Hindawi Publishing CorporationISRN BiodiversityVolume 2013 Article ID 369138 10 pageshttpdxdoiorg1011552013369138

Research ArticleA Study on Exploration of Ethnobotanical Knowledge of RuralCommunity in Bangladesh Basis for Biodiversity Conservation

Md Habibur Rahman

Bangladesh Institute of Social Research (BISR) Hasina De Palace House No 614 Block No A Lalmatia Dhaka 1207 Bangladesh

Correspondence should be addressed to Md Habibur Rahman habibmdrgmailcom

Received 23 April 2013 Accepted 6 June 2013

Academic Editors A R Atangana M Tigabu and J Zhang

Copyright copy 2013 Md Habibur Rahman This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

Rural home garden is an important traditional source of medicinal plants for daily curative uses throughout Bangladesh Suchknowledge is continuing from generation to generation without documentation An ethnobotanical investigation was conductedthrough focus group discussions and householdsrsquo survey accompanied by field observation to document the indigenous knowledgeof herbal medicines being used by the rural communities of Comilla district in Bangladesh A total of 45 ethnomedicinal plantspecies belonging to 34 families were found where trees (3778) were the most commonly utilized growth form Plant resourcesare used to treat 31 different individual ailments ranging from simple cuts to heart disease Plants are mainly used to treat dysentery(12 species) cold ailments cough and fever (6 species each) For curing ailments the use of the above ground plant parts washigher (8644) particularly fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were the most commonly used plant parts More than half of themedicinal plants are indigenous (7111) being edible fruit bearer (4889) plants parts suitable for animals and birds (5778)and natural regeneration present (6444) indicated that medicinal plants play a vital role in biodiversity conservation in the studyarea

1 Introduction

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increasein the demand for medicinal plants for use in traditionalmedicine and contemporary and alternativemedicine in bothdeveloping and developed countries [1] thus a large numberof people habitually use such medication because herbaltreatment is in some cases considered relatively cheap [2]However its popularity also stems from the efficacy of thetreatment in most cases and relative safety with few or noside effects Herbal medicines because of their decentralizednature are generally easily and quickly available [3] Nowboth developed and developing countries are involved inplants-based herbalmedicine system asmodern pharmaceu-ticals are not accessible for all [4]

Bangladesh is a country that is considered rich in medic-inal plants genetic resources by virtue of its favorable agro-climatic condition and seasonal diversity With productivesoils a tropical climate and seasonal diversity Bangladeshcontains about 6500 plants species including bryophytes

pteridophytes gymnosperms and angiosperms amongthem 500 plant species havemedicinal values [5] and grow inthe countryrsquos forests wetlands homestead forests and evenroadside as indigenous naturally occurring or cultivatedplants [6 7] About 75 (10 million households in over85000 villages) of the countryrsquos total population lives in ruralareas [8] and almost 80 is dependent on natural resources(eg medicinal plants) for their primary healthcare [9] withherbal medication remaining a popular and accepted form oftreatment [10]

Rural peoples are capable to identify many species ofplants that are capable of producing various products includ-ing food firewood medicine forage and daily needs tools[11] and the customary homestead tree production systemalso serves as a source of plant products and remedies [12]Despite such a high demand of herbal medicine medicinalplants sector is now the most promising business sector inBangladesh [13] with the presence of more than 500 com-panies producing herbal medicines [14] and more than 90of the plants and products needed to meet domestic demand

2 ISRN Biodiversity

are imported from other countries such as India Nepal andPakistan [15]

The indigenous knowledge (IK) (IK develops throughsharing experience and is normally passed orally betweengenerations) concerning medicinal plants is lost owing tothe change of habitats and culture of rural communities inBangladesh The district of Comilla is situated in the easternpart of Bangladesh a district devoid of natural forests (out ofthe 64 districts of Bangladesh 28 districts do not have anynatural forests) Rajendrapur Sal forest (Shorea robusta CFGaertn) and degraded small Sal patches in Kotbari andLalmai hills are most notable because these were the onlyplanted forests in the district and Sal forest and Lalmai hillshave historical importance The district was chosen becauseit is a transitional zone between the southeastern vast hillyregion (ie Chittagong Hill Tracts) and other plains regionsin the southern andmiddle of the country Although there areno significant forest areas there is a great diversity ofmedicinal plants in the homestead gardens roadsides pondbanks and graveyards in this region In conjunction with theincreasing demand for traditional medicines in the countryresearch is being conducted outside the forest areas to explorethe ethnobotanical documentation of the medicinal plantsfor example [9 12 16ndash27] are common to mention but nostudy has been found on the utilization of plants for health-care practices by the rural people in Comilla district of thecountry Therefore the study was undertaken in BurichongUpazila (subdistrict an administrative entity) of Comilladistrict of Eastern Bangladesh Its aim was to assess plant-based ethnomedicinal practice and document IK associatedwith it traditional beliefs and biodiversity conservationrelated to IK

2 Materials and Methods

21 Study Area Burichong Upazila with an area of16376 sq km is located at 23∘5510158400010158401015840N 91∘1210158406410158401015840E (Figure 1)This area is bounded by Brahmanpara Upazila on the northComilla Sadar and Barura Upazilas on the south Tripurastate of India on the east and Debidwar and ChandinaUpazilas on the west It has 37739 units of households TheUpazila supports a population of 259265 133469 male and125796 female (population density 160998 per sq km)with a literacy rate of 497 The Upazila consists of 8Union Parishads (last stage of administrative entity) and 171villages The main rivers are Gomti Gongur Titi and Paglirivers the landscape comprises the Tripura valley of Indiaand green agricultural fields The Upazila is more or lessflooded during the rainy season resulting in deposition ofsediments that increase the productivity of land ultimatelycontributing to its botanical diversity The main occupationis agriculture (5664) followed by agricultural labour(1228) commerce (1023) service (808) and soforth [28] However Burichong Upazila is considered asone of the most densely homestead forests-covered areawith plantations of both indigenous and exotic species andunderstory covered with rich herbs and shrubs

22 Research Methods In order to document the utilizationof medicinal plants four field surveys were carried out fromearly July to late October 2010 in the study area using amultistage random sampling technique The surveys werespread across the whole Upazila at random one in the north(Rajapur) one in the southwest (Mokam) and the other inthe middle of the Upazila (Burichong) so as to get maximuminformation and also to cross check the information providedby the local informants during the earlier visits From eachof the three villages 30 households (irrespective of socioe-conomic condition) were selected randomly for the compre-hensive study Thus a total of 90 households were selectedBefore the household survey casual field visits were arrangedwithin the villages with local old people religious leadersand other key informants to review and document the avail-ability of medicinal plants in the locality Informal meetingswere held in the intervieweersquos home using the native language(Bengali) The household heads were the key respondentswith help from other family members when necessary Inaddition six focus group discussions (FGDs) two in each vil-lage were arranged in the tea stalls of local market where therural people usually get together gossip and interact in theevening after the daylong business Information on the localname of plant plant part used for curing method of dosageand administration was recorded After the interviews col-lected information was cross-checked by the local herbalpractitioners locally referred to as kabiraj They had soundknowledge on medicinal plants and were therefore highlyrated in the society

Respondents were interviewed using a semistructuredquestionnaire and focalized interview to ascertain the plantspecies and the parts used for what diseases the sources theyprefer the reasons for cultivating any plant and so forthThe plant species used for medicine were firstly identified bylocal names by the help of kabiraj and old-aged persons Thescientific names were obtained by consulting the literature[29 30] A final list of the species used formedicinal purposeswas cross-checked and prepared based on the study by Dey[29]

3 Results and Discussion

31 Medicinal Plants Species Composition A total of 45 eth-nomedicinal plant species including herb shrub tree palmand vine distributed across 34 families were documented inthe study to be used by the rural community for curing differ-ent ailments For the utilization frequency of the plant speciesPalmae and Rutaceae appear as the most prominent families(3 species each) followed by Compositae CucurbitaceaeEuphorbiaceae Labiatae Liliaceae Myrtaceae and Zingib-eraceae (2 species each) (Table 1) Various researchers acrossthe country for example Leguminosae [12 21] CompositaeCombretaceae Leguminosae Liliaceae and Rutaceae [9]Fabaceae [16 19] Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae [17] Con-volvulaceae Leguminosae Solanaceae and Sterculiaceae[22] and Fabaceae and Solanaceae [18] also recorded thatthe species under these families were frequently used asmedicinal plants in rural Bangladesh Among the recorded

ISRN Biodiversity 3

Comilla district

91∘10

99840090

∘40

998400E 90∘50

998400E 91∘E 91

∘20

998400E

23∘40

998400

23∘30

998400

23∘20

998400

23∘10

998400

90∘55

99840091

∘05

99840091

∘15

998400

Bay of Bengal

Bangladesh

23∘45

998400N

23∘25

998400N

5 0 5 10(km)

Figure 1 Location map of the study area

plants trees were the most frequent growth form (3778)followed by herbs (2444) shrubs (2222) vine (889)and palms (667) A similar trend was also observed thattrees were the most used growth form of medicinal plants inBangladesh [2 9 31ndash36] but with a few exceptions [12 37]where they found that herbs were mainly used as medicinalplants

32 Indigenous Ethnobotanical Knowledge Pattern and Ail-ments The survey revealed that rural people used variousparts of the plants as medicineThe diverse pattern of variousparts ofmedicinal plants (Table 1) reflected greater possessionof IK regarding their health care practices by the peopleMostof the medicinal plant parts are consumed after maceratingsqueezing grinding blending soaking or boiling and someare taken raw Some are applied externally to different bodyparts for cuts and wounds scabies joint pain piles skindiseases and so forth Fifteen species like Adhatoda vasica

