African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines African Ethnomedicines Network ISSN: 0189-6016 Vol. 3, Num. 3, 2006, pp. 37-47

African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Vol. 3, No. 3, 2006, pp. 37-47

Research Paper   

A STUDY ON THE INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HEALING PRACTICES IN CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS (BANGLADESH)

Niaz Ahmed Khan and  A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid ¹

Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh.Email: 1pollen-for@sust.edu, niaz.khan@undp.org

Code Number: tc06035 

Abstract

It has been unequivocally established that medicinal plants and associated knowledge play a significant role in the general welfare of the upland communities of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Bangladesh. Notwithstanding the recognition, however, organised research on indigenous medicinal plants and knowledge has been strikingly limited. This local wisdom is fast eroding for such reasons as biotic interference, shrinking land resource base, deforestation, insufficient support from the government and public policies, and lack of appropriate management and institutional structure. In this context, this article, drawing on an empirical fieldwork, sheds some lights on the indigenous medicinal plants and associated practices in six selected locations of CHT. After a general introduction, the second section summaries selected key literature on the subject. The third section presents some observation on the medicinal plant resources in the study areas, while the next section introduces the practice of traditional healers or Baidyas together with their problems. The concluding section furnishes the following clues on improvement: (a) systematic documentation and recording of the existing medicinal plants; (b) organised motivational and awareness raising campaign regarding medicinal plants and their benefits; (c) establishment of experimental propagation nurseries; (d) research support for proper documentation and dissemination of the knowledge on medicinal plants and associated folk and herbal treatment methods; (e) utilisation of the local press, media and folk cultural practices as community-based extension and dissemination media to highlight the importance of medicinal plants and knowledge; (f) development of a network or platform to bring the Baidyas together by utilizing the community-based organisations.

Key words:  Bangladesh, Healing practice, Indigenous knowledge, Medicinal plants, Upland community

Introduction

It has been unequivocally established that medicinal plants and associated knowledge, which represent a part of rich local heritage, play a significant role in the general welfare of the upland communities of Chittagong Hill Tracts (e.g. Alam 1992, Khan et al. 2002). Zuberi (1999:69), for example, comments: “In Bangladesh and the adjoining regions, a long tradition of indigenous herbal medical systems, based on the rich local plant diversity exists forming a very important component of the primary health care system”. Notwithstanding the recognition and emphasis, however, organised research and information on indigenous medicinal plants and knowledge have been strikingly limited. In the recent years, a general concern has been that this local wisdom is fast eroding for such reasons as biotic interference, shrinking land resource base, deforestation, insufficient support from the government and public policies, and lack of appropriate management and institutional structure (e.g. Zuberi 1999, Rashid and Rashid 2000, 2002, Khan 2000).

In the above context, this paper, drawing on an empirical fieldwork sheds some lights on the indigenous medicinal plants and associated knowledge and practices in selected locations of CHT. After this introduction, the second section summaries selected key literature on the subject in the context of CHT. The third section presents some observation on the medicinal plant resources in the study areas, while the next section introduces the practice of traditional healers or Baidyas together with their problems. In the concluding section, we discuss some clues on improvement.

The observations, which inform this paper, draw on fieldwork on six locations in CHT, namely Lama, Sualok, Balaghata, Chemidolupara, Majherpara, Madhapara, and Sadar, under the district of Bandarban (for details of the consideration of site selection and research methodology, see IMAGE 2002). The study sites were selected after a series of consultation with the key stakeholders in the region including the traditional local government leaders (e.g. Karbari and Headman), the local Circle Chief (Bomang Raja), Baidya, social and community leaders (e.g. monks, school teachers), and agroforestry farmers. The following factors were considered in choosing the sites: availability of Baidya and their practices; relative security in access and communication; presence of living specimen (of medicinal plants) and ethnic diversity among the communities. Some 30 Baidyas mainly from Marma and Tangchayanga community were interviewed within a time frame of nearly six months. The age range of the respondent Baidyas varied between 34 and 75; all the respondents except one, were male. The research mainly relied on such anthropological tools as personal (uncontrolled) observation, ethno-histories, and informal interviews. For a deeper understanding, occasional case studies were done. Additionally, a Field Diary was also used, where virtually any observed phenomenon of interest was noted.   

