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Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge
Vol. 13 (2), April 2014, pp. 359-367
Ethnoveterinary practices among the tribal community of Malda district of
West Bengal, India
Manas Ranjan Saha1, Dilip De Sarker2 & Arnab Sen1*
1Department of Botany, University of North Bengal, Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri-734013, India
2Department of Botany, Raiganj College (University College), Raiganj, India
E-mail: senarnab_nbu@hotmail.com
Received 14.11.12, revised 08.03.13
Present study aimed at documenting and analyzing the ethnoveterinary practices of domesticated animals and birds
of Malda district of West Bengal in India. Successive field surveys were conducted to assemble data from tribal practitioners
by means of semi-structured individual interviews, open ended questionnaires, informal interviews, group discussion,
etc. Present study recorded 70 phytotherapeutic practices involving 60 plants which were used to treat 34 types of disease
and disorders of livestock. Out of 34 livestock disease and disorders, mostly treated ailment was agalactia with 7 different
therapeutic uses followed by fever, treated with 5 different preparations. Leaves were most frequently used plant parts
in preparing medicinal formulations. However, five new ethnoveterinary formulations were documented during this survey
for the first time. The informants’ consensus factor (FIC) was found very high (0.88 - 1) establishing the study more
authentic. This is the first detailed documentation of ethnoveterinary knowledge as well as first report of determining FIC
among the tribal communities of this region.
Keywords: Ethnoveterinary practice, Livestock, Medicinal plants, Malda, India
IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K 36/00, A61D, A61K
Use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diseases
is a recent vogue developed in the western countries.
This trend is not only restricted to the treatment of
human diseases but also in the disease management of
domesticated animals and birds. This branch of
science, known as Ethnoveterinary practices or EVPs1
is gradually pronouncing its impact in the field of
ethnobotany in the West. In the 80’s and 90’s of
last century, a few researchers reported the use
of medicinal plants as herbal veterinary drugs.
Morgan2 stated the use of plants treating ailments
of livestock in Kenya. McCorkle3 documented a vast
introductory research work of ethnoveterinary
practices of Latin America whereas Perezgrovas4
reported the healthcare management practices of
sheep by the women of Tzotzil region of southern
Mexico. Farah et al.5 described the ethnoveterinary
practices of Maasai ethnic group of Kenya. In the first
decade of present century, several researchers1,6-13
from west reported ethoveterinary or livestock
healthcare management practices.
However, in India, ethnoveterinary practices were
common since time immemorial. A few oldest existing
book of ancient era such as Asvayurvedasiddhanta
(Ayurvedic practices for horses), Asvacikitsita
(therapeutics of horses), Asvavaidyaka (medicines
of horses), Hastyayurveda (Ayurveda of elephants)
are the assets or repository of livestock healthcare
practices in India14. Recently, several workers have
also enriched this repository by documenting the
knowledge of ethnoveterinariy practices of different
provinces of India. These include: Tiwari & Pande14;
Katewa & Chaudhary15; Mistry et al.16; Takhar &
Chaudhary17; Gaur et al.18; Galav et al.19; Phondani
et al.20; Deshmukh et al.21; Rajakumar & Shivanna22,
Sharma23, etc.
Besides, in West Bengal, the eastern most provinces
of India possess variety of ethnic communities having
versatile knowledge about ethnoveterinary uses of
plants. A few workers, tried to gather information
which are as follows: Bandyopadhyay & Mukherje24
reported 25 ethnoveterinary preparations for treating
various ailments like swelling of abdomen, constipation,
intestinal worm, etc. using around 23 plants by ethnic
communities of Koch Bihar district. Dey & De25
reported 25 species used by tribal like Santhali,
Bhumijs, Mundas, etc. of Purulia district for the
preparations of same. Mitra & Mukherjee26 also did
the similar kind of work on the tribal of Uttar
——————
*Corresponding author
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 13, NO 2, APRIL 2014
360
and Dakshin Dinajpur districts and reported
23 medicinal plants of ethnoveterinary interest
whereas Mukherjee & Namhata27 and Ghosh28
reported the ethnoveterinary use of plants used
by tribal people of Bankura district while Das &
Tripathi29 documented the ethnoveterinary knowledge
of plants for Sunderbans of West Bengal.