Nees Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk Azadirachta indicaA Juss Centella asiatica (L) Urban Cocos nucifera LLawsonia inermis L Phoenix sylvestris Roxb Phyllanthusemblica L Piper betle L Plantago ovate Psidium guajava (L)BatOcimum sanctum L Swertia chirata Tamarindus indicaL and Terminalia chebula (Gaerth) Retz were used againstup to four ailments One unusual use of fresh mango leaf andpiece of branches is as a toothbrush without any toothpasteto keep teeth healthy another is the sun-dried seed of Syzy-gium cumini (L) Skeel which after grinding into powder istaken with salt as a regular treatment for diabetes Anotherfrequently used medicinal plant is the vine Momordicacharantia L where both the leaf and fruit are used againstdiabetes Similarly used patterns of these plant parts arerecorded in rural areas of Bangladesh [9]

Medicinal plants are generally used to treat fever coughscuts and wounds cold ailments toothache hair loss dan-druff skin diseases joint pain stomach problem dysentery

4 ISRN BiodiversityTa

ble1Com

position

partsu

sedandailm

entsof

recorded

medicinalplantsin

thes

tudy

area

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Aam

Mangifer

aindica

LTree

Anacardiaceae

85Leavestendertwigfruit

Teethdiseasewou

nds

IF

NAd

aZingiberoffi

cinaleR

oxb

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

61Rh

izom

eCou

ghcoldailm

ents

INF

NAkand

aCa

lotro

pisgigantea(L)Ait

fSh

rub

Ascle

piadaceae

42Leaveslatex

Jointp

ain

cutand

wou

nds

INF

N

Amloki

Phyllanthus

emblica

LTree

Euph

orbiaceae

33Fruit

Dysenteryskindiseaseshairfall

indigestion

IF

N

Anarosh

Ananas

comosus

(L)Merr

Shrub

Brom

eliaceae

36Fruit

Jaun

dicew

orm

EF

AAo

rboroi

Phyllanthu

sacid

us(L)Skeels

Tree

Euph

orbiaceae

29Fruit

Hairfallindigestion

EF

AAs

sampata

Eupatoriu

modoratum

LSh

rub

Com

positae

47Green

leaves

Antihem

orrhoid

ENF

N

Bashok

Adhatoda

vasicaNees

Shrub

Acanthaceae

51Green

leaves

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

asthma

dysentery

INF

A

Bel

Aegle

marmelo

s(L)C

orrea

Tree

Rutaceae

64Fruit

Weakn

essconstip

ation

diarrhea

dysentery

IF

N

Boroi

Zizyphus

mauritiana

Lamk

Tree

Rham

naceae

66Fruit

Cou

ghcoldlethargy

tofood

IF

N

Chira

taSw

ertia

chira

taHam

Herb

Sapind

aceae

13Who

leplant

Gastricpaindiabetessto

mach

troub

lefever

ENF

A

Dalim

Punica

granatum

LTree

Punicaceae

40Leavesfruit

Wormsinintestine

EF

NDurba

grass

Cynodondactylon

(L)P

ers

Herb

Poaceae

69Tend

erleaves

Toothachecutsandwou

nds

INF

NHolud

Curcum

alongaL

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

54Rh

izom

eSkin

diseases

INF

N

Harito

kiTerm

inaliachebula(G

aerth)Retz

Tree

Com

bretaceae

15Fruit

Con

stipatio

nfeverheartd

isease

coug

hurinaryprob

lemslossof

appetite

IF

N

Isabgol

Plantago

ovata

Herb

Com

positae

15Seed

Heatstockgastricpain

constip

ation

males

exualw

eakn

ess

IF

N

Jam

Syzygium

cumini(L)S

keel

Tree

Myrtaceae

71Fruitseed

Bloo

dpu

rificatio

ndiabetes

IF

NJambu

raCitru

sgrand

is(L)Osb

Tree

Rutaceae

59Fruit

Jaun

dicelethargyto

food

IF

AJolpai

Elaeocarpu

srobustusR

oxb

Tree

Elaeocarpaceae

52Fruit

Lethargy

tofood

EF

AKa

mrang

aAv

errhoa

carambolaL

Tree

Averrhoaceae

66Fruit

Hairfalljaun

dicew

eakn

ess

IF

N

Kanthal

Artocarpus

heterophyllusL

amk

Tree

Moraceae

83Fruitseed

Wou

nddiarrheaconstip

ation

stomachtro

uble

IF

N

Khejur

Phoenixsylve

strisRo

xb

Palm

Palm

ae22

Fruitjuice

Con

stipation

jaun

dicew

eakn

ess

EF

NKa

chu

Colocasia

esculen

taScho

ttHerb

Araceae

47Who

leplant

Cutsandwou

nds

INF

NKo

laMusasapientum

LSh

rub

Musaceae

68Fruit

Dysentery

IF

NKo

rola

Mom

ordica

charantia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

42Leavesfruit

Diabetesdysentery

IF

N

Lebu

Citru

slim

on(Linn)B

urmf

Tree

Rutaceae

60Fruitleaves

Dysenteryind

igestio

nandlethargy

tofood

weakn

ess

IF

A

Lajjabati

Mim

osapu

dica

LHerb

Mim

osoideae

39Ro

otDysenterypiles

ENF

NMayalata

Mikaniacordata(BurmF)Ro

xb

Vine

Com

positae

38Green

leaves

Cutsandwou

nds

ENF

N

ISRN Biodiversity 5

Table1Con

tinued

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Mehendi

Laws

oniainermisL

Shrub

Lythraceae

62Leaves

Dandruff

hairc

olorskindiseases

INF

ANarikel

Cocosn

ucifera

LPalm

Palm

ae72

Fruitjuice

Hairfallbu

rnsdysenteryweakn

ess

IF

A

Neem

Azadira

chta

indica

AJuss

Tree

Meliaceae

69Green

leaves

andseed

Skin

diseaseschicken

poxfever

dysenteryintestinalworm

INF

N

Paan

Piperb

etleL

Vine

Piperaceae

17Green

leaves

Dysenterylosso

fapp

etite

indigestion

stomachtro

uble

INF

A

Papaya

Caric

apapaya

LSh

rub

Caric

aceae

72Fruit

Stom

achtro

uble

IF

NPathor

kuchi

Kalanchoep

innata

(Lam

)Pers

Herb

Crassulaceae

17Leaves

Cou

ghE

NF

NPeyara

Psidium

guajava(L)Ba

tTree

Myrtaceae

74Green

leavesfruit

Diarrheafevercutsandwou

nds

IF

NPiaj

Alliu

mcepa

LHerb

Liliaceae

39Who

leplant

Coldailm

ents

dand

ruff

INF

ARo

shun

Alliu

msativ

umL

Herb

Liliaceae

26Who

leplant

Heartdiseaseurinalprob

lem

INF

ASajna

Moringa

oleiferaLamk

Tree

Moringaceae

31Fruitleavesbark

Jointp

ain

sexu

aldiseases

EF

AShew

raStreblus

asperL

our

Shrub

Urticaceae

44Green

leaves

Skin

diseasejointp

ain

ENF

NSupari

ArecacatechuL

Palm

Palm

ae69

Seed

Vomiting

IF

ATelaku

cha

Cocciniacordifolia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

19Green

leaves

Coldailm

ents

diabetes

ENF

N

Tetul

Tamarindu

sind

icaL

Tree

Leguminosae

63Fruittend

erleaves

Lossof

appetitefeverdysentery

lethargy

tofood

IF

N

Thanku

niCe

ntellaasiatica(L)Urban

Herb

Umbelliferae

38Who

leplant

Dysenterydiarrheagastric

pain

piles

INF

N

Tokm

aHyptis

suaveolen

sPoit

Shrub

Labiatae

14Seed

Gastricpainfeverburning

IF

A

Tulsi

Ocim

umsanctum

LSh

rub

Labiatae

19Green

leavesseed

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

cutsand

wou

nds

INF

A

Note

1 Frequ

encynum

bero

fhou

seho

ldrepo

rted

medicinalplantsfoun

din

relationto

thetotalnu

mbero

fspecies

thatap

artic

ular

speciesw

ascited

2 IEI

indicatesind

igenou

sandEindicatese

xotics

3 FN

FFindicatese

diblefruitseed

bearingplants

andNFindicatesn

onfruit-s

eedbearingplants

4 NA

Nindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nfoun

dandAindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nabsent

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

2 ISRN Biodiversity

are imported from other countries such as India Nepal andPakistan [15]

The indigenous knowledge (IK) (IK develops throughsharing experience and is normally passed orally betweengenerations) concerning medicinal plants is lost owing tothe change of habitats and culture of rural communities inBangladesh The district of Comilla is situated in the easternpart of Bangladesh a district devoid of natural forests (out ofthe 64 districts of Bangladesh 28 districts do not have anynatural forests) Rajendrapur Sal forest (Shorea robusta CFGaertn) and degraded small Sal patches in Kotbari andLalmai hills are most notable because these were the onlyplanted forests in the district and Sal forest and Lalmai hillshave historical importance The district was chosen becauseit is a transitional zone between the southeastern vast hillyregion (ie Chittagong Hill Tracts) and other plains regionsin the southern andmiddle of the country Although there areno significant forest areas there is a great diversity ofmedicinal plants in the homestead gardens roadsides pondbanks and graveyards in this region In conjunction with theincreasing demand for traditional medicines in the countryresearch is being conducted outside the forest areas to explorethe ethnobotanical documentation of the medicinal plantsfor example [9 12 16ndash27] are common to mention but nostudy has been found on the utilization of plants for health-care practices by the rural people in Comilla district of thecountry Therefore the study was undertaken in BurichongUpazila (subdistrict an administrative entity) of Comilladistrict of Eastern Bangladesh Its aim was to assess plant-based ethnomedicinal practice and document IK associatedwith it traditional beliefs and biodiversity conservationrelated to IK

