Browsing by Author "Ahsan, Shamima"

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A Pharmacological Evaluation of Medicinal Plants used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners of Station Purbo Para Village of Jamalpur Sadar Upazila in Jamalpur district, Bangladesh
(The American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI), 2010) Rahmatullah, Mohammed; Jahan, Rownak; Khatun, Afsana; Jahan, Farhana Israt; Azad, A. K.; Bashar, A.B.M. Anwarul; Miajee, Z.U.M. Emdad Ullah; Ahsan, Shamima; Nahar, Nusratun; Ahmad, Ishtiaq; Chowdhury, Majeedul H.
An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out at Station Purbo Para village of Jamalpur Sadar sub-district in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh. Information on 121 medicinal plant species was obtained from the folk medicinal practitioners. All plants were screened in the scientific databases and scientific journals for pharmacological activities or presence of phytochemicals, which could be relevant to their folk medicinal uses. 61 plants (50.4%) of the total were found to have relevant pharmacological activities consistent with their uses. The actual number of relevant plants can increase further for a number of plants used by the folk medicinal practitioners are yet to be studied through relevant scientific experiments. The results suggest that the medicinal plants used by the folk medicinal practitioners of Bangladesh cannot be dismiised as irrelevant; in fact, the present study demonstrates that a substantial percentage of plants should be scientifically studied as soon as possible in a thorough manner for they can be sources of potentially important and efficacious drugs.
A Survey of Medicinal Plants Used by Kavirajes of Barisal Town in Barisal District, Bangladesh
(The American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI), 2010) Chowdhury, Anita Rani; Jahan, Farhana Israt; Seraj, Syeda; Khatun, Zubaida; Jamal, Farhana; Ahsan, Shamima; Jahan, Rownak; Ahmed, Ishtiaq; Chowdhury, Majeedul H.; Rahmatullah, Mohammed
A substantial section of the population of Bangladesh is poor and more than a third of the total population of 150 million people lives below the poverty line (i.e. having a daily income of less than US$ 1 per day). The poorer section of the population resides mostly in the rural areas and the urban slums. The rural population andpopulation in small towns in addition suffer from proper access to health-care facilities and are not always in a position to afford the costs of allopathic treatment. They therefore rely on folk medicinal practitioners otherwise known as Kavirajes for treatment of their various ailments. The Kavirajes rely on administration of medicinal plants either orally or topically for treatment of diseases. Each Kaviraj has his unique repertoire of medicinal plants, which is closely guarded and usually passed onto an immediate member of the family in the successive generation. The objective of the present study was to conduct a survey on medicinal plant usage among selected Kavirajes of Barisal town in Barisal district, Bangladesh. Interviews were conducted with the help of a semistructured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. Information was obtained as to the local name of plants, parts used, formulations and dosages. It was found that the interviewed Kavirajes used 49 plants distributed into 28 families in their treatment of various ailments. The Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, and Moraceae families contributed 4 plans each, while the Solanaceae and the Verbenaceae family contributed 3 plants per family. The various plant parts used by the Kavirajes in their formulations included whole plant, leaf, stem, root, bark, flower, fruit, seed, and sap. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (34.8% of total uses), followed by roots (15.2%). Gastrointestinal disorders (stomach ache, constipation, dysentery, diarrhea) formed the major group of ailments treated by the Kavirajes and a total of 11 plants were used to treat these ailments. Eight plants were used to treat skin disorders, 7 plants for pain relief, and 6 plants for respiratory tract disorders like coughs and mucus. Other ailments treated by the Kavirajes included urinary tract problems, cuts and wounds, meho (a term used by the Kavirajes to indicate urinary problem arising from endocrinological disorders or diabetes), fever, skin disorders, malaria, rheumatism, dog and snake bites, hepatic disorders (jaundice, enlarged liver), tooth infections, eye problems, heart disorders, diabetes, hydrocele, goiter, helminthiasis, menstrual problems, and fractures. Plants have always formed a rich source of modern drugs. The medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes need to be scientifically studied for phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities towards discovery of lead compounds and more efficacious newer drugs.
An Ethnomedicinal Survey of Vitbilia Village in Sujanagar Sub-District of Pabna District, Bangladesh
(IDOSI, 2011) Rahmatullah, Mohammed; Mollik, Ariful Haque; Ali, Mohammad; Abbas, Fahad Bin; Jahan, Rownak; Khatun, Afsana; Seraj, Syeda; Ahsan, Shamima
An ethonomedicinal survey was carried out in the village of Vitbilia situated in Sujanagar sub-district of Pabna district, Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained from the folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) and interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method, where the Kavirajes took the interviewers to areas from where they collected their plants and pointed out their uses. Plant specimens were collected, pressed and dried in the field and later identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. It was observed that the Kavirajes used 48 plants distributed into 30 families for treatment of various ailments. The Fabaceae family formed the largest family contributing six plants followed by the Acanthaceae, Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families contributing three plants each. Leaves constituted the major plant part used (41.2%) followed by roots (27.9%) and stems (13.2%). Other plant parts used included whole plants, flowers, seeds, fruits and plant sap. The various ailments treated included hepatic disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, skin disorders, snake bites, cuts and wounds, sexually transmitted diseases, pain, fever, respiratory tract disorders, paralysis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, impotency and bone fractures. The folk medicinal uses of a number of plants are validated by available scientific studies on those plant species. Cumulatively, the plant species reported in the present survey can form an important source of lead compounds and more efficacious drugs through further scientific studies.