However, despite being rich in biodiversity and
with wide array of ethnic communities (Santala, Oraon,
Rajbanshi, Namasudre, Polia, Mundas, Malpaharias,
etc.), Malda district of West Bengal, India still remains
elusive for ethnobotanists. The district located
between the latitude and longitude of 24°40’20”N
to 25°32’08”N and 88°28’10”E to 87°45’50”E,
respectively. Malda covers an area of 3455.66 sq km.
having population density of 1,071 inhabitants per
square km (Fig. 1). Eighty seven per cent of the
total population live in villages and the rest are
in towns30. Majority of the tribes are directly or
indirectly depend on agriculture, rearing of animals
and practices of medicinal plants (both human and
veterinary purposes). They remain busy throughout
the year with their practice of earning from these
sectors. Hence, they rarely manage to visit the veterinary
hospitals for livestock diseases. Concurrently, high
costs of modern medicines and communication
problem encourage them to avail old traditional
systems to heal their livestock. This is why, the
ethnoveterinary practice means a lot to the rural
people in this province as because of its accessibility,
ease of preparation, low cost and ecofriendly nature.
Therefore, authors selected this district as study
area and present study is the first effort to survey the
livestock healthcare management practices in this
territory. Informants consensus factor (FIC) of tribal
community was also determined to validate these
practices and it is the second report from India next to
Kumar et al.31, as per authors’ best knowledge.
Furthermore, analysis of different plant parts used,
growth forms of those plant species and a few new
findings have also been discussed in the present paper.
Methodology
The data had been collected during 2010-2011
from the local tribal healers known as go-kaviraj or
go-baidya or Ojhas and also from local
knowledgeable person belonging to different ethnic
communities of villages namely, Nalagola,
Bamongola, Pakuahut, Lakhitur, Aiho, Bulbulchandi,
Nityanandapur, Rishipur, Olandar, Kenpukur, Gazole,
Old Malda, Habibpur, Valuka, Suvasganj, Vabuk,
Manikchak, Samsi, Krisnapur, Malatipur, Milki,
Amriti, Lakkhipur, Enayetpur, Jadupur, etc. with the
help of semi-structured individual interviews, open
ended questionnaires, informal interviews and group
discussion. Cow, buffalo, goat, sheep, horse, duck and
hen are the domesticated livestock that the healers
treated. The traditional veterinary practitioners were
very much cognizant about the surroundings of the
villages with experience of at least 10-15 yrs
regarding animal healthcare management practices.
Hundreds of informants were interviewed and after
cross verification from different sources, authors
retained only 91 informants confirming the
authenticity of their information. Out of ninety one,
47 (33 men, 14 women) were of herbal veterinary
practitioners, 5 herbalists (all of men), 28 livestock
owners (19 men, 9 women) and 11 (8 men, 3 women)
local knowledgeable elderly person. During interview
prior informed consent was also obtained from the
informants such as, Subed Ali (42 yrs old) of
Malatipur village, Nujjum Shekh (68 yrs) of Jadupur
village, Kisori Barman (71 yrs) of Nalagola, Jharna
Mandal (59 yrs) of Bulbulchandi, Doman Mandal (45
yrs) of Piyasbari, Faeshed Ali (58 yrs) of Kaliyachak,
Ratan Mandal (38 yrs) of Jadupur, Lakhsmi Mandal
(54 yrs) of Kotuali, Jagadish Murmu (52 yrs) and
Vaben Barman (75 yrs) of Habibpur, Jhumadebi
Sarkar (41 yrs) of Gazole, Sultana Begam (53 yrs) of
Lakkhipur, etc. as per the ethical guidelines of the
International Society of Ethnobiology32. More emphasis
was given to the trained herbal veterinary
practitioners as because of their vast experience in
management of animal healthcare.
Plants prescribed for the treatment of animal diseases
and disorders were collected from various places of
study area as per the informants and in presence of them.
The plants were properly photographed and herbarium
was prepared for each specimen. The collected
Fig. 1—Location of the study area
SAHA et al.: ETHNOVETERINARY PRACTICES IN MALDA DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL
361
specimens were identified with the help of Central
National Herbarium (CNH), Kolkata, India. The
voucher specimens of each species were deposited at
Raiganj University College, Raiganj, India. The
method of collection of voucher specimens, preservation
and herborization was done as per Jain and Rao33.
