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Use of Cycas rumphii Miquel (Cycadaceae) roots to treat snakebite

Authors:
Md. Sohrab Hosen at Chonnam National University
Md. Sohrab Hosen
Rashed Reza at Zhengzhou University
Rashed Reza
Kallol Debnath at University of Development Alternative
Kallol Debnath
Mohammed Rahmatullah at University of Development Alternative
Mohammed Rahmatullah
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Abstract

Cycas rumphii Miquel, belonging to the Cycadaceae family is known in English as 'queen sago palm' and in Bengali as 'maniraj'. The plant is native to Indonesia, New Guinea, and Christmas Island and is not a common plant of Bangladesh. Ethnomedicinal uses of the plant have not been reported to any great extent. The Nicobarese people of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands use the plant to treat fever (Chander et al., 2015). In Bangladesh, root tops of the plant are used to treat debility by folk medicinal practitioners in Bheramara area of Kushtia district, Bangladesh (Rahmatullah et al., 2009). Leaves are used by the Bede community to treat headache and severe body pain (Seraj et al., 2013). During a recent survey in Rajshahi district, a new use of the plant was obtained from a folk medicinal practitioner (FMP), Mr. Md. Shukur Ali, Baghmara Upazila (sub-district) in Rajshahi district. The FMP used the roots of the plant, which was made into a paste and administered orally with one and a quarter fruits of Capsicum frutescens L. (Solanaceae family, known in English as 'chili pepper' and in Bengali as 'morich') to a snake-bitten patient. This was done only once and the FMP claimed that one dose was enough to neutralize the venom of any poisonous snake. The plant was collected (Figure 1) and identified by a plant taxonomist at the Medicinal Plant Collection Wing of the University of Development Alternative.
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Asian Journal of Pharmacognosy (2018) 2(1): 50-51
50
Asian Journal of Pharmacognosy
Ethnopharmacological Note
Use of Cycas rumphii Miquel (Cycadaceae) roots to treat snakebite
Md. Sohrab Hosen*, Rashed Reza*, Kallol Debnath, Mohammed Rahmatullah**
Department of Pharmacy, University of Development Alternative, Lalmatia, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh
**Mohammed Rahmatullah: rahamatm@hotmail.com
Abstract
Cycas rumphii Miquel, belonging to the Cycadaceae family is known in English as ‘queen sago palm’
and in Bengali as ‘maniraj’. The plant is native to Indonesia, New Guinea, and Christmas Island and is
not a common plant of Bangladesh. Ethnomedicinal uses of the plant have not been reported to any
great extent. The Nicobarese people of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands use the plant to treat fever
(Chander et al., 2015). In Bangladesh, root tops of the plant are used to treat debility by folk medicinal
practitioners in Bheramara area of Kushtia district, Bangladesh (Rahmatullah et al., 2009). Leaves are
used by the Bede community to treat headache and severe body pain (Seraj et al., 2013). During a recent
survey in Rajshahi district, a new use of the plant was obtained from a folk medicinal practitioner
(FMP), Mr. Md. Shukur Ali, Baghmara Upazila (sub-district) in Rajshahi district. The FMP used the
roots of the plant, which was made into a paste and administered orally with one and a quarter fruits of
Capsicum frutescens L. (Solanaceae family, known in English as ‘chili pepper’ and in Bengali as
‘morich’) to a snake-bitten patient. This was done only once and the FMP claimed that one dose was
enough to neutralize the venom of any poisonous snake. The plant was collected (Figure 1) and
identified by a plant taxonomist at the Medicinal Plant Collection Wing of the University of
Development Alternative.
Keywords: medicinal plants, Cycas rumphii, snakebite
Asian Journal of Pharmacognosy (2018) 2(1): 50-51
51
Declaration of conflict of interest
No conflict of interest associated with this work.
References
Chander MP, Kartick C, Vijayachari P (2015) Herbal medicine & healthcare practices among Nicobarese of Nancowry group
of Islands – an indigenous tribe of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Indian J. Med. Res. 141: 720-744.
