Original Articles
Md. Neaz Pervez, Md. Imtiuz Ho
Abstract
An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted among three randomly chosen folk medicinal practitioners (Kavirajes) of Patuakhali district to document the folkloric use of medicinal plants. Interviews of the Kavirajes were carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. The three Kavirajes (two males and one female) were observed to use a total of 23 plants distributed into 16 families. The Fabaceae family contributed the most plants with 4 plants followed by the Euphorbiaceae family with 3 plants. The various plants were used for treatment of respiratory tract disorders, jaundice, blood disorder, wounds, burning sensations in hand or foot, diabetes, inflammation, skin disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, dental caries, pain, weakness, and arthritis. A noteworthy feature was that four plants were used separately to treat diabetes, which opens up a promising aspect of further research on these plants towards discovery and development of possibly novel antidiabetic drugs.