Traditional herbs

Traditional medicines of Gonds and Bharias 8 - Herbal medicine for dysentery

This series of article deals with the herbal treatments given by the Bhagats (Local Healers) of Patalkot.

Tribals of Patalkot in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh (India) are herbal experts. They still perform traditional herbal practices for curing ailments among them. Gond and Bharias are main inhabitants in the forests of Patalkot valley. This series of article deals with the herbal treatments given by the Bhagats (Local Healers) of Patalkot.

In each of the article, we would discuss one common traditional practice, which is been performed by tribals of central India. The current article is on herbal medicine for curing Dysentery. Tribals collect herbs and prepare medicine by their own. The aim of the current article is to document their knowledge and share it with the modern world. It is advised to take proper guidance by your family doctor before applying this formulation for self-use.

Combination of herbs viz., Holarrhena antidysenterica, Aegle marmelos, Zingiber officinale, Terminalia chebula, Cyperus rotundus, Syzygium cumini and Emblica officinalis

Drug Preparation: Holarrhena antidysenterica bark (2 ½ tbsp), Aegle marmelos fruits (2 ½ tbsp), Zingiber officinale roots (1 tbsp), Terminalia chebula fruits (1 tbsp), Cyperus rotundus roots (1 tbsp), Syzygium cumini seeds (1 tbsp), Emblica officinalis fruits (1 tbsp).

Dosage: About 1 tablespoon powder should be given to the patient, two/ three times
a day, with curd or water or honey.

Plant Profiles:

1. Holarrhena pubescens (Buch.- Ham.) Wall. ex DC. syn. H. antidysenterica (L.) Wall.

Sanskrit- Kutaja, Kalinga; Hindi- Kurchi, Karchi, Karra, Kora, Kuar, Kureya, Kura; Bengali- Kurchi; Marathi- Kodaga, Kuda, Dola- Kuda, Pandhara- Kuda; Gujarati- Dhowda, Kuda, Kari; Telugu- Pala, Kodaga; Tamil- Veppalei, Kodagapalei, Indrabam; Kannada- Beppale, Koodsaloo, Korchie; Malayalam- Kodagapala; Oriya- Kherwa, Pita Korwa, Patru kurwa; Punjab- Keor, Kewar; Nepal- Khuria; Bihar- Dudhiari; Assam- Dhutkhuri, Dudkhuri.

A deciduous laticiferous shrub or small tree upto 8 m high. Bark rather rough, pale brownish or greyish, peeling off in irregular flakes. Leaves opposite, subsessile, elliptic or ovate-oblong, 10-25 x 3-6 cm, membranous. Flowers white, in terminal corymbose cymes. Follicles divaricate, cylindric, 15-40 cm long, usually white spotted. Seeds light brown; coma brownish, spreading (WOA, 1997).

2. Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Correa ex Roxb. (Bael Tree, Bengal Quince)

Bengali, Hindi & Marathi- Bael, Bel; Gujarati- Bili; Kannada- Bela, Bilva; Malayalam- Koovalam, Vilvam; Oriya-Belo; Sanskrit- Bilva, Sriphal; Tamil- Bilva, Vilvam; Telugu- Bilavamu, Maredu; Urdu- Bel; Assam- Bael, Bel

A moderate-sized, slender, aromatic tree, 6.0-7.5 m in height and 90-120 cm in girth, with a somewhat fluted bole of 3.0-4.5 m, growing wild throughout the deciduous forests of India, ascending to an altitude of c 1,200 m in the western Himalayas and also occurring in Andaman Islands. It is extensively planted near Hindu temples for its leaves and wood which are valued in indigenous medicine. Branches armed with straight, sharp, axillary, 2.5 cm long spines; bark soft, corky, light grey, exfoliating in irregular flakes; leaves attenuate, trifoliolate, occasionally digitately five-foliolate, leaflets ovate or ovate-lanceolate, crenate, acuminate, lateral sessile, terminal long-petioled; flowers large, greenish white, sweet-scented, in short axillary panicles; fruits globose, grey or yellowish, rind woody; seeds numerous, oblong, compressed, embedded in sacs covered with thick orange-coloured sweet pulp (WOA. 1997).

3. Zingiber officinale Rosc. (Ginger)

Sanskrit- Ardraka; Hindi- Adrak, Ada; Bengali- Ada; Marathi- Ale; Telugu-Allamu, Sonthi; Tamil- Allam,Inji; Kannada- Hasisunti; Malayalam- Andrakam, Inchi

A herbaceous, rhizomatous perennial, reaching up to 90 cm. in height under cultivation. Rhizomes are aromatic, thick-lobed, pale yellowish, differing in shape and size in the different cultivated types. The herb develops several lateral shoots in clumps which begin to dry when the plant matures. Leaves narrow, distichous, sub-sessile, linear-lanceolate, 17.0 cm. x 1.8 cm., dark green, evenly narrowed to form a slender tip, flowers in spikes, greenish yellow with a small dark purple or purplish black tip (WOA. 1997).