A Summary of Selected Concerned Literature

Research on herbal medicinal plants and associated issues are very limited in Bangladesh. Alam (1992) has conducted ethno botanical survey on the Marma tribe and recorded local use of herbal drugs. Rashid et al. (1987) researched into the nature and functional dynamics of crude drug market in Bangladesh. They observed that different Auayurbedic, Unani and other pharmaceutical industries of the country commonly used some 142 different crude drugs. Khisa (1996) explored the nature and use of the Chakma traditional medicine. Chowdhury et al. (1996) documented 42 folk formularies, which had long been used traditionally against dysentery and diarrheoa in Bangladesh. Another study by Alam et al. (1996) also documented 143 folk formularies against 53 common diseases. Nursery technique developed for propagation of popular herbal plants by the Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI) has also been documented by Rashid et al. (1990). For large-scale commercial plantation of medicinal plants, we need to have adequate knowledge about their flowering and fruiting phenomena. Ara et al. (1990) investigated in to these phenomena in some details. A manual has been developed by the WHO to provide information to the least literate villagers of the Southeast Asian countries about their herbal resources. This manual intends to keep health workers informed of the therapeutic utility of the flora growing adjacent to our homesteads and villages (WHO, 1990). Zuberi (1999) offers a brief status report on medicinal plant diversity and associated conservation measures.  Rashid and Rashid (2000) present an analysis of the status of herbal medicine in Bangladesh together with their therapeutic use and associated indigenous knowledge.  Another study by Rashid and Rashid (2002) looks into the prospect of floriculture and medicinal plant cultivation in the uplands of CHT.

The Major Medicinal Plants in the Study Area

The following table proffers a list of important plants, which have been observed in the study areas. These plants are preferred by the Baidyas mainly for such reasons as (a) their adaptability to the edaphic and climatic conditions of the locality (b) their market potential and (c) the diverse use of many of them in different medicine preparation as the ‘base’ ingredient.

Table 1: List of the Major Medicinal and Spice Plants Commonly Observed in the Study Areas

Medicinal plants are often found along hedge and boundary lines. The shrubby species are usually cultivated as undergrowth in homestead plantation areas and also in the fallow lands.

Organised commercial plantations (as distinct from irregular homestead plantations) are virtually absent. Scientific silvicultural practices (e.g. weeding, pruning) are not usually followed. Women play a major role in maintaining the (limited number of) homestead medicinal plantations in the locality. A number of Baidyas from the Marma community possess written manual (Burmese scripts) on the practice and they deal more in mainstream herbal treatment, as compared to the tantra-montro or spiritual and sacred ceremonies. The Baidyas representing the Tanchangya community are more into the practice of tantra-montro.

The Practice of Baidya: Nature and Challenges

The knowledge and wisdom, which underpin the practice of Baidya, are mostly passed on from one generation to the other. Baidyas provide two broad categories of services: (a) plant-based (curative and preventive) treatment and healing (kabiraji); and (b) spiritual and sacred ceremonies (tontra-montro). The following boxes present some glimpses of the life and living of the Baidyas:

 Source: Based on Khan 2001

9 (out of 30) Baidyas maintain a reasonable stock of the major medicinal plants and herbs in and around their homestead premises. The family members especially the women typically look after these plantations. Only 3 respondents have specialised chamber for attending to the patients. Other does not have any special provision or formal arrangement, except for small wooden boxes to store the basic equipments and raw materials for the practice. Most Baidyas collect raw materials from local bazaars namely Balaghata bazar, Sualok, Bandarban sadar. For more widely used materials, Baidyas occasionally approach intermediate agents or middlemen or city-based whole-sellers. There are a few medicine shops in the City of Chittagong, which deal in herbal and medicinal plants.

It is difficult to determine Baidyas’ income. Their income varies substantially and shows seasonal fluctuations (e.g. winter is often a busy time for the Baidyas in handling cases of mental disorder; high monsoon for water-borne diseases). A good number of respondents expressed their unwillingness to discuss about their earnings. Besides, for nearly two third of the respondents, the practice of Baidya is not the only source of livelihood. They typically rely on such supplementary sources of income as small business (e.g. grocery shops), collection of non-timber forest products (bamboo, fuelwood, sungrass, honey etc.), livestock (especially pigs) rearing, sharecropping, and waged labour. The highest and lowest incomes from the practice of Baidya, as reported by the respondents (who agreed to share the information), are Tk. 1400 and Tk. 6000. 

