Abstract

ETHNOMEDICINAL PRACTICES AMONG A TRIPURA COMMUNITY IN RANGAMATI DISTRICT, BANGLADESH

Ashraful Islam, Abu Bakkar Siddik, Umme Hanee, Anindita Guha, Fatema Zaman, Umme Mokarroma, Hasnat Zahan, Sharmin Jabber, Sanjida Naurin, Hafiza Kabir, Sharmin Jahan, and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Background: The Tripura community is a tribal community who can be found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region and in Comilla district of Bangladesh. The objective of the present study was to document the ethnomedicinal practices of a Tripura community in Rangamati district of Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Interestingly, the community healer belonged not to the Tripura tribe but to the Chakma tribe who are the dominant tribe in the area. Methods: Interview of the tribal healer was carried out with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. Results: The healer used a total of 15 plants distributed into 13 families for treatment. The various diseases treated included jaundice, hypertension, edema in leg, loss of appetite, irregular menstruation, hydrocele, vomiting, stomach pain, snake bite, leucorrhea, flaking of skin, lack of milk in nursing mothers, diarrhea, and nocturnal emissions. The treatment method was simple with plant paste, juice or decoction being taken orally or applied topically. Conclusion: Documentation of tribal healing practices, which are fast disappearing, not only can contribute to preservation of tribal knowledge but can lead to further scientific studies resulting in discovery of more efficacious medicines.

Keywords: Tripura, medicinal plants, Rangamati, Bangladesh.