4. Terminalia chebula Retz.; C. B. Clarke (Fl. Br. Ind.) in part (Chebulic Myrobalan)

Hindi- Harra; Bengali- Haritaki; Marathi- Hirda; Gujarati- Hardo; Telugu- Karakkai; Tamil- Kadukkai; Oriya- Haridra; Punjabi- Har, Harar; Assamia- Silikha

A tree 15-24 m. in height and 1.5-2.4 m. in girth, with a cylindrical bole of 4-9 m., a rounded crown and spreading branches, found throughout the greater parts of India. Bark dark-brown, often longitudinally cracked, exfoliating in woody scales; leaves ovate or elliptic with a pair of large glands at the top of the petiole; flowers yellowish white, in terminal spikes; drupes ellipsoidal, obovoid or ovoid, yellow to orange-brown, sometimes tinged with red or black and hard when ripe, 3-5 cm. long, become 5-ribbed on drying; seeds hard, pale yellow (WOA. 1997).

5. Cyperus rotundus Linn. (Nut Grass)

Sanskrit- Mustaka, musta; Hindi & Bengali- Mutha, mtha; Marathi & Gujarati- Motha; Tamil- Korai; Telugu- Tungamuste; Kannada- Tungegadde.

A pestiferous perennial weed with dark green glabrous culms, 0.5-2 ft. high, arising from a system of underground tubers. Almost ubiquitous, it is found throughout India up to an elevation of 6,000 ft (WOA. 1997).

6. Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels syn. Eugenia jambolana Lam. (Jambolan, Black plum, Java plum)

Hindi- Jaman, jam; Bengali- Jam, kalajam; Gujarati- Jambu, jamli; Marathi- Jaman, jambul; Telugu- Neereedu; Tamil- Neredam, naval, sambal; Kannada- Nerale; Malayalam- Naval, perinnaral; Oriya- Jamo; Punjabi- Jammu

A large, evergreen tree, attaining 30 m. in height and 3.6 m. in girth, with a bole up to 15 m., found throughout India up to an altitude of 1,800 m. Bark brown or greyish, fairly smooth, up to 2.5 cm. thick, with shallow depressions, exfoliating in woody scales; leaves lanceolate, elliptic-oblong or broadly ovate-elliptic, 7.5-15.0 cm. x 3.8-6.3 cm., coriaceous, gland-dotted, smooth and shiny; flowers greenish white, fragrant in trichotomous panicles; fruits ellipsoid or oblong, up to 2.5 cm. long, black with pinkish juicy pulp; seeds single; shaped like the fruit, 1-2 cm. long, or 2 to 5 seeds compressed together into a mass resembling a single seed, the whole enclosed in a coriaceous covering (WOA. 1997).

7. Emblica officinalis Gaertn. syn. Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (Emblic Myrobalan, Indian Goosberry)

Sanskrit-Adiphala, Dhatri, Amalaka; Hindi- Amla, Amlika, Aonla; Bengali-Akla, Amlaki; Gujarat- Amali, Ambala; Telugu- Amalakamu, Usirikai; Tamil- Nelli; Kannada-Amalaka, Nelli; Malayalam- Nelli.

A small or medium-sized deciduous tree with smooth, greenish grey, exfoliating bark. Leaves feathery with small narrowly oblong, pinnately arranged leaflets. Fruits depressed globose, ½-1 inch in diam., fleshy and obscurely 6-lobed, containing 6 trigonous seeds. The tree is common in the mixed deciduous forests of India ascending to 4,500 ft. on the hills. It is often cultivated in gardens and homeyards. A type bearing comparatively larger fruits than the wild plant is known in cultivation (WOA. 1997).

WOA. 1997. Wealth of Asia (AHEAD).

About the Authors:

Dr Deepak Acharya: He is the Director of a herbal formulation company in Ahmedabad, India. He has been documenting ethnobotanical knowledge of tribals of Central and Western India. He has written 30 research papers in National and International journals of repute. He writes popular articles for web and magazines. Meet him on his homepage http://dracharya.tripod.com or contact via email on deep_acharya@rediffmail.com.

Ms Garima Sancheti: She is a research scholar, working in the field of Radiation and Cancer Biology from Department of Zoology (University of Rajasthan, India). She has to her credit various research papers in scientific journals as well as articles on web. Contact her on garimasancheti@rediffmail.com.

Dr Anshu Shrivastava: He is a Botanist and PhD from BSI- Jodhpur, currently working as Research Associate in SRISTI- Ahmedabad. He can be contacted on ansh24@gmail.com.

Dr Sanjay Pawar: He is a botanist in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. Contacted him on drpawar@rediffmail.com.

Do Visit Patalkot on

Email article    Print