2 Materials and Methods

21 Study Area Burichong Upazila with an area of16376 sq km is located at 23∘5510158400010158401015840N 91∘1210158406410158401015840E (Figure 1)This area is bounded by Brahmanpara Upazila on the northComilla Sadar and Barura Upazilas on the south Tripurastate of India on the east and Debidwar and ChandinaUpazilas on the west It has 37739 units of households TheUpazila supports a population of 259265 133469 male and125796 female (population density 160998 per sq km)with a literacy rate of 497 The Upazila consists of 8Union Parishads (last stage of administrative entity) and 171villages The main rivers are Gomti Gongur Titi and Paglirivers the landscape comprises the Tripura valley of Indiaand green agricultural fields The Upazila is more or lessflooded during the rainy season resulting in deposition ofsediments that increase the productivity of land ultimatelycontributing to its botanical diversity The main occupationis agriculture (5664) followed by agricultural labour(1228) commerce (1023) service (808) and soforth [28] However Burichong Upazila is considered asone of the most densely homestead forests-covered areawith plantations of both indigenous and exotic species andunderstory covered with rich herbs and shrubs

22 Research Methods In order to document the utilizationof medicinal plants four field surveys were carried out fromearly July to late October 2010 in the study area using amultistage random sampling technique The surveys werespread across the whole Upazila at random one in the north(Rajapur) one in the southwest (Mokam) and the other inthe middle of the Upazila (Burichong) so as to get maximuminformation and also to cross check the information providedby the local informants during the earlier visits From eachof the three villages 30 households (irrespective of socioe-conomic condition) were selected randomly for the compre-hensive study Thus a total of 90 households were selectedBefore the household survey casual field visits were arrangedwithin the villages with local old people religious leadersand other key informants to review and document the avail-ability of medicinal plants in the locality Informal meetingswere held in the intervieweersquos home using the native language(Bengali) The household heads were the key respondentswith help from other family members when necessary Inaddition six focus group discussions (FGDs) two in each vil-lage were arranged in the tea stalls of local market where therural people usually get together gossip and interact in theevening after the daylong business Information on the localname of plant plant part used for curing method of dosageand administration was recorded After the interviews col-lected information was cross-checked by the local herbalpractitioners locally referred to as kabiraj They had soundknowledge on medicinal plants and were therefore highlyrated in the society

Respondents were interviewed using a semistructuredquestionnaire and focalized interview to ascertain the plantspecies and the parts used for what diseases the sources theyprefer the reasons for cultivating any plant and so forthThe plant species used for medicine were firstly identified bylocal names by the help of kabiraj and old-aged persons Thescientific names were obtained by consulting the literature[29 30] A final list of the species used formedicinal purposeswas cross-checked and prepared based on the study by Dey[29]

3 Results and Discussion

31 Medicinal Plants Species Composition A total of 45 eth-nomedicinal plant species including herb shrub tree palmand vine distributed across 34 families were documented inthe study to be used by the rural community for curing differ-ent ailments For the utilization frequency of the plant speciesPalmae and Rutaceae appear as the most prominent families(3 species each) followed by Compositae CucurbitaceaeEuphorbiaceae Labiatae Liliaceae Myrtaceae and Zingib-eraceae (2 species each) (Table 1) Various researchers acrossthe country for example Leguminosae [12 21] CompositaeCombretaceae Leguminosae Liliaceae and Rutaceae [9]Fabaceae [16 19] Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae [17] Con-volvulaceae Leguminosae Solanaceae and Sterculiaceae[22] and Fabaceae and Solanaceae [18] also recorded thatthe species under these families were frequently used asmedicinal plants in rural Bangladesh Among the recorded

ISRN Biodiversity 3

Comilla district

91∘10

99840090

∘40

998400E 90∘50

998400E 91∘E 91

∘20

998400E

23∘40

998400

23∘30

998400

23∘20

998400

23∘10

998400

90∘55

99840091

∘05

99840091

∘15

998400

Bay of Bengal

Bangladesh

23∘45

998400N

23∘25

998400N

5 0 5 10(km)

Figure 1 Location map of the study area

plants trees were the most frequent growth form (3778)followed by herbs (2444) shrubs (2222) vine (889)and palms (667) A similar trend was also observed thattrees were the most used growth form of medicinal plants inBangladesh [2 9 31ndash36] but with a few exceptions [12 37]where they found that herbs were mainly used as medicinalplants

32 Indigenous Ethnobotanical Knowledge Pattern and Ail-ments The survey revealed that rural people used variousparts of the plants as medicineThe diverse pattern of variousparts ofmedicinal plants (Table 1) reflected greater possessionof IK regarding their health care practices by the peopleMostof the medicinal plant parts are consumed after maceratingsqueezing grinding blending soaking or boiling and someare taken raw Some are applied externally to different bodyparts for cuts and wounds scabies joint pain piles skindiseases and so forth Fifteen species like Adhatoda vasica

Nees Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk Azadirachta indicaA Juss Centella asiatica (L) Urban Cocos nucifera LLawsonia inermis L Phoenix sylvestris Roxb Phyllanthusemblica L Piper betle L Plantago ovate Psidium guajava (L)BatOcimum sanctum L Swertia chirata Tamarindus indicaL and Terminalia chebula (Gaerth) Retz were used againstup to four ailments One unusual use of fresh mango leaf andpiece of branches is as a toothbrush without any toothpasteto keep teeth healthy another is the sun-dried seed of Syzy-gium cumini (L) Skeel which after grinding into powder istaken with salt as a regular treatment for diabetes Anotherfrequently used medicinal plant is the vine Momordicacharantia L where both the leaf and fruit are used againstdiabetes Similarly used patterns of these plant parts arerecorded in rural areas of Bangladesh [9]

Medicinal plants are generally used to treat fever coughscuts and wounds cold ailments toothache hair loss dan-druff skin diseases joint pain stomach problem dysentery