Rahmatullah M, Ferdausi D, Mollik MAH, Azam MNK, Taufiq-Ur-Rahman M, Jahan R (2009) Ethnomedicinal survey of
Bheramara area in Kushtia district, Bangladesh. Am.-Eur. J. Sustain. Agric. 3(3): 534-541.
Seraj S, Jahan FI, Chowdhury AR, Monjur-E-Khuda M, Khan MSH, Aporna SA, Jahan R, Samarrai W, Islam F, Khatun Z,
Rahmatullah M (2013) Tribal formulations for treatment of pain: a study of the Bede community tribal medicinal practitioners
of Porabari village in Dhaka district, Bangladesh. Afr. J. Tradit. Complement. Altern. Med. 10(1): 26-34.
Figure 1. Cycas rumphii
Pengembangan Kawasan Wisata Mandalika berbasis Pemanfaatan Flora Lokal yang Lestari
Book
  • Sep 2021
Buku ini merupakan bagian dari kegiatan penelitian untuk mendukung pembangunan kawasan Mandalika sebagai kawasan wisata yang berkelanjutan. Buku ini menyajikan rekomendasi jenis-jenis tumbuhan yang dapat diaplikasikan pada beberapa jenis kondisi lahan dan tipe taman untuk mendukung pembangunan kawasan Mandalika dan sekitarnya di pulau Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat.
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Herbal medicine & healthcare practices among Nicobarese of Nancowry group of Islands - An indigenous tribe of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Article
  • May 2015
  • INDIAN J MED RES
Background & objectives: Tribal people often depend on herbal medicines and the traditional knowledge practitioners (TKPs) serve as their healthcare service providers. This study was an attempt to document the use of medicinal plants by the Nicobarese of Nancowry group of Islands. Methods: Field survey was conducted in all the five inhabited Islands of the Nancowry group of Islands. All the TKPs were interviewed with a questionnaire-guided ethnomedicinal survey protocol. Voucher specimens of all the cited plants (botanic species) were collected and a community biodiversity register of Nicobarese of Nancowry was prepared. Results: A total of 77 TKPs were identified, who together were using 132 medicinal plant species belonging to 113 genera and 62 families. The TKPs were treating a total of 43 ailments. Seven endemic and three rare plant species were recorded. The most common plant part used was leaves. Remedies were usually prepared using water as the excipient. Routes for administration of medicinal plant preparations were oral, topical and others. The information collected from the TKPs were collated in the form of Community Biodiversity Registers. Interpretation & conclusions: The present survey shows that the medicinal plants play a pivotal role in the healthcare of the Nicobarese tribe of Nancowry group of Islands. Efforts to document the medicinal plant species and the formulations used by them are necessary to prevent the loss of this precious knowledge.
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Ethnomedicinal survey of Bheramara area in Kushtia district
  • Jan 2009
  • 534-541
  • M Rahmatullah
  • D Ferdausi
  • Mah Mollik
  • Mnk Azam
  • M Taufiq-Ur-Rahman
  • R Jahan
Rahmatullah M, Ferdausi D, Mollik MAH, Azam MNK, Taufiq-Ur-Rahman M, Jahan R (2009) Ethnomedicinal survey of Bheramara area in Kushtia district, Bangladesh. Am.-Eur. J. Sustain. Agric. 3(3): 534-541.
Tribal formulations for treatment of pain: a study of the Bede community tribal medicinal practitioners of Porabari village in Dhaka district
  • Jan 2013
  • 26-34
  • S Seraj
  • F I Jahan
  • A R Chowdhury
  • M Monjur-E-Khuda
  • Msh Khan
  • S A Aporna
  • R Jahan
  • W Samarrai
  • F Islam
  • Z Khatun
  • M Rahmatullah
Seraj S, Jahan FI, Chowdhury AR, Monjur-E-Khuda M, Khan MSH, Aporna SA, Jahan R, Samarrai W, Islam F, Khatun Z, Rahmatullah M (2013) Tribal formulations for treatment of pain: a study of the Bede community tribal medicinal practitioners of Porabari village in Dhaka district, Bangladesh. Afr. J. Tradit. Complement. Altern. Med. 10(1): 26-34. Figure 1. Cycas rumphii