FOLKLORE MEDICINE: NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC SCREENING ON PRIORITY BASIS.

ABSTRACT: <

In this article, the need for scientific screening of plants with folklore medicinal claims, on priority basis has been stressed. Information on the therapeutics of 24 plant species together with mode of preparation, application, dosage etc., as revealed by the tribal of Adilabad, Warrangal and Karimnagar districts located in Andhra Pradesh in India has been also given.

Incidentally, a name change for Crinum sp. Has been proposed in accordance with priority rule of International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

Plants are mini-manufacturing units of Phyto Chemicals. Silently, they produce alka-loids, glucosides, volatile and aromatic oils, saponins, amino-acids etc., which in turn are of immense medicinal importance. Since Vedic period search for healing herbs has been going on uninterruptedly, apparently with fruitful results. This is evident from the ever increasing information pouring in on a variety of plants of therapeutic value. For instance, while Ayurveda dealt with about 700 healing herbs, the latest count of such plants rose to over 3000. However, this number too, is negligible when compared with the supposed 3-lakh and odd vascular and non-vascular plant species existing all over the World.

So search for healing herbs is a continuous process. However, the author opines that researchers should prefer screening of such plants which have some therapeutic claim or the other, instead of laying hands on every easily available material. It is therefore suggested that every herb recorded under tribal and folk-lore medicine by the Medico-Ethno-Botanical Survey parties must be put to test on priority basis through Phyto-Chemical, Pharmacological and Clinical investigations. Some important taxa of Folklore and Tribal Medicine collected from the Eastern Ghatbelt which need researchers attention are: Albizia amara claimed to be useful in diarrioea & Vomiting, Aristida adscensionis in mictuntion, Azima tetracanth, in arthntis, cassytha filiformis in leucorrhoea, crinum viviparum and ziziphus xylopyra in snake bite, Elytraria acaulis in abscess, Euphorbia nivulia in filariasis, Flacourtia indica in malarial fever, Holoptelia integrifolia in alopecia, filariasis and facial paralysis, ipomoea eriocalpa in terminating pregnancy, Leucas lavandulaefolia in diabetes mellitus, Mitragyna parvifolia in rabid dog-bite, Viscum nepalense in dysmenorrhoea etc., to mention a few. For further information contact us.

Article by Dr. KOPPULA HEMADRI, Ph.D.,

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