American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 6(4): , 2012 ISSN

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1 American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 6(4): , 2012 ISSN ORIGINAL ARTICLE Medicinal plants and formulations of small tribes of Bangladesh: a case study of the Naik clan of the Rajbongshi tribe Sadia Moun Mou, Mostafi Jumrut Mahal, Piplu Bhuiyan, Abu Syed Muhammad Zakaria, Bipul Datta, Masud Rana, Ariful Islam, Zubaida Khatun, Mohammed Rahmatullah Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh. Sadia Moun Mou, Mostafi Jumrut Mahal, Piplu Bhuiyan, Abu Syed Muhammad Zakaria, Bipul Datta, Masud Rana, Ariful Islam, Zubaida Khatun, Mohammed Rahmatullah: Medicinal plants and formulations of small tribes of Bangladesh: a case study of the Naik clan of the Rajbongshi tribe ABSTRACT The Rajbongshis are one of the small indigenous communities or tribes of Bangladesh. They are considered to be Dravidians, i.e. people who inhabited the Indian sub-continent before the arrival of the Aryans. Their present number is unknown and they are scattered in several northern districts of Bangladesh, including Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Dinajpur and Rangpur. The tribe has 12 clans or sects, the Naik clan being one such clan who mainly works in the tea gardens of Moulvibazar district. Any sort of information is scant on this tribe; any documentation of their traditional medicinal practices being totally absent. During the course of our other ethnobotanical surveys, we came across the Naik clan of the Rajbongshi tribe working in a tea garden of Moulvibazar district. Since the traditional medicinal practices of this clan or other clans of the Rajbongshi tribe have not been documented, it was felt that an ethnomedicinal survey should be carried out on this clan to document whatever traditional medicinal practices still exist. Interviews were conducted of the lone tribal medicinal practitioner of this clan following obtaining of informed consent. It was observed that the practitioner used a total of only eighteen plant species in his various formulations, suggesting that the tribe may have forgotten much of their traditional medicinal system. The various plant species were used to treat diseases like coughs, mucus, debility, sexual weakness, diabetes, jaundice, stomach pain, rheumatic pain, external bleeding from cuts and wounds, respiratory difficulties, hair loss, fever, constipation, and dysentery. The plant species belonged to sixteen different families. The plant used for treatment of diabetes is interesting since this disease is reaching epidemic proportions world-wide with no known total cures, and as such, an efficacious treatment derived from this plant can prove very useful to human beings all over the world. Key words: Medicinal plants, Rajbongshi tribe, Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. Introduction The Rajbongshi is one of the smallest tribes of Bangladesh and on the verge of disappearance or losing their separate identity because of the scattered nature of the tribe and also due to the fact that they are becoming completely assimilated into the mainstream Bengali-speaking population with adoption of non-tribal cultures and rituals. They may currently be found in the northern districts of Bangladesh like Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Dinajpur and Rangpur. At Moulvibazar, the tribe is scattered in the various tea gardens of the district. The tribe has possibly originated from Assam in present day India (Murmu, 2009). They are believed to be Dravidians, i.e. they have inhabited parts of India before the arrival of the Aryans. Their features are Mongoloid, and the tribe is often spoken to as being come into being from the intermingling of the Koch and the Polia tribes. Historical records indicate that descendants of King Hajoh of the Koch tribe separated from the rest of the Koch tribe and started claiming themselves as the Rajbongshi tribe (literally meaning descendants of the King). As per statistical records of Bangladesh, the tribal population was 7,556 in 1991, but their present numbers are unknown owing to their highly scattered habitats and near complete assimilation with the mainstream population. In current times, the Rajbongshi tribe has adopted the Hindu religion; however, they also have their own deities. As Hindus, they worship various deities like Kali, Ganga, Siva, Monsha and Laxmi, but they also worship their own deities like Teestaburi and Buraburi. Their society is patriarchal; however, women can remarry the brother of her husband following the death of the husband. Their marriage rites are somewhat separate from Hindu marriage rituals. Their language is a distorted form of Bengali and belongs to the Bodo language Corresponding Author: Dr. Mohammed Rahmatullah, Pro-Vice Chancellor University of Development Alternative House No. 78, Road No. 11A (new) Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka-1205 Bangladesh. rahamatm@hotmail.com, Ph: , Fax:

