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Medicinal plants used for the treatment of liver diseases in Jammu province (Jammu and Kashmir, India)
Full text linkLiver is a vital organ in the human body. Almost all the drugs, foods, and water constituents are metabolized and detoxified in the liver. Liver diseases such as hepatitis, jaundice, cirrhosis, and liver cancer are continuously on the rise in recent years. Limited options are available for the treatment of liver diseases in the allopathic system of medicines. A study was conducted to document the plants used for the treatment of liver diseases in Jammu division of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), India. Two districts (Doda and Samba) of Jammu province were selected for the study. One hundred twenty respondents were selected for the study, based on random sampling. Face to face interviews were conducted. Fourty medicinal plants belonging to 39 genera and 25 families used for the treatment of liver diseases were recorded. Majority of plants were herbs (55%). Most commonly used plant part was root (27%) followed by fruit (22%), leaf (20%), whole plant (12%), seed (10%), stem (3%) and flower, rhizome and bark (2%). The most common mode of consumption was decoction (45.97%). RFC values for species used in treating liver disorders were between 0.02 and 0.30, respectively. FIV was highest for Lamiaceae (3.3) as 10% of the species reported belonged to this family. The study has documented the list of species used against liver disease that may be subjected to pharmacological and phytochemical studies that may be critical for the discovery of novel hepatoprotective drugs
Investigation of antioxidant and antibacterial activities, phenolic contents of Allium staticiforme bulb fractions in different polarities
Full text linkIn this study, it was aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Allium staticiforme bulb fractions (petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and acetone) in vitro. Fractions were made by Soxhlet method, antibacterial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion method, antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH radical scavenging detection and reduction power test. At the same time, the chemical content was determined by examining TLC and total phenolic matter. The concentrations reducing the DPPH radical of the fractions by 50% were determined to be 283.1 μg/mL for methanol, 291.5 μg/mL for petroleum ether, 346 μg/mL for chloroform and 533.6 μg/mL for acetone, respectively. It was observed that the total phenolic substance amounts were in the order (from the higher to the lower): petroleum ether, methanol, chloroform and acetone fractions. The reduction power was directly proportional to the increase in the concentration for all fractions. The highest antibacterial effect was found on the petroleum ether fraction (12 mm) on S. aureus. It was determined that the petroleum ether fraction showed a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity. In the current study the antibacterial and the antioxidant activity of Allium staticiforme bulb fractions (with different polarity) have been investigated for the first time and shown that the solution used in extract preparation is important in revealing the bioactive molecules.
Traditional knowledge of agriculture in Bengali folk songs
Full text linkIndia is a rich repository of cultural heritage and diversity, with a significant portion consisting of traditional folk songs. West Bengal has no exception and has got a wide variety of folk songs in every district of the state. This research has been conducted to identify the folk song relevant to agriculture and farmer’s livelihood by understanding the contents with respect to themes. Emphasis has been rendered to explore the agricultural messages implied in the folk songs and to delve into any possibility to employ the folk songs as a tool for transfer of agricultural technologies. The research has been conducted by creating a compendium of the Bengali folk songs related to agriculture with experts’ assistance. These songs were analyzed by applying content analysis and represented in tabular forms depicting knowledge items with quantification. Since folk songs relevant to agriculture were considered, most of the songs belonged to the category of Karmasangeet (work song), followed by Tusu, Bhadu, Mahipal, Mecheni and others. Some of the songs carry traditional agricultural knowledge on cropping sequence, intercultural operation, plant protection, planting times, etc. Folk songs, whose primary idea was born to express the inner state of mind and break the monotony, can also be used for transforming the tacit knowledge into explicit one. Agricultural Extension, as a discipline, can very well employ the traditional folk media to impregnate the remotest of Indian villages with new technologies keeping intact the entertainment component.
