Browsing by Author "Hossain, Mohammad Shahadat"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

A Comparative Analysis of Medicinal Plants used by Three Tribes of Chittagong Hill Tracts Region, Bangladesh to Treat Leukorrhea
(The American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI), 2010) Rahmatullah, Mohammed; Jahan, Rownak; Hossan, Md. Shahadat; Seraj, Syeda; Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Chowdhury, Anita Rani; Begum, Rahima; Nasrin, Dilruba; Khatun, Zubaida; Hossain, Mohammad Shahadat; Khatun, Afsana; Jahan, Farhana Israt
Leukorrhea is the flow of whitish, yellowish or greenish discharge from the vagina of a female, which can happen under normal conditions as well as bacterial or fungal infections. Such discharges may originate from the vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, or, most commonly, the cervix. In our ongoing ethnomedicinal surveys among the various tribes and regions of Bangladesh, it was observed that leukorrhea due to infections were common among the tribal women as evidenced by the number of plants used by the tribal medicinal practitioners to treat this infective condition. The objective of the present survey was to learn more about the medicinal plants used for treatment of leukorrhea by the tribal medicinal practitioners of the Chakma, Murong and Tonchonga tribes. All three tribes reside in the southeastern forested region of Bangladesh known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Informed consent was obtained from the tribal medicinal practitioners and interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. It was observed that the tribal medicinal practitioners of the Chakma, Murong, and Tonchonga tribes used 13 plant species distributed into 12 families for treatment of leukorrhea. Roots constituted the major plant part used (53.3%), followed by leaves (20.0%), bark (13.3%), and whole plant and stem (6.7% each). The Kavirajes did not distinguish whether the leukorrhea originated from bacterial or fungal infections of the vagina or was due to other complications of the ovary, fallopian tube or cervix. In general, any sign of especially whitish discharge from the vagina of females was treated as leukorrhea and medications prescribed accordingly. Since the tribal population in their densely forested abodes lack access to modern medicinal facilities, the medicinal plants can form a primary mode of health-care for treatment of this occasionally infective medical condition in females.
A Randomized Survey of Medicinal Plants used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners in Ten Districts of Bangladesh to Treat Leprosy
(GALE, 2010-05) Rahmatullah, Mohammed; Jahan, Rownak; Azad, A. K.; Seraj, Syeda; Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Chowdhury, Anita Rani; Begum, Rahima; Nasrin, Dilruba; Khatun, Zubaida; Hossain, Mohammad Shahadat; Khatun, Afsana; Miajee, Z.U.M. Emdad Ullah; Jahan, Farhana Israt
Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by the microorganisms Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract. The pauci-bacillary form of leprosy is treated with the drugs, rifampicin and Dapsone (diamino-diphenyl sulfone), while the multi-bacillary form of the disease is treated with the drugs rifampicin, clofazimine, and Dapsone. Bangladesh is one of the five countries who contribute to 82% of the sufferers from this disease world-wide. The disease is prevalent especially among the rural and urban poor, who despite provision of modern treatment often visit folk medicinal practitioners, who utilize medicinal plants for treatment of leprosy. Since the above drugs has been reported to have a number of adverse side-effects, it was of interest to document the medicinal plants used to treat leprosy in Bangladesh for such plants can prove to be valuable sources of drugs with less side-effects. Randomized ethnomedicinal surveys were therefore carried out in ten districts of Bangladesh to learn more about medicinal plants used by folk medicinal practitioners. Informed consent was obtained from the practitioners prior to interviews, which were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. The names of 16 plants were obtained, the plants being distributed into 11 families. The Combretaceae family provided the highest number of three plants followed by the Apocynaceae and Fabaceae families with 2 plants each. The various plant parts used to treat leprosy included whole plant, leaves, barks, roots, and seeds. The plants present considerable potential for discovery of novel compounds with less side-effect for treatment of leprosy and can, at least in Bangladesh, become a source of affordable and more easily available drugs.
Medicinal plants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages of Natore and Rajshahi districts, Bangladesh
(The American-Eurasian Network for Scientific Information (AENSI), 2010) Rahmatullah, Mohammed; Jahan, Rownak; Azad, A.K.; Seraj, Syeda; Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Chowdhury, Anita Rani; Begum, Rahima; Nasrin, Dilruba; Khatun, Zubaida; Hossain, Mohammad Shahadat; Khatun, Afsana; Miajee, Z.U.M. Emdadullah
Folk medicinal healers (Kavirajes) form the primary health-care providers to the predominantly rural population residing in over 86,000 villages throughout Bangladesh. The Kavirajes treat various ailments with whole plants or plant parts from which they make simple decoctions or pastes, which are administered orally or topically. Their mode of treatment is simple, yet considerable variations exist between Kavirajes of even adjoining villages as to the species of plant chosen for treatment of any given ailment. The objective of the present study was to conduct a survey on folk medicinal use of plants in the village of Islampur in Natore district, Bangladesh and the villages of Itaghati and Ataibidir in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh, which are adjoining districts. Informed consent was obtained from the Kavirajes and surveys were carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method, where the Kavirajes pointed out medicinal plants during field-walks with the interviewers and pointed out their uses. A total of 87 medicinal plants distributed into 44 families were observed to be used by the Kavirajes of the three villages surveyed. The Fabaceae family contributed the highest number of plants (9), followed by the Solanaceae family (7) and the Euphorbiaceae family with 5 plants. Whole plants constituted the majority of uses (27.0%), followed respectively, by leaves (22.7%), roots (14.9%), seeds (9.2%), and fruits (8.5%). Other plant parts used included stems, barks, flowers, and tubers. The various ailments treated included helminthiasis, sexual disorders, respiratory tract disorders, pain, gastrointestinal disorders, skin disorders, urinary tract disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, snake bites, yellow fever, cancer, alopecia, cuts and wounds, paralysis, burns, malaria, cholera, gall bladder enlargement, diabetes, heart diseases, weakness, piles, obesity, placentitis, eye disorders, and hepatitis. Since a number of modern allopathic medicines owe their discovery to studies of medicinal practices of indigenous peoples, cumulatively these medicinal plants present significant potential for further scientific research leading to discovery of lead compounds and more efficacious drugs.