American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 4(2): 219-229, 2010 ISSN 1995-0748 © 2010, American Eurasian Network for Scientific Information This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed ORIGINAL ARTICLES 219 Corresponding Author: Professor Dr. Mohammed Rahmatullah, Pro-Vice Chancellor University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A (new) Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh. Email: rahamatm@hotmail.com Fax: 88-02-8157339 Medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes of Daulatdia Ghat, Kushtia district, Bangladesh Mohammed Rahmatullah, Md. Nur Kabidul Azam, Md. Ariful Haque Mollik, Md. Mahamudul Hasan, Azmal Ibna Hassan, Rownak Jahan, Farhana Jamal, Dilruba Nasrin, Rasheda Ahmed, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, 2 Mst. Afsana Khatun Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh. 2 Present address: Dept. of Pharmacy, Lincoln College, Mayang Plaza, Block A, No 1, Jalan SS 26/2, Taman Mayang Jaya, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Mohammed Rahmatullah, Md. Nur Kabidul Azam, Md. Ariful Haque Mollik, Md. Mahamudul Hasan, Azmal Ibna Hassan, Rownak Jahan, Farhana Jamal, Dilruba Nasrin, Rasheda Ahmed, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Mst. Afsana Khatun, Medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes of Daulatdia Ghat, Kushtia district, Bangladesh, Am. Eurasian J. Sustain. Agric., C(): CC-CC, 2010 ABSTRACT Folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) form the first tier of primary health care providers to most of the rural population of Bangladesh. Kavirajes use simple formulations of whole plant or plant parts from medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments. The medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes differ considerably in various areas of Bangladesh. The objective of the present study was to conduct a survey on medicinal plant usage by the Kavirajes of Daulatdia Ghat area in Kushtia district, Bangladesh. Interviews were conducted with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. Plant specimens as pointed out by the Kavirajes were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka. It was observed that the Kavirajes of Daulatdia Ghat area used 49 plants distributed into 38 families for treatment of different ailments. The Fabaceae family contributed 4 plants followed by the Agavaceae family with 3 plants. Leaves and whole plants constituted the major parts used (24.6% each), followed by roots (22.8%) and fruits (7.0%). The Kavirajes treated a number of ailments or disorders. Gastrointestinal disorders were treated with 13 plants; skin disorders were treated with 9 plants; respiratory disorders were treated with 8 plants. Other disorders treated included leucorrhea (5 plants), sexual disorders (7 plants), diabetes (4 plants), rheumatism (5 plants), gall bladder stones (3 plants), fever (3 plants), urinary tract problems (3 plants), and pain (5 plants). The Kavirajes also treated debility, hepatic disorders, infections, poisoning, menstrual problems, heart diseases, typhoid, cuts and wounds, edema, measles, helminthiasis, piles, malaria, obesity, insanity, and ear and eye infections. Taken together, the medicinal plants used by the Kavirajes considerable potential for further scientific studies, which can lead to newer and more efficient drugs. Key words: Folk medicine, medicinal plants, Daulatdia Ghat, Bangladesh Introduction The use of medicinal plants for treatment of various ailments goes back a long time ago. It has been estimated that human beings probably started using medicinal plants for treatment from around 3,000 BC(Sofowora, A., 1982.) . It has further been observed that a number of modern pharmaceuticals have been derived from plants used by indigenous people (Balick, J.M. and P.A. Cox, 1996.). Important modern drugs that have been derived from observations of traditional curing methods of indigenous people include aspirin, atropine, ephedrine, digoxin, morphine, quinine, reserpine and tubocurarine (Gilani, A.H. and A.U. Rahman, 2005.).