An ethnobotanical survey for the determination of informant consensus factor to demystify traditional herb Teliya-kanda in Indian medicinal system
Full text linkTeliya-kanda is among one of the miraculous plants which has been described in ancient Ayurvedic text for veritable medicinal uses. However, the taxonomic identification of Teliya-kanda plant is yet ambiguous. Following a semi-structured survey methodology, we carried out questionnaire based interviews with 250 native tribals and traditional healers/ vaidyas of villages in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand (22 remote villages). The participants involve in the study were consulted about their knowledge towards the target plant species Teliya-kanda, its medicinal applications, features, drug formulations, drug administration route, dosage etc. The survey was conglomerated with ancient texts of Ayurveda (published/ unpublished), thereby possibly revealing the most accurate botanical source of Teliya-kanda. The ethnobotanical information was evaluated by various quantitative metrics as use value (UV), use frequency (FU), informant consensus factor (FIC), citation relative frequency (RFC), popularity relative level (RPL), and rank priority (RP). In the present study, data collected from the survey participants included the information of about 09 taxa belonging to 05 botanical families. The interviewed informants alluded that the highest level of fidelity, popularity, and priority was found for Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth (RPL ~ 0.417; RFC ~ 0.232; RP ~ 0.0969), thereby indicating it to be the most probable botanical source of Teliya-kanda. Based on this ethnobotanical survey, the name Teliya-kanda can be associated with S. venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth, however, further detailed molecular and phytochemical analyses yet need to be unveiled
Exploratory study on ITK practices prevailing in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu
Full text linkIndia, being a tropical country with fifteen agro ecological zones, is confronted with climate change influences through droughts, floods, cyclones, heat waves, hailstorms, and coastal salinity. The climate change remains a potential challenge to farm sustainability. It also evolved as an impending threat to socio-economic status of rural population. For sustainable farming and climate change resilience, Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) could help growers in broad spectrum. The ITK system though derived out of informal experimentation, it has been developed by the community based on their experiences and incessant improvement over generations. Therefore, identifying and documenting of ITK practices is very much imperative. In this context, an exploratory research study was conducted to document the extent of awareness and community’s perceived benefits of using ITK practices along with the prevailing ITK practices in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu. It was revealed that majority of the respondents’ of about 73% and 74% were aware of crop management practices and crop protection measures respectively. Only one third of the respondents (38%) were familiarised with indigenous poultry management practices. A vast majority of the respondents (75%) perceived considerable reduction in farm expenditures by following ITK practices
The role of traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation among the Nicobarese of Central Nicobar Islands, India
Full text linkA qualitative study guided by phenomenological approach was conducted during 2016-2018 to understand the experience of living amid climate change among the Nicobari tribes living in Central Nicobar Islands and their management practices evolved for adaptation over the years. The study showed that the economic prosperity and sustainability of Nicobarese basically depended on their traditional wisdom to mange land resources under their possession and farming practices as indicated by the strength (>6.0) of anecdotal network analysis which are evolved over the years, are found to be climate resilient. They have wealth of knowledge on island biodiversity particularly on pandanus, banana, tubers, roots and leafy vegetables besides coconut. Nicobarese also learnt the process and storage of surplus farm produce for longer duration under the existing climatic conditions. The anecdotal network analysis of nine climate change adaptation measures and eight climate change events showed that seasonal calendar and organic waste management were the best climate adaptation strategy known to tribes followed by community land use / holding
Traditional healthcare practices of Manipur, North-East India – Its genesis and sciences
Full text linkIn the present cross-cultural ethnopharmacological survey, altogether thirty traditional practitioners in sixteen districts of the Manipur state belonging to nine different ethnic communities were interviewed. A predesigned questionnaire was used for documentation of traditional healthcare knowledge of folklore healers. Their patient care and preparations of traditional medicines were recorded in written and audio-visual formats. The survey data was re-compiled in MySQL 5.1.41(4) as an NEIEM database. The ethnopharmacological information on 274 different formulations used for 57 different human and animal diseases were documented during this survey. The 181 different plants, 30 animals, and 11 different organic/minerals matters were found to be used as components of 274 formulations. In course of this survey, several manuscripts and an ancient therapeutic protocol “Sida Hidak Taret” (Seven Life Saving Medicines) were documented. The present study preserves the indigenous traditional healthcare knowledge of Manipur for future generations
Traditional use of medicinal plants for curation of liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis and other associated health issues in Pin Valley National Park, Himachal Pradesh, India
Full text linkThe present paper deals with the local community's traditional utilization of medicinal plants through their specialized health care practitioners called Amchies to treat some major health issues, i.e., hepatitis, tuberculosis (TB) and other associated health issues in Pin Valley National Park (PVNP), Himachal Pradesh. A preliminary survey was conducted to identify the traditional healthcare practitioners covering all 13 villages (2270 souls in 545 households). Information on medicinal plants used and the mode of preparation was collected from informants. The primary data on the status of hepatitis, TB patients was collected from 93 households randomly from 13 villages and secondary data from hospitals and other archival records. Plants' use value and fidelity level were calculated to understand the importance and preference of plants species in use for treating ailments. A total of 17 plant species belonging to eight different families and an animal Vulpes vulpes (Red fox) were utilized. Males are more prone to hepatitis infection (23.7%) as compared to females (16.1%). The overall infection rate was 39.8%. The male age group 31-60 was found highly infected whereas in the female 15-30 age group. TB infection was more or less similar in both male and female cases (6.5%) and (8.6%), respectively. Overall TB infection was (15.1%). The majority of plants exhibit high use value, Fidelity level, and other cultural values. These plant species are extremely rare and threatened. In this study, specific details regarding the usage of medicinal plants, their methods of preparation, and dosages are offered