A database has been recorded with parameters like,
names of the taxon, family, voucher numbers,
vernacular names, plants parts, diseases and disorders,
mode of application with the name of informant,
etc. The informant consensus factor was determined
as per the method of Trotter and Logan34.
Results and discussion
The present study revealed that a total of
60 medicinal plants belonging to 38 families with
70 different formulations were used for the treatment
of 34 veterinary diseases and disorders. Out of
70 formulations, 57% were orally administered,
while the rest were for external use only. In most
cases, more than one plant was used for the
preparation of many formulations. The authors
interviewed several tribal people and ultimately kept
information of only 91 informants based on their
efficiency in veterinary treatment and knowledge of
medicinal plants (Table 1). The result from FIC value
shows the greater agreement (FIC= 0.88 - 1) of
selecting plant taxa among tribal informants.
Out of the 60 medicinal plants, 18 species were
shrub followed by 16 species of herbs, 14 climbers,
11 trees and 1 parasite (Fig. 2) belonging to 38 plant
families. Amongst 60 plant species, 8 species were
recorded in curing various diseases and disorders.
Oroxylum indicum and Persicaria glabra were used
for three different treatments; Alstonia scholaris,
Amaranthus spinosus, Andrographis paniculata,
Azadirachta indica, Calotropis gigantea and Physalis
minima were used for the treatment of two different
types of disease and disorder each including
drowsiness, nipple crack, tonsillitis, paralysis,
intestinal worm, anorexia, flatulence, eczema,
agalactia, appetizer, lice and itching problem, etc.
Agalactia was the most treated ailment with 7
different preparations followed by fever, treated with
5 different preparations whereas loose motion and lice
problems were treated with 5 different preparations
each (Fig. 3). In most of the cases, traditional healers
prepared a veterinary drug using several plant parts
along with their own secret ingredients which they did
not disclose and apply those formulations according
to their own understanding. Sometimes, Veterinarists
use a particular formulation for a particular group of
animal which had also been discussed separately in
Table 1. Leaves were used in 18 occasions whereas in
15 cases roots were found to be used; seeds and
flowering branches were used in 5 and 4 cases
respectively whereas bark was used in 3 cases and
whole plant parts were used for 6 cases to make
herbal veterinary preparations (Fig. 4).
Fig. 2—Distribution of growth form of studied plant species
Fig. 3—
Frequency of different types of diseases treated in Malda
(GL= Agalactia; FV= Fever; LC= Lice; LM= Loose Motion; AN=
Anorexia; DY= Dysentery; FL= Flies; IT= Itching; WN= Wound)
Fig. 4—
Frequency of floral parts, used in veterinary treatment
(WP= Whole Plants, FB= Flowering Branch)
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 13, NO 2, APRIL 2014
362
Table 1—Animal healthcare management practices in Malda district (contd.)
Diseases and
disorders
Plants species used with their family Mode of application
Abdominal pain Vernonia anthelminctica (L.) Willd.
(Asteraceae)
The seeds (50-100 gm) of Vernonia anthelminctica (somraji) are
crushed with slight water and juice is fed orally.
Agalactia
Holarrhena antidysentrica (L.) Wall.
(Apocynaceae)
Amaranthus spinosus L. (Amaranthaceae)
Ampelocissus latifolia (Roxb.) Planch.
(Vitaceae)
Asparagus racemosus Willd.
(Asparagaceae)
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (Apiaceae)
Glycosmis pentaphylla Retz. (Rutaceae)
Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. f.
(Menispermaceae)
1 A juice prepared from the bark powder of
Holarrhena
antidysenterica (kurchi) and 6-10 slices of Carica papaya
fruits
(pepe) with water, is fed orally thrice a day to induce lactation.
2 A paste prepared from the whole plant (2-5 plants) of
Amaranthus
spinosus (kantakhure) along with the roots (50 gm) of
Glycosmis
pentaphyla (atiswar) is fed orally.
3 Whole plants of (100-200 gm) Ampelocissus latifolia (goaliarlata
/
goal lata) are chopped into pieces and fed with the straw.