4 ISRN BiodiversityTa

ble1Com

position

partsu

sedandailm

entsof

recorded

medicinalplantsin

thes

tudy

area

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Aam

Mangifer

aindica

LTree

Anacardiaceae

85Leavestendertwigfruit

Teethdiseasewou

nds

IF

NAd

aZingiberoffi

cinaleR

oxb

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

61Rh

izom

eCou

ghcoldailm

ents

INF

NAkand

aCa

lotro

pisgigantea(L)Ait

fSh

rub

Ascle

piadaceae

42Leaveslatex

Jointp

ain

cutand

wou

nds

INF

N

Amloki

Phyllanthus

emblica

LTree

Euph

orbiaceae

33Fruit

Dysenteryskindiseaseshairfall

indigestion

IF

N

Anarosh

Ananas

comosus

(L)Merr

Shrub

Brom

eliaceae

36Fruit

Jaun

dicew

orm

EF

AAo

rboroi

Phyllanthu

sacid

us(L)Skeels

Tree

Euph

orbiaceae

29Fruit

Hairfallindigestion

EF

AAs

sampata

Eupatoriu

modoratum

LSh

rub

Com

positae

47Green

leaves

Antihem

orrhoid

ENF

N

Bashok

Adhatoda

vasicaNees

Shrub

Acanthaceae

51Green

leaves

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

asthma

dysentery

INF

A

Bel

Aegle

marmelo

s(L)C

orrea

Tree

Rutaceae

64Fruit

Weakn

essconstip

ation

diarrhea

dysentery

IF

N

Boroi

Zizyphus

mauritiana

Lamk

Tree

Rham

naceae

66Fruit

Cou

ghcoldlethargy

tofood

IF

N

Chira

taSw

ertia

chira

taHam

Herb

Sapind

aceae

13Who

leplant

Gastricpaindiabetessto

mach

troub

lefever

ENF

A

Dalim

Punica

granatum

LTree

Punicaceae

40Leavesfruit

Wormsinintestine

EF

NDurba

grass

Cynodondactylon

(L)P

ers

Herb

Poaceae

69Tend

erleaves

Toothachecutsandwou

nds

INF

NHolud

Curcum

alongaL

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

54Rh

izom

eSkin

diseases

INF

N

Harito

kiTerm

inaliachebula(G

aerth)Retz

Tree

Com

bretaceae

15Fruit

Con

stipatio

nfeverheartd

isease

coug

hurinaryprob

lemslossof

appetite

IF

N

Isabgol

Plantago

ovata

Herb

Com

positae

15Seed

Heatstockgastricpain

constip

ation

males

exualw

eakn

ess

IF

N

Jam

Syzygium

cumini(L)S

keel

Tree

Myrtaceae

71Fruitseed

Bloo

dpu

rificatio

ndiabetes

IF

NJambu

raCitru

sgrand

is(L)Osb

Tree

Rutaceae

59Fruit

Jaun

dicelethargyto

food

IF

AJolpai

Elaeocarpu

srobustusR

oxb

Tree

Elaeocarpaceae

52Fruit

Lethargy

tofood

EF

AKa

mrang

aAv

errhoa

carambolaL

Tree

Averrhoaceae

66Fruit

Hairfalljaun

dicew

eakn

ess

IF

N

Kanthal

Artocarpus

heterophyllusL

amk

Tree

Moraceae

83Fruitseed

Wou

nddiarrheaconstip

ation

stomachtro

uble

IF

N

Khejur

Phoenixsylve

strisRo

xb

Palm

Palm

ae22

Fruitjuice

Con

stipation

jaun

dicew

eakn

ess

EF

NKa

chu

Colocasia

esculen

taScho

ttHerb

Araceae

47Who

leplant

Cutsandwou

nds

INF

NKo

laMusasapientum

LSh

rub

Musaceae

68Fruit

Dysentery

IF

NKo

rola

Mom

ordica

charantia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

42Leavesfruit

Diabetesdysentery

IF

N

Lebu

Citru

slim

on(Linn)B

urmf

Tree

Rutaceae

60Fruitleaves

Dysenteryind

igestio

nandlethargy

tofood

weakn

ess

IF

A

Lajjabati

Mim

osapu

dica

LHerb

Mim

osoideae

39Ro

otDysenterypiles

ENF

NMayalata

Mikaniacordata(BurmF)Ro

xb

Vine

Com

positae

38Green

leaves

Cutsandwou

nds

ENF

N

ISRN Biodiversity 5

Table1Con

tinued

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Mehendi

Laws

oniainermisL

Shrub

Lythraceae

62Leaves

Dandruff

hairc

olorskindiseases

INF

ANarikel

Cocosn

ucifera

LPalm

Palm

ae72

Fruitjuice

Hairfallbu

rnsdysenteryweakn

ess

IF

A

Neem

Azadira

chta

indica

AJuss

Tree

Meliaceae

69Green

leaves

andseed

Skin

diseaseschicken

poxfever

dysenteryintestinalworm

INF

N

Paan

Piperb

etleL

Vine

Piperaceae

17Green

leaves

Dysenterylosso

fapp

etite

indigestion

stomachtro

uble

INF

A

Papaya

Caric

apapaya

LSh

rub

Caric

aceae

72Fruit

Stom

achtro

uble

IF

NPathor

kuchi

Kalanchoep

innata

(Lam

)Pers

Herb

Crassulaceae

17Leaves

Cou

ghE

NF

NPeyara

Psidium

guajava(L)Ba

tTree

Myrtaceae

74Green

leavesfruit

Diarrheafevercutsandwou

nds

IF

NPiaj

Alliu

mcepa

LHerb

Liliaceae

39Who

leplant

Coldailm

ents

dand

ruff

INF

ARo

shun

Alliu

msativ

umL

Herb

Liliaceae

26Who

leplant

Heartdiseaseurinalprob

lem

INF

ASajna

Moringa

oleiferaLamk

Tree

Moringaceae

31Fruitleavesbark

Jointp

ain

sexu

aldiseases

EF

AShew

raStreblus

asperL

our

Shrub

Urticaceae

44Green

leaves

Skin

diseasejointp

ain

ENF

NSupari

ArecacatechuL

Palm

Palm

ae69

Seed

Vomiting

IF

ATelaku

cha

Cocciniacordifolia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

19Green

leaves

Coldailm

ents

diabetes

ENF

N

Tetul

Tamarindu

sind

icaL

Tree

Leguminosae

63Fruittend

erleaves

Lossof

appetitefeverdysentery

lethargy

tofood

IF

N

Thanku

niCe

ntellaasiatica(L)Urban

Herb

Umbelliferae

38Who

leplant

Dysenterydiarrheagastric

pain

piles

INF

N

Tokm

aHyptis

suaveolen

sPoit

Shrub

Labiatae

14Seed

Gastricpainfeverburning

IF

A

Tulsi

Ocim

umsanctum

LSh

rub

Labiatae

19Green

leavesseed

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

cutsand

wou

nds

INF

A

Note

1 Frequ

encynum

bero

fhou

seho

ldrepo

rted

medicinalplantsfoun

din

relationto

thetotalnu

mbero

fspecies

thatap

artic

ular

speciesw

ascited

2 IEI

indicatesind

igenou

sandEindicatese

xotics

3 FN

FFindicatese

diblefruitseed

bearingplants

andNFindicatesn

onfruit-s

eedbearingplants

4 NA

Nindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nfoun

dandAindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nabsent

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

ISRN Biodiversity 3

Comilla district

91∘10

99840090

∘40

998400E 90∘50

998400E 91∘E 91

∘20

998400E

23∘40

998400

23∘30

998400

23∘20

998400

23∘10

998400

90∘55

99840091

∘05

99840091

∘15

998400

Bay of Bengal

Bangladesh

23∘45

998400N

23∘25

998400N

5 0 5 10(km)

Figure 1 Location map of the study area

plants trees were the most frequent growth form (3778)followed by herbs (2444) shrubs (2222) vine (889)and palms (667) A similar trend was also observed thattrees were the most used growth form of medicinal plants inBangladesh [2 9 31ndash36] but with a few exceptions [12 37]where they found that herbs were mainly used as medicinalplants

32 Indigenous Ethnobotanical Knowledge Pattern and Ail-ments The survey revealed that rural people used variousparts of the plants as medicineThe diverse pattern of variousparts ofmedicinal plants (Table 1) reflected greater possessionof IK regarding their health care practices by the peopleMostof the medicinal plant parts are consumed after maceratingsqueezing grinding blending soaking or boiling and someare taken raw Some are applied externally to different bodyparts for cuts and wounds scabies joint pain piles skindiseases and so forth Fifteen species like Adhatoda vasica

Nees Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk Azadirachta indicaA Juss Centella asiatica (L) Urban Cocos nucifera LLawsonia inermis L Phoenix sylvestris Roxb Phyllanthusemblica L Piper betle L Plantago ovate Psidium guajava (L)BatOcimum sanctum L Swertia chirata Tamarindus indicaL and Terminalia chebula (Gaerth) Retz were used againstup to four ailments One unusual use of fresh mango leaf andpiece of branches is as a toothbrush without any toothpasteto keep teeth healthy another is the sun-dried seed of Syzy-gium cumini (L) Skeel which after grinding into powder istaken with salt as a regular treatment for diabetes Anotherfrequently used medicinal plant is the vine Momordicacharantia L where both the leaf and fruit are used againstdiabetes Similarly used patterns of these plant parts arerecorded in rural areas of Bangladesh [9]

Medicinal plants are generally used to treat fever coughscuts and wounds cold ailments toothache hair loss dan-druff skin diseases joint pain stomach problem dysentery

