Traditional Knowledge for Treatment in Tribal Dominated Block in Mandla District of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

This study was carried out in Bijadandi block in Mandla district. The objectives of this study was find the knowledge from tribes about the medicinal plant and its way of applying or using. For this study, total ten villages were surveyed with total 300 households. Out of ten villages, the five village were selected those villages were residing less than three kilometer and another five villages were selected from, those villages are located more than three kilometer from Community Health Center (CHC). All these ten villages have more than 90% of tribal household residing in hilly and forest area. However, for the detail of ethno-medicinal plant, the information has been collected from local healer practitioner or most knowledgeable on medicinal plant, nearby their villages with the help of open ended questionnaire. Other than healer provider, from each household also collected information regarding medicinal plant and way of using at their homes by themselves. However, from 39 tribal groups, the information were collected for meet the decided objectives in this study.  Although this study found that a total of 46 types of herbal medicinal species are knowing and using by tribes for treatment, which is using for more than 15 kind of diseases/illness. Moreover, tribal know about the 19 species of trees, 14 of plants species and two from shrub species which are used as a health treatment by tribes in the study area. For the treatment or curing of diseases, total seven part are used from these trees, plant and shrubs. Out of these seven part of medicinal species, total 26% leaves, 23% bark, 17% roots, 13% seeds, 10% fruits, 7% all part of plant and 2% of flowers parts are used as a traditional medicine for treating of diseases/illness among tribes of Bijadandi block.