies on herbal medicines for their primary healthcare needs [5]. India too has a rich tradition of plant-based knowledge on healthcare. The wealth of India is stored in the enormous natural flora which has been gifted to her. Endowed with a diversity of agro-climatic conditions, India is virtually herbarium of the world. The importance of medicinal plants has been emphasized from time- to- time. It is believed that the drug of natural origin shall play an important role in healthcare particularly in rural areas of India [6]. Medicinal plants typically contain mixtures of different chemical compounds that may act individually, additively, or in synergy to improve health [7]. A large number of plants/ plant extracts/decoctions or paste are equally used for treatment of cuts, wounds, burns, and several other human ailments. Study of literature in hand suggests that no due attention has been paid on ethnobotany of Hoshangabad District, which is inhabited by a large number of tribes such as Gond, Baiga, Kol, Panica, etc. The study is based on discussion made during 2007 and 2009 field excursion by the senior author with the local tribes, knowledgeable persons/ hakims, etc. Although, ethno-medico-botanical work of different areas of Madhya Pradesh have been carried out by many workers [8-36] with the main objective of filling up the knowledge gaps in the important area of biocultural diversity , directly relevant to the welfare of tribal communities living in far flung and inaccessible areas of the same [37]. Since there are no intensive and extensive studies carried out and reported from Hoshangabad region except a few [38-41], an attempt has been made to collate and document the vanishing knowledge of medicinal properties of plants by different tribes of Hoshangabad District, which are used in the treatment of various human and livestock diseases and ailments, ultimately providing the baseline information in the form of immensely valuable database for the commercial exploitation of bioresources.

Methods

Description of study area, climate and vegetation

Hoshangabad District lies in the southwest part of Madhya Pradesh between 77° 50’E Long. & 22° 30’ 25’’ N Lat. (Figure 1). Physiographically, the surface area is almost flat, somewhere uneven with deep gorges and is surrounded by high plateaus, hillocks and has gentle slopes, attaining the elevations varying from 1500’-2000’ amsl and is also under cultivation of conventional crops such as rice, wheat, barley and pulses by the Gond, Kurku and other tribals inhabiting therein. The soil in cultivated area is generally blackish sticky clay with fine sand, whereas it is sandy clay in composition in rest of the region. However, at certain places black cotton soil is found in patches.

The study area, in general, experiences a warm and humid climate, which is largely influenced by southwest monsoon. The mean minimum and maximum winter temperatures are 16.3°C and 21°C, respectively, however, the lowest temperature of 1°C is recorded during the month of January. The mean minimum and maximum summer temperatures are 31.6°C and 34°C, respectively. During the extreme hot summer month of June the temperature occasionally rises up to 44°C. The rainfall by and large falls from mid June to September, however, major fraction of it takes place in Julyand August. The average annual precipitation recorded for the area is 1200mm. Approximately 92% of the total precipitation occurs during the rainy season.

Figure 1: Showing the area of the present study.

The tropical deciduous forest with dominating teak (Tectona grandis) is prevalent in the study area [42]. In addition, Haldina cordifolia (cf. Adina cordifolia), Lagerstroemia parviflora, Mitragyna parvifolia, Buchanania lanzan, Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus latifolia, Schleichera oleosa, Wrightia tinctoria, Bauhinia retusa, B. racemosa, Aegle marmelos, Emblica officinalis, Chloroxylon sweitenia and Syzygium cumini are also frequent. The shrubs in the forest include Ziziphus mauritiana, Melastoma malabathricum, Woodfordia fruticosa and Strobilanthes angustifrons. Around the habitation trees such as Melia azadarachta, Ficus benghalensis and Acacia nilotica together with thickets of Ricinus communis, Adhatoda vasica and Carissa opaca are common. The terrestrial herbs largely comprise grasses, Sida rhombifolia, Oxalis acetocella, Leucas aspera and Ageratum conizoides. However, reed-swamp grasses, Phragmites vulgaris and Typha latifolia grow amply over the swamp area. Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, Hygrophila auriculata, Polygonum plebeium, Rotala rotundifolia, Ammania baccifera, Cyperus rotundus and Scirpus triangulatus are the other frequent wetland plants in the less waterlogged part of the swamp. Aquatic elements such as Lemna paucicostata, Potamogeton nodosus and Nymphoides cristata also grow profusely in ditches and water-accumulated areas over the swamp. The common pteridophytic taxa inhabiting moist and shady places in the forests are Adiantum philippense, Dryopteris prolifera, Ceratopteris thelictroides, Selaginella lepidophylla and Lycopodium clavatum.

Experimental Section

Data presented here is based on personal verbal interviews with traditional healers, hakims/knowledgeable informants in a formal and informal way at their homes and subsequently at their working places during 2007 and also in 2009, wherein the senior author (MFQ) conducted field excursion at different localities/districts of south-western Madhya Pradesh including the Hoshangabad District, India. The study also encompasses some data based on a review of theliterature published in scientific journals.

Enumeration

The plants are arranged as trees, shrubs/under shrubs, herbs, climbers and liana(s) and discussed accordingly in tabular form Table 1, as follows:.

Table 1: List of some promising accessions identified for resistance to major diseases and insect-pests.