4 ISRN BiodiversityTa

ble1Com

position

partsu

sedandailm

entsof

recorded

medicinalplantsin

thes

tudy

area

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Aam

Mangifer

aindica

LTree

Anacardiaceae

85Leavestendertwigfruit

Teethdiseasewou

nds

IF

NAd

aZingiberoffi

cinaleR

oxb

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

61Rh

izom

eCou

ghcoldailm

ents

INF

NAkand

aCa

lotro

pisgigantea(L)Ait

fSh

rub

Ascle

piadaceae

42Leaveslatex

Jointp

ain

cutand

wou

nds

INF

N

Amloki

Phyllanthus

emblica

LTree

Euph

orbiaceae

33Fruit

Dysenteryskindiseaseshairfall

indigestion

IF

N

Anarosh

Ananas

comosus

(L)Merr

Shrub

Brom

eliaceae

36Fruit

Jaun

dicew

orm

EF

AAo

rboroi

Phyllanthu

sacid

us(L)Skeels

Tree

Euph

orbiaceae

29Fruit

Hairfallindigestion

EF

AAs

sampata

Eupatoriu

modoratum

LSh

rub

Com

positae

47Green

leaves

Antihem

orrhoid

ENF

N

Bashok

Adhatoda

vasicaNees

Shrub

Acanthaceae

51Green

leaves

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

asthma

dysentery

INF

A

Bel

Aegle

marmelo

s(L)C

orrea

Tree

Rutaceae

64Fruit

Weakn

essconstip

ation

diarrhea

dysentery

IF

N

Boroi

Zizyphus

mauritiana

Lamk

Tree

Rham

naceae

66Fruit

Cou

ghcoldlethargy

tofood

IF

N

Chira

taSw

ertia

chira

taHam

Herb

Sapind

aceae

13Who

leplant

Gastricpaindiabetessto

mach

troub

lefever

ENF

A

Dalim

Punica

granatum

LTree

Punicaceae

40Leavesfruit

Wormsinintestine

EF

NDurba

grass

Cynodondactylon

(L)P

ers

Herb

Poaceae

69Tend

erleaves

Toothachecutsandwou

nds

INF

NHolud

Curcum

alongaL

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

54Rh

izom

eSkin

diseases

INF

N

Harito

kiTerm

inaliachebula(G

aerth)Retz

Tree

Com

bretaceae

15Fruit

Con

stipatio

nfeverheartd

isease

coug

hurinaryprob

lemslossof

appetite

IF

N

Isabgol

Plantago

ovata

Herb

Com

positae

15Seed

Heatstockgastricpain

constip

ation

males

exualw

eakn

ess

IF

N

Jam

Syzygium

cumini(L)S

keel

Tree

Myrtaceae

71Fruitseed

Bloo

dpu

rificatio

ndiabetes

IF

NJambu

raCitru

sgrand

is(L)Osb

Tree

Rutaceae

59Fruit

Jaun

dicelethargyto

food

IF

AJolpai

Elaeocarpu

srobustusR

oxb

Tree

Elaeocarpaceae

52Fruit

Lethargy

tofood

EF

AKa

mrang

aAv

errhoa

carambolaL

Tree

Averrhoaceae

66Fruit

Hairfalljaun

dicew

eakn

ess

IF

N

Kanthal

Artocarpus

heterophyllusL

amk

Tree

Moraceae

83Fruitseed

Wou

nddiarrheaconstip

ation

stomachtro

uble

IF

N

Khejur

Phoenixsylve

strisRo

xb

Palm

Palm

ae22

Fruitjuice

Con

stipation

jaun

dicew

eakn

ess

EF

NKa

chu

Colocasia

esculen

taScho

ttHerb

Araceae

47Who

leplant

Cutsandwou

nds

INF

NKo

laMusasapientum

LSh

rub

Musaceae

68Fruit

Dysentery

IF

NKo

rola

Mom

ordica

charantia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

42Leavesfruit

Diabetesdysentery

IF

N

Lebu

Citru

slim

on(Linn)B

urmf

Tree

Rutaceae

60Fruitleaves

Dysenteryind

igestio

nandlethargy

tofood

weakn

ess

IF

A

Lajjabati

Mim

osapu

dica

LHerb

Mim

osoideae

39Ro

otDysenterypiles

ENF

NMayalata

Mikaniacordata(BurmF)Ro

xb

Vine

Com

positae

38Green

leaves

Cutsandwou

nds

ENF

N

ISRN Biodiversity 5

Table1Con

tinued

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Mehendi

Laws

oniainermisL

Shrub

Lythraceae

62Leaves

Dandruff

hairc

olorskindiseases

INF

ANarikel

Cocosn

ucifera

LPalm

Palm

ae72

Fruitjuice

Hairfallbu

rnsdysenteryweakn

ess

IF

A

Neem

Azadira

chta

indica

AJuss

Tree

Meliaceae

69Green

leaves

andseed

Skin

diseaseschicken

poxfever

dysenteryintestinalworm

INF

N

Paan

Piperb

etleL

Vine

Piperaceae

17Green

leaves

Dysenterylosso

fapp

etite

indigestion

stomachtro

uble

INF

A

Papaya

Caric

apapaya

LSh

rub

Caric

aceae

72Fruit

Stom

achtro

uble

IF

NPathor

kuchi

Kalanchoep

innata

(Lam

)Pers

Herb

Crassulaceae

17Leaves

Cou

ghE

NF

NPeyara

Psidium

guajava(L)Ba

tTree

Myrtaceae

74Green

leavesfruit

Diarrheafevercutsandwou

nds

IF

NPiaj

Alliu

mcepa

LHerb

Liliaceae

39Who

leplant

Coldailm

ents

dand

ruff

INF

ARo

shun

Alliu

msativ

umL

Herb

Liliaceae

26Who

leplant

Heartdiseaseurinalprob

lem

INF

ASajna

Moringa

oleiferaLamk

Tree

Moringaceae

31Fruitleavesbark

Jointp

ain

sexu

aldiseases

EF

AShew

raStreblus

asperL

our

Shrub

Urticaceae

44Green

leaves

Skin

diseasejointp

ain

ENF

NSupari

ArecacatechuL

Palm

Palm

ae69

Seed

Vomiting

IF

ATelaku

cha

Cocciniacordifolia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

19Green

leaves

Coldailm

ents

diabetes

ENF

N

Tetul

Tamarindu

sind

icaL

Tree

Leguminosae

63Fruittend

erleaves

Lossof

appetitefeverdysentery

lethargy

tofood

IF

N

Thanku

niCe

ntellaasiatica(L)Urban

Herb

Umbelliferae

38Who

leplant

Dysenterydiarrheagastric

pain

piles

INF

N

Tokm

aHyptis

suaveolen

sPoit

Shrub

Labiatae

14Seed

Gastricpainfeverburning

IF

A

Tulsi

Ocim

umsanctum

LSh

rub

Labiatae

19Green

leavesseed

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

cutsand

wou

nds

INF

A

Note

1 Frequ

encynum

bero

fhou

seho

ldrepo

rted

medicinalplantsfoun

din

relationto

thetotalnu

mbero

fspecies

thatap

artic

ular

speciesw

ascited

2 IEI

indicatesind

igenou

sandEindicatese

xotics

3 FN

FFindicatese

diblefruitseed

bearingplants

andNFindicatesn

onfruit-s

eedbearingplants

4 NA

Nindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nfoun

dandAindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nabsent

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

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Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

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Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

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Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

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International Journal of

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EarthquakesJournal of

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Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