2 249 group, which experts believe to have a strong influence on the evolution of the Bengali language. The tribe is divided into twelve clans or sects with names like Kashyap, Shandilya, Parashar, Bhardaaj, and Naik. Their main occupation is agriculture and catching fish, although most tribal members in Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts work in the tea gardens as agricultural laborers and maintenance workers. Their main diet consists of rice, which is eaten with vegetables and fish or meat when available. To document the traditional folk medicinal practices of the country, which are rapidly getting lost, we have been conducting ethnomedicinal surveys among the folk medicinal practitioners of the mainstream population (Kavirajes) as well as tribal medicinal practitioners (TMPs) for a number of years (Nawaz et al., 2009; Rahmatullah et al., 2009a-c; Chowdhury et al., 2010; Hasan et al., 2010; Hossan et al., 2010; Mollik et al., 2010a,b; Rahmatullah et al., 2010a-g; Haque et al., 2011; Islam et al., 2011; Jahan et al., 2011; Rahmatullah et al., 2011a,b; Sarker et al., 2011; Das et al., 2012; Rahmatullah et al., 2012a-d). During the course of one of these surveys we came across a community of Rajbongshi tribe belonging to the Naik clan working in a tea garden in Moulvibazar district of Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. The community numbered about 70 people distributed into 11 families. The community had one TMP and it was observed that the community members mostly shun allopathic medicine and depend on their sole TMP for medical advices, at least for common ailments. It was the objective of this present study to conduct an interview of the TMP and document his medicinal formulations, because to our knowledge, the traditional medicinal practices of this tribe had not been previously documented. Materials and Methods Informed consent was initially obtained from the sole TMP of the community named Sonaton Rajbongshi Naik, age around 60 years and practicing medicine for about years. The TMP was explained the purpose of our visit and consent obtained to disseminate any information given by him both nationally as well as internationally. Interviews were conducted in the Bengali language, the language spoken by the interviewers. It was observed that all tribal members were fluent in speaking the Bengali language. A tea garden employs hundreds of people and they come from both the mainstream Bengali-speaking population as well as various tribes, so after a certain period of time, Bengali becomes the common language of all workers, more so, because the employers and supervisors are Bengali-speaking. Actual interviews were conducted with the help of a semistructured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method of Martin (1995) and Maundu (1995). In this method, the TMP took the interviewers on guided field-walks through areas from where he collected his medicinal plants, pointed out the plants, and described their uses. Plant specimens were photographed, collected and dried and later brought back to Dhaka for complete identification at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. Voucher specimens were deposited at the Medicinal Plant Collection Wing of the University of Development Alternative. Results and Discussion The Rajbongshi TMP used a total of 18 plant species in his various formulations. The plant species were distributed into 16 families. The results are shown in Table 1. Overall, with the exception of diabetes, the ailments treated were fairly simple and included coughs, mucus, fever, debility, sexual weakness, jaundice, gastrointestinal disorders (stomach pain, constipation, dysentery), rheumatic pain, external bleeding from cuts and wounds, respiratory difficulties, and hair loss. The mode of treatment was also fairly simple; usually one plant part was used for treatment of one ailment or symptom. As an example, juice obtained from macerated leaves of Justicia adhatoda was used for treatment of coughs (Serial Number 1). Only two formulations were complex in the sense that they contained mixture of several plant parts. The first was for the treatment of rheumatic pain (Serial Number 7), where roots/tubers of Alocasia macrorrhizos were macerated together with fruits of Capsicum frutescens, cloves of Allium sativum, rhizomes of Zingiber officinale and common table salt and then administered orally. The second formulation was for treatment of dysentery (Serial Number 14), where crushed bark of Litsea monopetala was mixed with seeds of Mangifera indica, fruits of Aegle marmelos and mishri (crystalline sugar) and orally administered for treatment of dysentery. Notably, the crushed bark of Litsea monopetala was orally administered by itself for treatment of constipation. Some ailments had more than one formulation for treatment. Coughs were treated with Justicia adhatoda or Justicia gendarussa (Serial Numbers 1 and 2). External bleeding from cuts and wounds were treated with Ageratum conyzoides or Mikania cordata (Serial Numbers 8 and 9). Constipation was treated with either Leucas aspera or Litsea monopetala (Serial Numbers 13 and 14). Usually treatments were either topically or orally administered, except for treatment of hair loss, where whole plant of Cuscuta reflexa was simply tied around the head (Serial Number 11). Several plants were used for treatment of two diverse varieties of ailments. For instance, Achyranthes aspera was used for treatment of both diabetes as well as jaundice (Serial Number 4).