4 Fresh roots (80-150 gm) of Asparagus racemosus (satamul
)
are fed orally to induce lactation.
5 Whole plant (300-400 gm) of Centella asiatica (thankuni
) fed
orally.
6 The roots (50-60 gm) of Glycosmis pentaphyla (atiswar
), whole
plant (2-4 plants) of Amaranthus spinosus (kantakhure
) and 500
gm of tender grass are fed together to induce lactation.
7 Whole plant (200-400 gm) of Tinospora cordifolia (goronchlata
/
gulancha) is also used as galactagogue.
Anorexia
Cardiospermum halicacabum Linn.
(Sapindaceae)
Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.
(Zingiberaceae)
Alstonia scholaris R. Br. (Apocynaceae)
1 The leaf decoction (250 ml) of Cardiospermum halicacabum
(latafatki) is fed orally.
2 The rhizome (50-70 gm) of Zingiber cassumunar (banada)
are cut
into pieces and fed orally.
3 A paste prepared from the roots (100-200 gm) of
Alstonia
scholaris (chatim) and zinger is fed orally.
Anthelmintic Allium sativum L. (Liliaceae) The bulbs (200-400 gm) of Allium sativum (peyaj
) are crushed
along with fodder and fed thrice in a day.
Appetizer
Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall.
ex Nees (Acanthaceae)
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L. (Oleaceae)
1 The leaves (200-400 gm) of Andrographis paniculata (kalmegh)
are crushed along with Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (siuli
) leaf and the
juice is mixed with husk and fed as appetizer.
2 The leaves (250 gm) of Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (siuli
) are
chopped into pieces and fed along with tender grasses.
Black quarter
Oroxylum indicum (L) Vent.
(Bignoniaceae)
A paste is prepared from the bark powder (75-
100 gm) of
Oroxylum indicum (krishnadinga/noukadinga)
and fed thrice a
day.
Bloat Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fabaceae) A decoction prepared from the seed (50-75 gm) of
Trigonella
foenum-graecum (methi) and fed orally.
Body Pus
Chrysopogon gryllus L. (Poaceae)
Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae)
1 A paste is prepared from the roots (25-40 gm) of
Chrysopogon
gryllus (chorkanta) along with 1 gm Piper nigrum
seeds
(golmorich) and given under the tongue of cattle.
2 A paste is prepared from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa (halud
)
and applies as emollient on tongue at every morning and evening
for 5 days to cure from pusses.
Bodyache
Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.
(Convolvulaceae)
A paste is prepared from the whole plant (300-500gm) of
cuscuta
reflexa (swarnalata) along with the roots (75 gm) of
Achyranthes
aspera (baro chirchiri/apang) and applies externally on body.
(contd.)
SAHA et al.: ETHNOVETERINARY PRACTICES IN MALDA DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL
363
Table 1—Animal healthcare management practices in Malda district (contd.)
Diseases and
disorders
Plants species used with their family Mode of application
Boil Urena lobata L. (Malvaceae) The leaves (100 gm) of Urena lobata (hegra)
are crushed to make
paste and applied externally on affected area.
Bone fracture
Cissus quadrangularis L. (Vitaceae)
Litsea glutinosa L. (Lauraceae)
1 300-400 gm of stem of Cissus quadrangularis (harjora
) are
crushed to make paste
and applied on broken leg of cattle tying up
with bamboo stick.
2 A paste is made from the roots (200-250 gm) of Litsea glutinosa
(darodmoyda
), leaves (70 gm) of tamarind and rhizome
(10-
20 gm) of zinger and applied on bone cracked area, tying up
with bamboo stick.
Constipation
Acacia catechu Willd. (Mimosaceae)
Fumaria officinalis L. (Fumariaceae)
1 A juice is prepared from the roots (200 gm) of
Acacia catechu
(khayer) and given to prevent constipation.
2 Whole plants (400 gm) of Fumaria officinalis (khetpapra
) are
chopped and fed orally to cattle.
Diarrhoea
Cocculus hirsutus (L.) Diels
(Menispermaceae)
Rauvolfia serpentina (L.)
Benth. ex Kurz (Apocynaceae)
1 The tender leaves (500 gm) of Cocculus hirsutus (joljomani)
are
chopped with straw and fed orally.
