Author

Arpita Chakraborty1*, Jyoti Kumar2

Abstract

Research has been carried out in different remote areas of Paschim Medinipur district to find out the herbal remedies which are used as an antidote of disease rheumatism. Herbs are one of the major natural resources of the Universe. In this survey 20 medicinal plants belonging to 15 plant families and 18 genera namely, Ziziphus nummularia (Burm. f.) Wight. &Arn. (Rhamnaceae), Achyranthes aspera L. (Amaranthaceae), Cissus quadrangularisL. (Vitaceae), Desmostachys bipinnata (L.) Moench (Malvaceae), Euphorbia tirucalli L. (Euphorbiaceae), Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae), Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl (Verbenaceae), Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. exDC) Wight & Arn. (Combretaceae), Scoparia dulcisL. (Plantaginaceae), Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (Malvaceae), Allium ascalonicum L. (Amaryllidaceae) are some of the medicinal plants which were documented after survey. Interviews with different rheumatic patients,
herbal practitioners and different market sellers about the use of the same herbal formulations proves their true disease healing property against the specific said disease. The genuineness of the specific disease curing activity also indicates that these plants must contain some active constituents which are also proved in other literature reviews. So, it can be said, uses of these medicinal plants cum natural resources against rheumatism is not only a matter of folklore but scientific also. It is fact that many of the inhabitants of the district specially females of above the age of average 35 are suffering from different kind of rheumatic disorders. The disease is painful and very difficult to get cured by orthodox allopathic treatment process. This survey also noticed patients taking different ethnomedicinal
formulation either orally or as an emollient for different rheumatic disorder give better results than prolonged orthodox costly allopathic medicine. It is also noticed during survey that those very essential medicinal herbs are left unnoticed in different places of the district. So, conservation of those plants is essential consciously and unconsciously even in this era of deforestation, urbanization, and modernization

Pages: 156-163

Doi Number 10.61289/jibs22024.04.02.1217

Keywords Natural resource, Antidote, Rheumatism, Herbal practitioners, Active constituents, Ethnomedicinal fo