4 ISRN BiodiversityTa

ble1Com

position

partsu

sedandailm

entsof

recorded

medicinalplantsin

thes

tudy

area

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Aam

Mangifer

aindica

LTree

Anacardiaceae

85Leavestendertwigfruit

Teethdiseasewou

nds

IF

NAd

aZingiberoffi

cinaleR

oxb

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

61Rh

izom

eCou

ghcoldailm

ents

INF

NAkand

aCa

lotro

pisgigantea(L)Ait

fSh

rub

Ascle

piadaceae

42Leaveslatex

Jointp

ain

cutand

wou

nds

INF

N

Amloki

Phyllanthus

emblica

LTree

Euph

orbiaceae

33Fruit

Dysenteryskindiseaseshairfall

indigestion

IF

N

Anarosh

Ananas

comosus

(L)Merr

Shrub

Brom

eliaceae

36Fruit

Jaun

dicew

orm

EF

AAo

rboroi

Phyllanthu

sacid

us(L)Skeels

Tree

Euph

orbiaceae

29Fruit

Hairfallindigestion

EF

AAs

sampata

Eupatoriu

modoratum

LSh

rub

Com

positae

47Green

leaves

Antihem

orrhoid

ENF

N

Bashok

Adhatoda

vasicaNees

Shrub

Acanthaceae

51Green

leaves

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

asthma

dysentery

INF

A

Bel

Aegle

marmelo

s(L)C

orrea

Tree

Rutaceae

64Fruit

Weakn

essconstip

ation

diarrhea

dysentery

IF

N

Boroi

Zizyphus

mauritiana

Lamk

Tree

Rham

naceae

66Fruit

Cou

ghcoldlethargy

tofood

IF

N

Chira

taSw

ertia

chira

taHam

Herb

Sapind

aceae

13Who

leplant

Gastricpaindiabetessto

mach

troub

lefever

ENF

A

Dalim

Punica

granatum

LTree

Punicaceae

40Leavesfruit

Wormsinintestine

EF

NDurba

grass

Cynodondactylon

(L)P

ers

Herb

Poaceae

69Tend

erleaves

Toothachecutsandwou

nds

INF

NHolud

Curcum

alongaL

Herb

Zing

iberaceae

54Rh

izom

eSkin

diseases

INF

N

Harito

kiTerm

inaliachebula(G

aerth)Retz

Tree

Com

bretaceae

15Fruit

Con

stipatio

nfeverheartd

isease

coug

hurinaryprob

lemslossof

appetite

IF

N

Isabgol

Plantago

ovata

Herb

Com

positae

15Seed

Heatstockgastricpain

constip

ation

males

exualw

eakn

ess

IF

N

Jam

Syzygium

cumini(L)S

keel

Tree

Myrtaceae

71Fruitseed

Bloo

dpu

rificatio

ndiabetes

IF

NJambu

raCitru

sgrand

is(L)Osb

Tree

Rutaceae

59Fruit

Jaun

dicelethargyto

food

IF

AJolpai

Elaeocarpu

srobustusR

oxb

Tree

Elaeocarpaceae

52Fruit

Lethargy

tofood

EF

AKa

mrang

aAv

errhoa

carambolaL

Tree

Averrhoaceae

66Fruit

Hairfalljaun

dicew

eakn

ess

IF

N

Kanthal

Artocarpus

heterophyllusL

amk

Tree

Moraceae

83Fruitseed

Wou

nddiarrheaconstip

ation

stomachtro

uble

IF

N

Khejur

Phoenixsylve

strisRo

xb

Palm

Palm

ae22

Fruitjuice

Con

stipation

jaun

dicew

eakn

ess

EF

NKa

chu

Colocasia

esculen

taScho

ttHerb

Araceae

47Who

leplant

Cutsandwou

nds

INF

NKo

laMusasapientum

LSh

rub

Musaceae

68Fruit

Dysentery

IF

NKo

rola

Mom

ordica

charantia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

42Leavesfruit

Diabetesdysentery

IF

N

Lebu

Citru

slim

on(Linn)B

urmf

Tree

Rutaceae

60Fruitleaves

Dysenteryind

igestio

nandlethargy

tofood

weakn

ess

IF

A

Lajjabati

Mim

osapu

dica

LHerb

Mim

osoideae

39Ro

otDysenterypiles

ENF

NMayalata

Mikaniacordata(BurmF)Ro

xb

Vine

Com

positae

38Green

leaves

Cutsandwou

nds

ENF

N

ISRN Biodiversity 5

Table1Con

tinued

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Mehendi

Laws

oniainermisL

Shrub

Lythraceae

62Leaves

Dandruff

hairc

olorskindiseases

INF

ANarikel

Cocosn

ucifera

LPalm

Palm

ae72

Fruitjuice

Hairfallbu

rnsdysenteryweakn

ess

IF

A

Neem

Azadira

chta

indica

AJuss

Tree

Meliaceae

69Green

leaves

andseed

Skin

diseaseschicken

poxfever

dysenteryintestinalworm

INF

N

Paan

Piperb

etleL

Vine

Piperaceae

17Green

leaves

Dysenterylosso

fapp

etite

indigestion

stomachtro

uble

INF

A

Papaya

Caric

apapaya

LSh

rub

Caric

aceae

72Fruit

Stom

achtro

uble

IF

NPathor

kuchi

Kalanchoep

innata

(Lam

)Pers

Herb

Crassulaceae

17Leaves

Cou

ghE

NF

NPeyara

Psidium

guajava(L)Ba

tTree

Myrtaceae

74Green

leavesfruit

Diarrheafevercutsandwou

nds

IF

NPiaj

Alliu

mcepa

LHerb

Liliaceae

39Who

leplant

Coldailm

ents

dand

ruff

INF

ARo

shun

Alliu

msativ

umL

Herb

Liliaceae

26Who

leplant

Heartdiseaseurinalprob

lem

INF

ASajna

Moringa

oleiferaLamk

Tree

Moringaceae

31Fruitleavesbark

Jointp

ain

sexu

aldiseases

EF

AShew

raStreblus

asperL

our

Shrub

Urticaceae

44Green

leaves

Skin

diseasejointp

ain

ENF

NSupari

ArecacatechuL

Palm

Palm

ae69

Seed

Vomiting

IF

ATelaku

cha

Cocciniacordifolia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

19Green

leaves

Coldailm

ents

diabetes

ENF

N

Tetul

Tamarindu

sind

icaL

Tree

Leguminosae

63Fruittend

erleaves

Lossof

appetitefeverdysentery

lethargy

tofood

IF

N

Thanku

niCe

ntellaasiatica(L)Urban

Herb

Umbelliferae

38Who

leplant

Dysenterydiarrheagastric

pain

piles

INF

N

Tokm

aHyptis

suaveolen

sPoit

Shrub

Labiatae

14Seed

Gastricpainfeverburning

IF

A

Tulsi

Ocim

umsanctum

LSh

rub

Labiatae

19Green

leavesseed

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

cutsand

wou

nds

INF

A

Note

1 Frequ

encynum

bero

fhou

seho

ldrepo

rted

medicinalplantsfoun

din

relationto

thetotalnu

mbero

fspecies

thatap

artic

ular

speciesw

ascited

2 IEI

indicatesind

igenou

sandEindicatese

xotics

3 FN

FFindicatese

diblefruitseed

bearingplants

andNFindicatesn

onfruit-s

eedbearingplants

4 NA

Nindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nfoun

dandAindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nabsent

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

ISRN Biodiversity 5

Table1Con

tinued

Localn

ame

Scientificn

ame

Habit

Family

Frequency(

)1Partsu

sed

Ailm

ents

IE2

FNF3

NA

4

Mehendi

Laws

oniainermisL

Shrub

Lythraceae

62Leaves

Dandruff

hairc

olorskindiseases

INF

ANarikel

Cocosn

ucifera

LPalm

Palm

ae72

Fruitjuice

Hairfallbu

rnsdysenteryweakn

ess

IF

A

Neem

Azadira

chta

indica

AJuss

Tree

Meliaceae

69Green

leaves

andseed

Skin

diseaseschicken

poxfever

dysenteryintestinalworm

INF

N

Paan

Piperb

etleL

Vine

Piperaceae

17Green

leaves

Dysenterylosso

fapp

etite

indigestion

stomachtro

uble

INF

A

Papaya

Caric

apapaya

LSh

rub

Caric

aceae

72Fruit

Stom

achtro

uble

IF

NPathor

kuchi

Kalanchoep

innata

(Lam

)Pers

Herb

Crassulaceae

17Leaves

Cou

ghE

NF

NPeyara

Psidium

guajava(L)Ba

tTree

Myrtaceae

74Green

leavesfruit

Diarrheafevercutsandwou

nds

IF

NPiaj

Alliu

mcepa

LHerb

Liliaceae

39Who

leplant

Coldailm

ents

dand

ruff

INF

ARo

shun

Alliu

msativ

umL

Herb

Liliaceae

26Who

leplant

Heartdiseaseurinalprob

lem

INF

ASajna

Moringa

oleiferaLamk

Tree

Moringaceae

31Fruitleavesbark

Jointp

ain

sexu

aldiseases

EF

AShew

raStreblus

asperL

our

Shrub

Urticaceae

44Green

leaves

Skin

diseasejointp

ain

ENF

NSupari

ArecacatechuL

Palm

Palm

ae69

Seed

Vomiting

IF

ATelaku

cha

Cocciniacordifolia

LVine

Cucurbita

ceae

19Green

leaves

Coldailm

ents

diabetes

ENF

N

Tetul

Tamarindu

sind

icaL

Tree

Leguminosae

63Fruittend

erleaves

Lossof

appetitefeverdysentery

lethargy

tofood

IF

N

Thanku

niCe

ntellaasiatica(L)Urban

Herb

Umbelliferae

38Who

leplant

Dysenterydiarrheagastric

pain

piles

INF

N

Tokm

aHyptis

suaveolen

sPoit

Shrub

Labiatae

14Seed

Gastricpainfeverburning

IF

A

Tulsi

Ocim

umsanctum

LSh

rub

Labiatae

19Green

leavesseed

Cou

ghcoldailm

ents

cutsand

wou

nds

INF

A

Note

1 Frequ

encynum

bero

fhou

seho

ldrepo

rted

medicinalplantsfoun

din

relationto

thetotalnu

mbero

fspecies

thatap

artic

ular

speciesw

ascited

2 IEI

indicatesind

igenou

sandEindicatese

xotics

3 FN

FFindicatese

diblefruitseed

bearingplants

andNFindicatesn

onfruit-s

eedbearingplants

4 NA

Nindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nfoun

dandAindicatesn

aturalregeneratio

nabsent

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

6 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 2 Habit-wise distribution of medicinal plants for different ailments

Name of ailments Number of species reported Total specieslowastTree Herb Shrub Vine Palm

Antihemorrhoid mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Asthma mdash mdash 1 mdash mdash 1 (222)Blood purification 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Burning mdash mdash 1 mdash 1 2 (444)Chicken pox 1 mdash mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Cold ailments 1 2 2 1 mdash 6 (1333)Constipation 3 1 mdash mdash 1 5 (1111)Cough 2 2 2 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Cuts and wounds 1 1 2 1 mdash 5 (1111)Dandruff mdash 1 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Diabetes 1 1 mdash 2 mdash 4 (889)Diarrhea 3 1 mdash mdash mdash 4 (889)Dysentery 5 2 2 2 1 12 (2667)Fever 4 1 1 mdash mdash 6 (1333)Gastric pain mdash 3 1 mdash mdash 4 (889)Hair fall and color 3 mdash 1 mdash 1 5 (1111)Heart disease 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Indigestion 3 mdash mdash 1 mdash 4 (889)Jaundice 2 mdash 1 mdash 1 4 (889)Joint pain 1 mdash 2 mdash mdash 3 (667)Lethargy to food 5 mdash mdash mdash mdash 5 (1111)Loss of appetite 2 mdash mdash 1 mdash 3 (667)Piles mdash 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Sexual problem 1 1 mdash mdash mdash 2 (444)Skin diseases 2 1 2 mdash mdash 5 (1111)Stomach trouble 1 1 1 1 mdash 4 (889)Toothache 1 1 mdash mdash 1 3 (667)Urinal problem mdash 1 mdash mdash mdash 1 (222)Vomiting mdash mdash mdash 1 1 (222)Worms 1 mdash 1 mdash mdash 2 (444)Weakness 2 mdash mdash mdash 2 4 (889)lowastParenthesis shows the percentage value

and diarrhea (Table 2) Twelve species (2667) are usedagainst dysentery (five trees two herbs shrubs and vine andone palm species) Cold ailments cough and fever are treatedwith six species (1333) constipation cuts and woundshair fall and color lethargy to food and skin diseases aretreated with five species (1111) each More than four species(889) are used for treating common conditions of diabetesdiarrhea gastric pain indigestion jaundice stomach troubleand weakness In some cases a mixture of several species isalso used for treating one disease

For curing ailments the use of the above ground plantparts was higher (8644) than the whole plants (847) andunder ground plant parts (508) Out of the above groundplant parts fruits (3729) and leaves (3051) were used inthe majority of cases followed by seeds (1186) (Table 3) Inmost cases the juice from leaves root rhizome and bark isused as medicine while fruits are eaten raw

Table 3 Utilization of plant parts of the medicinal plant species

Plants parts used Individual species PercentageFruits 22 3729Leaves 18 3051Seed 7 1186Whole plant 5 847Rootrhizome 3 508Bark 1 169Juice 2 339Latex 1 169

33 Traditional Sources of Medicinal Plants Home gardensin the study area are generally maintained for householdconsumption like supplying fruit timber fuel wood and

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

ISRN Biodiversity 7

fodder Additionally due to the availability of medicinalplants in their home gardens they are also dependent onhome gardens for their daily herbal medicine The medicineis generally prepared by elder family members who havegood knowledge on the medicinal value of plants of whichthose species are usually used to treat common diseases suchas cough cold ailments and cuts and wounds all from theplants available in the surrounding home garden roadsideponds and canal bank graveyards jungle fallow land hinter-land and so forthThe villagers prefer graveyardsmainly cov-ered by herbs and shrubs to reduce the problems arising fromlarge tree roots disturbing graves Hinterlands behind home-steads are usually kept fallow and unproductive in somecases they are used for household waste disposal and as spacefor domestic poultry with some herbaceous species plantedStepp and Moerman [38] and Gazzaneo et al [39] founda similar trend of collecting medicinal plants from anthro-pogenic habitats by theMaya communities ofMexico and thelocal herbal specialists of northeastern Brazil respectivelyA study in West Africa showed that among the harvestedspecies local community used 90 of the species for medici-nal purposes [40] During the study the respondents only buymedicinal plant parts for example fresh or dried forms fromvillage markets when the species are not prevalent in theirhome garden Plants which have multiple uses such as veg-etables and spices were cultivated in the homestead and agri-culture field Respondents also shared parts and fruits fromplants with each other so that the demands of neighbors aswell as people living further away can easily be met