2 A paste is made The roots (200 gm) of Rauvolfia serpentina
(sarpagandha) along with 200 gm of Azadirachta indica
leaves
(neem) and fed orally.
Drowsiness
Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Poaceae)
Oroxylum indicum (L) Vent.
(Bignoniaceae)
1 The roots (70-100 gm) of Eleusine indica (jabra ghas/ katilaghas
)
are crushed along with slight zinger to make paste and fed orally.
2 A paste is prepared from the bark powder (100 gm) of
Oroxylum
indicum (krishnadinga
) along with whole plant (100 gm) of
Tinospora cordifolia (goronchlata) and given against drowsiness.
Dysentery
Allium sativum Lin. (Liliaceae)
Cannabis sativa L. (Urticaceae)
Ficus glomerata Roxb. (Moraceae)
1 The bulbs (200-400 gm) of Allium sativum (peyaj
) are crushed
along with fodder and fed orally thrice in a day.
2 The chopped leaves (250 gm) of Cannabis sativa (bhang)
along with
fruits (250 gm) of Ficus glomerata (dumur) are fed together orally.
Dyspepsia
Aristolochia indica L. (Aristolochiaceae) The tender leaves and buds (150 gm) of
Aristolochia indica
(iswarnath/iswarmul
) are crushed with 25 gm of black pepper and
slight salt to make paste and fed to cattle.
Ear Pus Eclipta prostrata L. (Asteraceae) A paste is prepared from the leaves (25-50 gm) of
Eclipta
prostrata (kesut) and applies on ears.
Eczema
Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall.
ex Nees (Acanthaceae)
Datura metel L. (Solanaceae)
1 A leaf paste of Andrographis paniculata (kalmegh
) and
Azadirachta indica
(neem) is prepared (1:1 ratio) and applied on
the body of the cattle.
2 A paste is prepared from the root (50-75 gm) of Datura metel (
kalo
dhtura) along with 2 teaspoon of mustered oil and applies on body.
Eye cataract
Pergularia daemia (Forssk.)
Chiov. (Asclepiadaceae)
Stephania japonica (Thunb.)
Miers. (Menispermaceae)
1 The leaves (50 gm) of Pergularia daemia (ajashringi
) are crushed
to make juice and apply externally on the eyes of cattle.
2 The young leaves (50 gm) of Stephania japonica (gorochlata
/
ghapata/aknadi
) are crushed to make juice and pour in the ear of goat
externally for 12-15 days. [This preparation is applied only on goat.]
(contd.)
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 13, NO 2, APRIL 2014
364
Table 1—Animal healthcare management practices in Malda district (contd.)
Diseases and
disorders
Plants species used with their family Mode of application
Fever
Achyranthes aspera L.
(Amaranthaceae)
Costus speciosus (J.Konig) Sm. (Costaceae)
Erythrina indica Lam.
(Papilionaceae)
Heliotropium indicum L.
(Boraginaceae)
Leonurus japonicas Houtt.
(Lamiaceae)
1 The roots (100-200 gm) of Achyranthes aspera (baro chirchiri
/
apang) are crushed with cumin seeds (10-
15 gm) and water to
make paste and the pate is fed orally.
2 A paste is prepared from the root of Costus speciosus (kuttus
),
3-5 pieces of carrot and stem (50 gm) of Tinospora cordifolia
and
given thrice a day for 3-4 days.
3 Young tender branches (200-300 gm) of Erythrina indica (madar
)
are feed at early morning before taking water for 3-4 days.
4
A paste is prepared from the flowering inflorescences (250 gm) of
Heliotropium indicum (hatisur
) along with 5 gm of black pepper
seeds (golmorich) and fed thrice a day.
5 A juice from Leonurus japonicas (raktodron)
root (150 gm) along
with the roots (150 gm) of Achyranthes aspera
is prepared and fed
orally.
Flatulence
Calotropis gigantea (L.) W. T. Aiton
(Asclepiadaceae)
Physalis minima L. (Solanaceae)
1 The apical twigs (30-50 gm) of Calotropis gigantea (akanda)
are
crushed along with slight amount of
salt to make paste against
flatulence.
2 A paste is prepared from the roots (50 gm) of Physalis minima
(pokapaia/tepari)
and cumin seeds with slight water and given to
cattle.