Results and Discussion

From the ongoing account, it is evident that

1. There is very well developed ethnomedicinal system present in Hoshangabad District, India. Local people have great expertise with the plants of their own surroundings. Besides, the overexploitation of species for fuel, fodder, medicine, wild edibles and house building may lead to decline of these species from the area. Conservation and cultivation of these plant species will help to maintain the ecological balance, traditional knowledge as well as livelihood safety of the local inhabitants.

2. In view of seeing the exploitation of the biodiversity, traditional knowledge in developing countries like India is eroding at a faster rate. Therefore, it is felt as an urgent need to inventories and record all ethnomedicinal information available into diverse ethnic communities before the traditional culture is completely lost.

3. The ethnobotanical information, besides listing the traditional uses of plants, helps ecologists, taxonomists, watershed and wildlife managers in their efforts for improving the wealth of the area.

4. Since the area has good ethnobotanical potential for medicinal plants, it could be a suitable place for further ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies. We are aware that this study was not extensive, but only a first contribution to the ethnobotany of this region, focusing on medicinal plants. It is also the first field research into medicinal plants conducted in Hoshangabad District with ethnobotanical methodology. However, more studies are necessary to establish an archive of data in Hoshangabad regions.

5. The plant parts used widely to treat human and live stock problems included root, stem, leaves, seed, fruit, etc. Herbal medicines prescribed by the tribal healers are either preparation based on single plant part or a combination of several plant parts to cure respective diseases rapidly. Generally fresh part of the plant is used for preparation of medicine. When fresh plant parts are unavailable, dried parts are also used. The people are largely dependent on the traditional healthcare system. Traditional beliefs in the area also have their unintentional role in the conservation and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. Hence, efforts must be taken to protect these species in this area by involving the local communities in preservation and conservation aspects [43]. The information gathered from the tribes of Hoshangabad District is useful for further research in the field of ethnobotany, taxonomy and pharmacology. The information could also be useful for the industry, pharmacologists, physicians, phytochemists, botanists, and alike interested in the development of alternative therapies [44,45]. For lesser known plant species, such a secret treasure trove of information could prove beneficial in phyto-pharmacological research for the discovery of new therapeutic drugs [46,47].

6. In view of seeing the growing concern among the developing countries about the emerging threats of the biopiracy and the intensity of IPR controversies, the present documentation of biodiversity could be of great help in resolving the aforesaid issues and settling the disputes [37,48].

7. Indigenous knowledge of rural or cultural groups has great significance in formulating applicable strategy for the development of any region. This scattered, secretive, fast eroding, highly valuable knowledge needs proper documentation. The precious indigenous knowledge, when supplemented and validated by the latest scientific insights, can offer new holistic models of sustainable development that are economically viable, environmentally benign and socially acceptable [48].

8. Further clinical trials are required to test their efficacy and the study could be of help to develop new drugs based on herbal medicine for effective remedy of different ailments. Popular knowledge of plants used by humans is based on thousands of years experience. By “trial and error”, people learnt how to recognise and use plants, including those with a magic-religious function. The folk ‘phytotherapy’ is ‘aging’ in the sense that knowledge of medicinal plants persists in elderly rural people with little schooling knowledge. The transmission of this type of knowledge from generation to generation is now threatened in this region and tends towards disappearance.

9. The information generated from the present study regarding the medicinal plants used by the tribals need a thorough phytochemical investigation including alkaloid extraction and isolation along with a few clinical trials in future courseof time. This could help in creating mass awareness regarding the need for conservation of such plants and also in the promotion of ethno-medico-botanical knowledge within the region, besides contributing to the preservation and enrichment of gene bank of such economically important species before they are lost forever. Unsustainable use of land resources has serious negative effect on the flora of thisregion. Sometime, overexploitation of a particular species can also lead to the incidental disappearance of other nontargeted species. People of that region rely on ethnomedicine and in most problems, they go to hakims, ojhas, gunias and bhumkas because of the poor healthcare condition. There are a lot to be done in this promising field with the active support of village people so that importance of these economically important plants could be rejuvenated for the benefits of our future generation and also need to improve healthcare condition.

Conclusion

From the perusal of the aforementioned discussion, it can, thus, be said that the present study reveals the traditional system of primary healthcare that utilises the plant resources as medicines in the research area (Hoshangabad District), India. These plant resources, though, still play a pivotal role in meeting basic health care of local tribal communities, there is immediate need to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plant species in thestudy area. Efforts should also be taken to start sustainable cultivation and harvesting programs in Hoshangabad District and adjoining areas. It is expected that the database generated could contribute in filling the gaps for the compilation of a local biodiversity register, a key gadget for achieving the goals of regional and global biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. The results obtained in the investigation need to be thoroughly subjected to pharmachemical analysis in order to verify their authenticity and future prospects.

Acknowledgement

Authors are grateful to the Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow (U.P., India) for the encouragement and also for the permission to publish the paper. The senior author (MFQ) is highly thankful to the local populace, the knowledgeable persons/ hakims, etc. of Hoshangabad District, south-western Madhya Pradesh (India) for sharing the valuable traditional knowledge regarding the uses of plants in curing their ailments. Without their assistance andco-operation this research work could have never been completed.

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