Drawing the respondents’ comments and responses, the following major problems and challenges concerning the practice of Baidya may be identified:

• Our empirical observations suggest that in most cases these traditional healing systems draw and rely on Hamdard’s pharmacopoeia – primarily based on Unani principles. Besides, some use of Indian and British pharmacopoeia has also been noted. In some areas, a more localized, tailor-made system – locally known as Mogha Shastrya -- is practiced which contains a convenient mixture of Unani and Auayurbedic principles.
• The most widely used species, e.g. Boch, Datura, Chitra, Kala jira, Grhitokumari, Punanarva, Kalo holud, Sharpagandha, and Arjun in the preparation and practice of medicine are becoming increasingly rare and difficult to procure for such reasons as rapid destruction of the neighbouring natural forests (mainly prompted by organised illicit commercial logging), bureaucratic complications and harassment (e.g. by the Forest Department), and inaccessibility and difficulties in communication and transportation.
• This traditional wisdom has not been institutionalised. There is no formal arrangement or institution to train and nurture this knowledge in the locality. The institutional mechanisms for dissemination or extension of the knowledge and practice are also absent.
• The time of collection and harvesting of medicinal plants is a vital factor in ensuring efficacy of the medicines prepared thereof. The time factor is often ignored or by-passed by the Baidyas due to acute shortage and great demand of these plants.
• Local people nowadays prefer ‘modern’ mainstream medication. The reduced number of patients, coupled with the difficulty in obtaining raw materials, makes the practice of Baidya almost unsustainable. 
• The young generation does not show much interest in learning the traditional practice. They feel that Baidya as a profession is not promising for the above reasons. Some youngsters also consider this practice to be derogatory; as manifested in the following remarks made during the interviews: ‘backward’, ‘primitive’ and ‘clearly out of date’. 
• Majority of the existing Baidyas buy the raw material (spices, plants, stamp, seeds, roots etc.) of their practice from the local markets. Many respondents reported that these materials are generally of low quality and poor stock.
• Although there are a number of public (e.g. nurseries developed by the Forest and Agricultural Extension Departments) and private nurseries in the locality, these nurseries rarely cater for the requirement of medicinal herbs and plants. The Baidyas, who want to ensure a sustained source of quality seed and seedling, badly feel the absence of a central propagation nursery.
• Institutional and external support and patronisation, especially from the government, for the development and promotion of indigenous medicinal plants and knowledge are nearly absent in the study areas. Baidyas lack any organised platform or avenue to voice their demands and problems, and also to share and exchange idea and information.

Conclusions: Clues on Improvement

The age-old practice of Baidya is currently threatened by a host of problems including limited availability of the required plants and herbs; rapid destruction of natural forests; lack of formal arrangement or institution to train and nurture this knowledge; lack of organised propagation nurseries; inadequate institutional and external support and patronisation (especially from the government); low quality and poor stock of raw materials in the open market; and unwillingness among the youngsters to learn and adopt the practice. Despite the rather dismal present state of affairs, this deeply rooted social practice, which has significant value as a community service, still holds great potential and remains too important to be ignored. Drawing on the respondents’ comments and our observation during the fieldwork, the following ideas and clues on possible improvement may be considered:

• With the active participation of the local people, the existing medicinal plants should be systematically documented and recorded; the document may also be made available in major local languages in a simple and user-friendly manner.
• Organised motivational and awareness raising campaign regarding medicinal plants and their benefits (e.g. free from negative side effects, low cost) may be carried out at the community level, especially amongst the younger population, by involving the community leaders and local community based organisations (e.g. schools and religious institutions) and NGOs.
• Experimental propagation nurseries may be established under government and non-government initiatives to ensure sustained supply of seedlings.
• The mainstream research institutions in the country, especially the forest and agricultural research institutes and universities may be encouraged to provide the much-needed research support for proper documentation and dissemination of the knowledge on medicinal plants and associated folk and herbal treatment methods.
• The local press, media and folk cultural practices (e.g. folk theatres) may be utilised as community-based extension and dissemination media to highlight the importance of conserving this traditional practice and heritage.
• Local base and community relations—two of the major benefits of some of the local NGOs and community based organisations may also be exploited for initiating a network or platform to bring the Baidyas together.

Acknowledgements

An earlier (abridged) version of this article was presented at the International Symposium on Mountain Farming, 19-21 November 2002, organised by the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, held in Uttaranchal, India.

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