Flies problem
Azadirachta indica A. Juss.
(Meliaceae)
Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit
(Lamiaceae)
Tragia involucrata L.
(Euphorbiaceae)
1 The branches of Azadirachta indica (neem)
are burnt in the
cowshed at evening as repellent.
2 The branches of Hyptis suaveolens (bontulsi)
are burnt in the
cowshed to prevent mosquitoes or flies.
3 The roots (50-100 gm) of Tragia involucrata (bichuti/bichatu)
are
crushed with mustered oil and the paste is applied externally on
horns of cattle.
Intestinal worm
Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth.
(Fabaceae)
Alstonia scholaris R. Br.
(Apocynaceae)
1 The seeds (50 gm) of Acacia auriculiformis (akashmoni)
are
crushed and mixed with cattle-food and given orally.
2 The roots (50-100 gm) of Alstonia scholaris (chatim
) are crushed
with water and the juice is given to cattle.
Itching
Azadirachta indica A. Juss. (Meliaceae)
Jatropha gossypifolia L. (Euphorbiaceae)
Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene (Verbenaceae)
1 The leaves (50-100 gm) of Azadirachta indica (neem)
are crushed
with mustered oil and the paste is applied on the body of cattle.
2 The leaves of (100 gm) Jatropha gossypifolia (varenda
) are
rubbed on the whole body.
3 The leaves (100 gm) of Phyla nodiflora (koi okhra
) are rubbed on
the body to cure from itching.
Lice problem
Clerodendrum viscosum Vent.
(Verbenaceae)
Mikania micrantha Kunth. (Asteraceae)
Ocimum kilimandscharium Guerke
(Lamiaceae)
Persicaria glabra (Willd.) M.Gomez
(Polygonaceae)
1 The apical twigs (75 gm) of Clerodendrum viscosum (ghetu)
are
crushed and the juice is macerated over the head of cattle.
2 The flowering branches (8-10) of Mikania micrantha (bantulsi
)
are kept in poultry house to keep away lice from the body of hen.
[This procedure is applicable only for poultry birds.]
3 The flowering branches of Ocimum kilimandscharium (dulalbabu
)
are kept in poultry house to keep away lice from the body of hen.
[This procedure is applicable only for poultry birds.]
4 The leaves (350 gm) of Persicaria glabra (bis-kantal/laltota)
are
rubbed on the body of cattle.
(contd.)
SAHA et al.: ETHNOVETERINARY PRACTICES IN MALDA DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL
365
Table 1—Animal healthcare management practices in Malda district
Diseases and
disorders
Plants species used with their family Mode of application
Loose motion
Alocasia macrorrhiza Schott. (Araceae)
Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. (Poaceae)
Lawsonia inermis L. (Lythraceae)
Physalis minima L. (Solanaceae)
1 A paste is prepared from the rhizomes (10-15 gm) of
Alocasia
macrorrhiza (mankachu
) with slight lemon juice and given to the
poultry birds. [This preparation is applied only for poultry birds.]
2 The roots (50-100 gm) of Eleusine indica (jabra ghas)
are crushed
along with unripe banana (10-12 pieces) and the paste is fed to cattle.
3 The chopped leaves (400-600 gm) of Lawsonia inermis (mehandi
)
are fed to cattle at empty stomach for 3-4 days.
4 The root (60-100 gm) of Physalis minima (pokapaia)
is crushed along
with black pepper seed (5 gm) and the paste is fed orally for 3 days.
Nipple crack
Oroxylum indicum (L) Vent.
(Bignoniaceae)
A paste is prepared from the bark (100 gm) of
Oroxylum indicum
(krishnadinga
) along with mustered oil and applied on cracked
nipple of cattle.
Paralysis
Persicaria glabra (Willd.) M.Gomez
(Polygonaceae)
The leaves (40-50 gm) of Persicaria glabra (biskantal)
are
crushed and the paste is taken in a cloth and tied on legs of poultry
till they can walk well. [This preparation is applied only for
poultry birds.]
Sex stimulant Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. (Fabaceae) The seed (250-500 gm) of Mucuna pruriens (alkushi)
is crushed
to make paste and fed to cattle.
Stomachache
Premna corymbosa (Burm.f.) Rottl.
