A Randomized Survey of Medicinal Plants used by Folk Medicinal Practitioners in Ten Districts of Bangladesh to Treat Leprosy

Abstract

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.