34 Traditional Beliefs Study found that most of the plantparts used for curing ailments are gathered from homegardens but the people of the study area are destroying themedicinal plants resource due to lack of proper harvestingtechniques and lack of awareness about this resource Con-versely some rural people raise certain specieswithmedicinalproperties particularly Areca catechu L A indica Citrusgrandis (L) Osb C limon (L) Burm f C nucifera L iner-mis and O sanctum which are usually planted surroundingthe homestead especially on the southern side (A indica) thatair from the south is purified by its foliage this is believed andnoticed by the local people from the study area

Aegle marmelos (L) Correa A indica L inermisMangifera indica LO sanctum P betle Zizyphus mauritianaLamk and fruit of C nucifera are viewed as sacred andculturally important plants by the Hindu and Muslim reli-gious communities The leaf of L inermis L is often used indyeing the hand palms of bridal couples women and childrenon cultural ceremonial and religious occasions WhileChowdhury et al [41] reported the livelihood potential of thecommercial farming of L inermis L in the central part of thecountry Cartwright-Jones [42] noticed that L inermis leafpaste is popular as an adornment for weddings and othercelebrations in South Asia the Middle East and Africa Theorange dye obtained from the leaves is also used for dyeinghair beards eyebrows fingernails and palms

The paste made from rhizome of the Curcuma longa Lis used in dyeing the full body of bridal couples for bothcommunities In the Hindu community leaves ofO sanctum

are used commonly in their worship T indica is plantedeither in the periphery of homesteads or in fallow lands ofthe backyard with a belief that evil spirits take shelter on itscrown Miah and Rahman [43] also reported on these plantsand their cultural ceremonial and religious uses having pos-itive effects on the flora of the Muslim and Hindu homesteadforests in Bangladesh In the study area more than half of themedicinal plants (tree species) are being edible fruit bearersas they are planted purposively by the local people for theseasonal fruit not for the medicinal purposes

35 Ethnobotanical Knowledge Regarding Biodiversity Con-servation Home gardens have long been the most effectiveand widespread measure for biodiversity conservation inBangladesh due to anthropogenic pressure and land-usechange affecting the natural forest which has been decreasingday by day both in explicit and implicit ways leading tothreats to future productivity Among the identified speciesabout 7111 of plants are indigenous species and 2889of plants are exotic species To get a quick cash return nowthe largest part of home garden owners are interested in theplantation of exotic plant species although it has a negativeeffect on biodiversity It was found that 4889 of plantsproduce edible fruits and seeds 2889 of the plants parts areused as vegetables and spices for daily cooking purposes bythe people Generally rural communities preferred cultivatedand plantedmultipurpose species that can be served as fruitsvegetables and spices that also can be used as timber Suchkind of choice is the most important factor to home gardensconservation in Bangladesh This clearly plays a significantrole in forest biodiversity conservation since all the wood andother nontimber products that are harvested in the home gar-dens do not need to be collected from natural forests Somespecies (eg P ovate Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam) Pers Hyptissuaveolens Poit andO sanctum L) are grown in earthen potsand kept in front of dwelling houses serving for beautifica-tion purposes About 5778of plants are suitable for animalsrsquoand birdsrsquo conservation because the fruits and seeds of theseplants are widely used as food for birds and animals Atthis time dispersal of seeds also occurs and helps in naturalregeneration of plants species In the present study 6444of species are found to be naturally regenerated and most ofthese are indigenous (Table 4)

The conservation of plants in home gardens not only pre-serves a vital resource for humankind but also provides sig-nificant economic and nutritional benefits for the rural poor[44] During the study it was found that collecting and sellingthe whole plant of Allium cepa L Allium sativum L Casiatica Colacasia esculenta Schott and S chirata the fruitof M indica Phyllanthus emblica L Aannas comosus (L)Merr Phyllanthus acidus (L) Skiels A marmelos Z mau-ritiana Punica granatum L T chebula S cumini C gran-dis Elaeocarpus robustus Roxb Averrhoa carambola L Aheterophyllus P sylvestris Musa sapientum L C limon Mcharantea C nucifera Carica papaya L P guajava andT indica the leaves with rhizome of C esculenta and Zingiberofficinale Roxb moreover the seeds of P ovate A heterophyl-lus A catechu H suaveolens Poit and O sanctum play asignificant role in householdrsquos cash income generation as well

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

8 ISRN Biodiversity

Table 4 Status of medicinal plants species from biodiversityconservation point of view

Species category Individualspecies Percentage

Indigenous 32 7111Exotics 13 2889Plants produce edible fruitsseeds 22 4889Plants parts used as spicesvegetables 13 2889Plants parts suitable for animals and birds 26 5778Natural regeneration present 29 6444Natural regeneration absent 16 3556

as meet the body requirement of vitamins Such economiccontribution of these species also has a significant role inspecies conservation and poverty reduction in the study areaSeveral studies [40 45ndash48] found that medicinal plants playa key role in sustaining the rural livelihood and contributingto poverty reduction

36 Traditional Management System In terms of the levelof management in cultural practices traditional productionsystem of home gardens in Bangladesh is very poor Ownersmainly depend on naturally growing trees on the home gar-densHowever bothmen andwomenplay a significant role indecision making in case of choice of species nursery raisingplantation silvicultural practices and management activi-ties of medicinal plants Mostly women encouraged boththeir neighbors and family to conserve home gardens byplanting diverse plant species especially medicinal plants andby taking proper care of the gardens It was found that labor-intensive activities like digging holes (78) pruning (63)planting species (66) and fencing (59) were done bymenwhile seed selection (74) watering (79) fertilizing (52)and weeding (51) utilization patterns of medicinal plants(60) and storage and pest control techniques (67) weremainly done by women

Families exchange seeds of medicinal plants amongthemselves usually at the time of fruit selection Cattlebrowsing pest and disease attack low productivity and poorfertility of seeds with sometimes-human disturbance arecommon problems expressed by the ownerWomen also havea responsibility for pest control and use a simple indigenoustechnique to pest control in their garden which is the appli-cation of ashes to plants infected by pests For excessive pestand disease attacks they used pesticide but at a low rate thatcould not affect human and animals Recently majority of thehouseholds were interested to know about species suitabilityappropriatemixture and information related to high yieldingand more pest-disease resistance varieties Cultivation ofmedicinal plants species is an important strategy for conser-vation and sustainable maintenance of home gardens How-ever the home gardens present an outstanding example ofall acceptancemultipurpose land-use system and biodiversityconservation point of view

4 Conclusion

This study revealed that there are medicinal plants speciesthat make a significant contribution to the healing of diseasesof rural community Due to the increased dependence onherbal treatment and overexploitation of plants not only bythe Kabiraj but also by most of the local people anthro-pogenic pressures on medicinal plants are more increasedFrom the conservation point of view the plants diversity iscritically depleted due to habitat destructionTherefore thereis an urgent need for conservation of the genetic diversity ofthe species with special emphasis on anthropogenic popu-lations Further work should focus on the thorough phyto-chemical investigation such as alkaloid extraction and isola-tion along with few clinical trials This could help in creatingmass awareness regarding the need for conservation of suchplants and in promoting ethno-medico-botany knowledgewithin the region Besides the young generation should bemotivated to acquire this traditional medicinal knowledgeBoth government agencies and nongovernmental organiza-tions have roles to play in this regard This also contributesto the preservation and enrichment of the gene bank of sucheconomically important species before they are lost foreverWhile there is an issue on the conservation of biologicaldiversity all over the world local people are using plants fortheir health care in a sustainable manner and this may be thekey factor in the conservation of plant diversity It can beconcluded from the study that people inherit a rich tradi-tional knowledge and documentation of this knowledge hasprovided novel information from the area

References

[1] S Lee C Xiao and S Pei ldquoEthnobotanical survey of medicinalplants at periodic markets of Honghe Prefecture in YunnanProvince SWChinardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 117 no2 pp 362ndash377 2008

[2] S A Mukul M B Uddin and M R Tito ldquoMedicinal plantdiversity and local healthcare among the people living inand around a conservation area of Northern BangladeshrdquoInternational Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 8 no2 pp 50ndash63 2007

[3] S Elliot and J Brimacombe The Medicinal Plants of GunungLeuser National Park Indonesia WWF Gland Switzerland1986

[4] H Yineger E Kelbessa T Bekele and E Lulekal ldquoPlants used intraditional management of human ailments as Bale MountainsNational Park Southeastern Ethiopiardquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Research vol 2 pp 132ndash153 2008

[5] Z U Ahmed Z N T Begum M A Hassan et al Encyclopediaof Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh Index Volume-Flora vol 13Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bangladesh 1st edition2009

[6] A Ghani Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh With Chemical Con-stituents and Uses Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Dhaka Bang-ladesh 2003

[7] M M Haque ldquoInventory and documentation of medicinalplants in Bangladeshrdquo inMedicinal Plants Research in Asia theFramework and Project Work Plans P A Batugal J Kanniah LS Young and J T Oliver Eds vol 1 pp 45ndash47 International

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

ISRN Biodiversity 9

Plant Genetic Resources Institute-Regional Office for Asia thePacific and Oceania Serdang Selangor DE Malaysia 2004

[8] FAO State of the Worldrsquos forests 2009 Food and AgricultureOrganization of the United Nations Rome Italy 2010

[9] M S H Chowdhury M Koike N Muhammed M A HalimN Saha and H Kobayashi ldquoUse of plants in healthcare a tradi-tional ethno-medicinal practice in rural areas of southeasternBangladeshrdquo International Journal of Biodiversity Science andManagement vol 5 no 1 pp 41ndash51 2009