&Willd. (Verbenaceae)
A paste is made from the leaves (250 gm) of Premna corymbosa
(gonal) along with the seeds (70-100 gm) of Trigonella foenum-
graecum (methi) and given to cattle.
Swelling of neck Calotropis gigantea (L.) W. T. Aiton
(Asclepiadaceae)
The leaves of Calotropis gigantea (akanda)
are warmed with ghee
(made from milk) and applied on neck.
Tonsillitis
Argyreia nervosa (Burm. f.) Bojer
(Convolvulaceae)
Persicaria glabra (Willd.) M.Gomez
(Polygonaceae)
1 The leaves (70-100 gm) of Argyreia nervosa (briddhadarak
) are
crushed along with 40 gm of Azadirachta indica (neem) leaves
and slightly warmed mustered oil (2-
4 teaspoon) to make paste
and keep this paste in a cloth and tied up on neck of cattle.
2 The leaves (50-100 gm) of Persicaria glabra (biskantal)
are
crushed along with zinger (20 gm) and the paste is kept in a cloth
and tied on the neck of cattle.
Post natal disorder
Dendrophthoe falcata (L.F) Etting.
(Loranthaceae)
The stem bark (40-50 gm) of Dendrophthoe falcata (dhara)
is
crushed along with 35 gm of Azadirachta indica (neem
) leaves
and zinger (3 gm) to make paste and
applied on vagina of cattle to
reduce its enlargement after delivery.
Wound
Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae)
Saccharum munja Roxb. (Poaceae)
1 The seed (60-100 gm) of Ricinus communis (reri
) are crushed to
make oil and applied externally until it cures the wounds.
2 The root (80-100 gm) of Saccharum munja (biyana/ sikighas
) along
with small amount of horn scales of cattle are crushed and applied
externally on the affected area, occurred by sharp ends of plough.
Present study showed greater agreement among the
tribal informants on selection of plant species for a
particular livestock healthcare management category.
The informants’ consensus ratio, i.e. FIC value ranges
from 0.88-1 (Table 2), with an average of 0.96
indicating high level of agreement factor and
confirmed the homogeneity among informants
knowledge and reliability of the traditional knowledge
of this district. Hence, Andrographis paniculata,
Amaranthus spinosus, Asparagus racemosus,
Trigonella foenum-graecum, Heliotropium indicum,
Mucuna pruriens, Oroxylum indicum, etc. plant
species, having high FIC value may be used for the
development of future eco-friendly veterinary drugs.
The authors found 5 species with new reports of
treatment which had not been reported previously in
any literature till date. These include- Cardiospermum
halicacabum for anorexia; Tragia involucrata
INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 13, NO 2, APRIL 2014
366
for the prevention of flies; Dendrophthoe falcata
for post natal disorders; Alocasia macrorrhiza for
loose motion and Heliotropium indicum for fever.
Interestingly one species namely, Heliotropium
indicum had not been previously documented to be
used as medicinal plant in any ethnoveterinary
practices of India. Thus, present study provides the
first report of the use of this taxon in livestock
healthcare management.
Conclusion
Since time immemorial, the tribal healers of this
region had acquired their own traditional system of
treatment from their ancestors, which is unique and
varies from community to community and even from
village to village. Present study also observed that
some of healers uproot the whole plant and virtually
throw them out after collecting the required portion of
the plant parts like roots, rhizomes, etc. This is
causing a great deal of erosion of medicinal plants
from the study area. Thus increasing demand of
medicinal plants and their improper uses may result in
disappearance of important plant species in near
future. The problem is compounded by massive
deforestation and urbanization of the region. The
study also revealed that almost all the studied species,
showing high informant consensus factor may be
regarded as the resource of future veterinary eco-
friendly drug. So, a comprehensive phytochemical
investigation with those studied plants would be a
handy work to prove the efficacy and validation of
herbal veterinary medicine. Therefore, the need of
hour is to cultivate the medicinal plants along
with their conservation, proper documentation and
phytochemical investigation. This is very much
required for the sustainability of the ethnoveterinary
practices of this region.
Acknowledgement
The authors are very much grateful to the
informants who had shared their worthy knowledge
without any hesitation. Thanks are also due to DST,
West Bengal, India for financial support to conduct
this survey and UGC for meritorious fellowship.
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