3 250 Justicia adhatoda was used for treatment of coughs. The plant reportedly contains alkaloids with positive effects on inflammatory diseases (Chakraborty and Brantner, 2001); extract of the plant also has been shown to have anti-tussive effect (Dhuley, 1999), and a bronchodilator alkaloid (vasicinone) has been isolated from the plant (Amin and Mehta, 1959). Justicia gendarussa, which was used by the Rajbongshi TMP for treatment of coughs and mucus, is also used in Ayurvedic medicinal system of India for the same purpose. Table 1: Medicinal plants and formulations of the Rajbongshi TMP. Serial Number Scientific Name Family Name Local Name Utilized Part Ailment(s) and formulation(s) 1 Justicia adhatoda Acanthaceae Kalo bashok Leaf Coughs. Juice obtained from macerated leaves is slightly warmed with mishri (crystalline sugar) and administered orally. 2 Justicia gendarussa Burm. 3 Sansevieria trifasciata Prain 4 Achyranthes aspera 5 Mangifera indica 6 Centella asiatica () Urb. 7 Alocasia macrorrhizos G. Don. 8 Ageratum conyzoides () 9 Mikania cordata (Burm.f.) 10 Oroxylum indicum 11 Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. 12 Euphorbia neriifolia 13 Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link. 14 Litsea monopetala (Roxb.) Pers. Acanthaceae Kalo bakosh Leaf Coughs and mucus in children. Juice obtained from macerated leaves is orally administered for 2 days. Agavaceae Ghrito kumari Leaf Debility, sexual weakness. Juice obtained from macerated leaf is orally administered. Amaranthaceae Chet chetia Root Diabetes (symptoms: frequent urination, headache, opaque eyes), jaundice (symptoms: yellow coloration of eyes, yellow urine color). Macerated roots are orally administered thrice daily. Anacardiaceae Aam Seed See Serial Number 14. Apiaceae Tuni mankuni Leaf Stomach pain. Juice obtained from macerated leaves is orally administered. Araceae Maan kochu Root/tuber Common rheumatic pain. The roots/tubers of Alocasia macrorrhizos are macerated together with unripe fruits of Capsicum frutescens (Solanaceae), cloves of Allium sativum (Liliaceae), rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), and salt and administered orally. Asteraceae Kukur mota Leaf External bleeding from cuts and wounds. Crushed leaves are applied to the area of bleeding. Asteraceae Mekani pata Leaf External bleeding from cuts and wounds. Crushed leaves are applied to area of bleeding. Bignoniaceae Nouka gach Bark Respiratory difficulties. One teaspoonful of crushed bark and milk is taken once. Jaundice. Juice obtained from macerated bark is administered orally. Cuscutaceae Alok lota Whole plant Hair loss. Whole plant is tied around the hair of the head. Euphorbiaceae Sheeth gach Leaf Coughs, mucus, fever. Juice obtained from macerated leaves is orally administered. Lamiaceae Jum hilaru Root Constipation. Macerated root is taken once. Lauraceae Medh gach, Cheng pisla Bark Constipation. Crushed bark is orally administered. Dysentery. Bark of Litsea monopetala is dried along with seeds of Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae) and fruits of Aegle marmelos () Corr. (Rutaceae), powdered and mixed with 20g mishri (crystalline sugar) and taken 1-2 times daily. 15 Allium sativum Liliaceae Roshun Clove See Serial Number Aegle marmelos Rutaceae Bael Fruit See Serial Number 14. () Corr. 17 Capsicum Solanaceae Morich Fruit See Serial Number 7. frutescens 18 Zingiber officinale Roscoe Zingiberaceae Ada Rhizome See Serial Number 7.