[10] A Z M M Rashid Rare and endangered economic plants ofBangladesh 2008 httpwwwfaoorgDOCREP004Y3660ey3660e05htm

[11] N T Vergara ldquoIndigenous knowledge and biodiversity conser-vation in forestryrdquo in Proceedings of The National Workshop onLocal Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Forestry Prac-tice and Education Visayas State University Visca PhilippinesOctober 1998

[12] M Abdul Halim M S H Chowdhury A I Wadud M SUddin S K Sarker and M B Uddin ldquoThe use of plantsin traditional health care practice of the shaiji community inSouthwestern Bangladeshrdquo Journal of Tropical Forest Sciencevol 19 no 3 pp 168ndash175 2007

[13] M Thomsen S Halder and F U Ahmed Medicinal and Aro-matic Plant Industry Development InterCooperation DhakaBangladesh 2005

[14] F U Ahmed Production Processing andMarketing of MedicinalPlant in Bangladesh Aranyak Foundation Dhaka Bangladesh2009

[15] M Hossain Bangladesh Seeks Global Market For Its MedicinalPlants Science andDevelopment Network Dhaka Bangladesh2005

[16] M Rahmatullah AHMollikM Ali et al ldquoAn ethnomedicinalsurvey of Vitbilia village in sujanagar sub-district of pabnadistrict BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Agricul-ture and Environmental Science vol 10 no 1 pp 106ndash111 2011

[17] M M Hasan E A Annay M Sintaha et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in sevenvillages of Ishwardi Upazilla Pabna District Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 4 no3 pp 326ndash333 2010

[18] M Rahmatullah M A Khatun N Morshed et al ldquoA random-ized survey of medicinal plants used by folk medicinal healersof Sylhet division BangladeshrdquoAdvances inNatural andAppliedSciences vol 4 no 1 pp 52ndash62 2010

[19] M Rahmatullah M A H Mollik M A Jilani et al ldquoMedicinalplants used by folk medicinal practitioners in three villages ofnatore and Rajshahi districts Bangladeshrdquo Advances in Naturaland Applied Sciences vol 4 no 2 pp 132ndash138 2010

[20] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi M A H Mollik R Jahan M HChowdhury and W M Haque ldquoA survey of medicinal plantsused by Kavirajes of Chalna area Khulna district BangladeshrdquoAfrican Journal of Traditional Complementary and AlternativeMedicines vol 7 no 2 pp 91ndash97 2010

[21] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical surveyof Rajshahi district in Rajshahi division Bangladeshrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no2 pp 143ndash150 2009

[22] A H Md Mahabub Nawaz M Hossain M Karim M KhanR Jahan and M Rahmatullah ldquoAn ethnobotanical survey of

Jessore district in Khulna division BangladeshrdquoThe American-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 2 pp 195ndash201 2009

[23] M Rahmatullah D Ferdausi A H Mollik N K Azam MTaufiq-Ur-Rahman and R Jahan ldquoEthnomedicinal survey ofbheramara area in Kushtia district BangladeshrdquoTheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no 3 pp 534ndash541 2009

[24] M Rahmatullah A Noman M S Hossan et al ldquoA survey ofmedicinal plants in two areas of Dinajpur district Bangladeshincluding plants which can be used as functional foodsrdquo TheAmerican-Eurasian Journal of Sustainable Agriculture vol 3 no4 pp 862ndash876 2009

[25] M Rahmatullah A K Das M A H Mollik et al ldquoAn eth-nomedicinal survey of Dhamrai sub-district in Dhaka districtBangladeshrdquo The American-Eurasian Journal of SustainableAgriculture vol 3 no 4 pp 881ndash888 2009

[26] M Yusuf M A Wahab J U Choudhury and J BegumldquoEthno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali properand Betunia of Rangamati districtrdquo Bangladesh Journal of PlantTaxonomy vol 13 no 1 pp 55ndash61 2006

[27] S N Uddin M Z Uddin M A Hassan and M M RahmanldquoPreliminary ethnomedical plant survey in Khagrachari dis-trict Bangladeshrdquo Bangladesh Journal of Plant Taxonomy vol11 no 2 pp 39ndash48 2004

[28] ldquoBanglapediaNational Encyclopedia of BangladeshrdquoBurichongUpazila 2006 httpwwwbanglapediaorgHTB 0659HTM

[29] T K DeyUseful Plants of BangladeshThe Ad CommunicationChittagong Bangladesh 2nd edition 2006

[30] K D Das and M K Alam Trees of Bangladesh BangladeshForest Research Institute Chittagong Bangladesh 2001

[31] M D Miah and M S H Chowdhury ldquoIndigenous healthcarepractice through medicinal plants from forest by the Mrotribe in Bandarban region Bangladeshrdquo INDILINGA AfricanJournal of Indigenous Knowledge System vol 2 pp 61ndash73 2003

[32] M A S A Khana S Ahmed Mukul M Salim Uddin MGolam Kibria and F Sultana ldquoThe use of medicinal plants inhealthcare practices by Rohingya refugees in a degraded forestand conservation area of Bangladeshrdquo International Journal ofBiodiversity Science and Management vol 5 no 2 pp 76ndash822009

[33] M S H Chowdhury and M Koike ldquoTherapeutic use of plantsby local communities in and around Rema-Kalenga WildlifeSanctuary implications for protected area management inBangladeshrdquo Agroforestry Systems vol 80 no 2 pp 241ndash2572010

[34] M H Rahman M J Fardusi and M S Reza ldquoTraditionalknowledge and use of medicinal plants by the Patra tribe com-munity in theNorth-Eastern region of Bangladeshrdquo Proceedingsof the Pakistan Academy of Sciences vol 48 no 3 pp 159ndash1672011

[35] H Rahman M Rahman M Islam and S Reza ldquoThe impor-tance of forests to protect medicinal plants a case study ofKhadimnagarNational Park Bangladeshrdquo International Journalof Biodiversity Science Ecosystems Services and Managementvol 7 no 4 pp 283ndash294 2011

[36] M H Rahman M Rahman B Roy and M J FardusildquoTopographical distribution status and traditional uses ofmedicinal plants in a tropical forest ecosystem of North-eastern Bangladeshrdquo International Journal of Forest UsufructsManagement vol 12 no 1 pp 37ndash56 2011

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

10 ISRN Biodiversity

[37] M A S A Khan F Sultana M H Rahman B Roy and S IAnik ldquoStatus and ethno-medicinal usage of invasive plants intraditional health care practices a case study from northeasternBangladeshrdquo Journal of Forestry Research vol 22 no 4 pp 649ndash658 2011

[38] J R Stepp and D E Moerman ldquoThe importance of weeds inethnopharmacologyrdquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 75 no1 pp 19ndash23 2001

[39] L R S Gazzaneo R F Paiva de Lucena and U P deAlbuquerque ldquoKnowledge and use of medicinal plants bylocal specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the stateof Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil)rdquo Journal of Ethnobiologyand Ethnomedicine vol 1 article 9 2005

[40] S Pare P Savadogo M Tigabu J M Ouadba and P C OdenldquoConsumptive values and local perception of dry forest declinein Burkina Faso West Africardquo Environment Development andSustainability vol 12 no 2 pp 277ndash295 2010

[41] M S H Chowdhury M M Rahman M Koike et al ldquoSmall-Scale Mehedi (Lawsonia inermis L) farming in the centralBangladesh a promising NTFP-based rural livelihood outsidethe forestsrdquo Small-Scale Forestry vol 9 no 1 pp 93ndash105 2010

[42] C Cartwright-Jones Developing Guidelines on Henna A geo-graphical Approach TapDancing Lizard Publishing 2006

[43] M D Miah and M M Rahman ldquoThe effect of religious sub-culture on the stock and diversity of the village forests in theflood-plain area of Bangladeshrdquo in Proceedings of The HumanDimensions of Family Farm and Community Forestry Inter-national Symposium pp 89ndash94 Washington State UniversityPullman Wash USA Mar2004

[44] B M Kumar and P K R Nair Tropical Homegardens A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry Springer Amster-dam The Netherlands 2006

[45] P Parveen BUpadhyay S Roy andAKumar ldquoTraditional usesof medicinal plants among the rural communities of Churu dis-trict in the Thar Desert Indiardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacologyvol 113 no 3 pp 387ndash399 2007

[46] P M Shrestha and S S Dhillion ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand use in the highlands of Dolakha district Nepalrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 86 no 1 pp 81ndash96 2003

[47] J Okello and P Ssegawa ldquoMedicinal plants used by communi-ties of Ngai Subcounty Apac District northern UgandrdquoAfricanJournal of Ecology vol 45 no 1 pp 76ndash83 2007

[48] P Ssegawa and J M Kasenene ldquoMedicinal plant diversityand uses in the Sango bay area Southern Ugandardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 113 no 3 pp 521ndash540 2007

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of

Submit your manuscripts athttpwwwhindawicom

Forestry ResearchInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental and Public Health

Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

EcosystemsJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

MeteorologyAdvances in

EcologyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Marine BiologyJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom

Applied ampEnvironmentalSoil Science

Volume 2014

Advances in

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Environmental Chemistry

Atmospheric SciencesInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Waste ManagementJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

International Journal of

Geophysics

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Geological ResearchJournal of

EarthquakesJournal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

BiodiversityInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ScientificaHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

OceanographyInternational Journal of

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

The Scientific World JournalHindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Journal of Computational Environmental SciencesHindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

Hindawi Publishing Corporationhttpwwwhindawicom Volume 2014

ClimatologyJournal of