4 251 Achyranthes aspera was used by the TMP for treatment of both diabetes as well as jaundice (Serial Number 4). The anti-diabetic activity of ethanolic extract of its leaves has been reported in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (Kumar et al., 2011). The seeds of the plant reportedly demonstrated hepatoprotective activity in carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in rats (Manjunatha et al., 2012), and as such can prove useful in treatment of jaundice. The dried seeds of Mangifera indica are recommended in The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India for treatment of dysentery (Khare, 2007); the Rajbongshi TMP used it for the same purpose. The bark of Litsea monopetala is considered in Ayurveda as anti-diarrheal, stomachic and spasmolytic; notably the TMP used the bark of the plant for treatment of dysentery along with seeds of Mangifera indica. Fruits of Aegle marmelos are considered anti-diarrheal in Ayurveda; the Rajbongshi TMP used the fruits along with plant parts of the two above-mentioned plants for treatment of dysentery. The data suggests an Ayurvedic influence on the formulation of the Rajbongshi TMP, and also points out that the medicinal plant parts used in this formulation for treatment of dysentery (Serial Number 14) can together exert a strong effect as an anti-dysentery combination. The data further suggests that tribal TMPs do not prescribe medicinal plants blindly but rather do that with a more or less sound knowledge of the medicinal properties of the whole plant or plant parts. However, since the Rajbongshis are believed to be Dravidians, i.e. they inhabited the country before the arrival of the Aryans, it is not impossible that the Aryan medicinal texts of Ayurveda may have been influenced by the preexisting Dravidian traditional medicinal knowledge. Centella asiatica is used in Ayurvedic medicines for gastrointestinal troubles like flatulency, diarrhea, dysentery and stomach pain arising from any of these causes; the TMP used the plant for treatment of stomach pain (Serial Number 6). The leaves of Ageratum conyzoides have been reported to be hemostatic and antibacterial (Khare, 2007); the TMP used the leaves of this plant to stop bleeding from external cuts and wounds (Serial Number 8). The latex of Euphorbia neriifolia is used as an expectorant in Ayurveda; notably, the TMP used the leaves for treatment of coughs, mucus, and fever (Serial Number 12). The roots of Leucas aspera were used by the TMP for treatment of constipation (Serial Number 13); the plant is used in Ayurvedic medicine for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders like flatulency and dyspepsia. Rheumatic pain was treated by the TMP with oral administration of a mixture of Alocasia macrorrhizos, Capsicum frutescens, Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale to which salt has been added. Allium sativum (garlic) and Zingiber officinale (ginger) was used by the TMP for treatment of rheumatic pain. Interestingly, garlic and ginger are considered beneficial for treatment of rheumatism in the Unani traditional system of medicine in Bangladesh. The origin of Capsicum frutescens is possibly South America from where it spread through Mexico to other parts of the world, including India, where it was introduced by the Portuguese. Interestingly, fruits of this plant used to be in vogue in Europe not too long ago for treatment of rheumatism and neuralgic afflictions. It is therefore of interest to scientifically examine the effect of this formulation of the TMP for treatment of both rheumatism as well as rheumatic pain. The Rajbongshi TMP could not give us a wide range of formulations covering various diverse diseases. It is possible that any extensive medicinal knowledge never existed among the Rajbongshis; what is more probable is that such knowledge has gotten lost through gradual decline of population and assimilation with the mainstream people. Nevertheless of the scarcity of their traditional medicinal knowledge, the formulations of the Rajbongshi TMP can prove useful, if scientifically proved to be correct, in treatment of at least two diseases, namely diabetes and rheumatism. Both diseases affect large sections of the human population throughout the world and allopathic medicine has no known total cure for these two diseases, but treats only the symptoms. Human population can be highly benefited if at least some of the formulations of the Rajbongshi TMP can be utilized to discover newer and more efficacious drugs. References Amin, A.H. and D.R. 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