A Note on Ethno-Medicinal Herbs of Gopiballavpur Block-1 of Jhargram District, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Gopiballavpur Block-1 under Jhargram district situated in south west corner of West Bengal. This place shares boarder with neighboring states of Jharkhand and Odisha. The block has a drydeciduous forest cover and having substantial number of tribal inhabitants. The present study deals with ethnomedicinal plants used by tribals like Santal, Lodha, Munda, Bhumij and Sabar. The survey was based on extensive season-wise data collection in different villages of the block. While getting information about the people’s traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used in different human ailments, elder persons and local medicine-men (Baidyas) were interviewed and cross interviewed. Information thus collected, were verified with the standard literature on medicinal plants. The study thus revealed the tribal use of twenty (20) medicinal herbs covering nineteen (19) genera under fourteen (14) families of angiosperms. It records the botanical name of the plant, local name, family, uses, parts used, mode of administration and combination. This investigation recommends to initiate similar studies involving other blocks of the district, and also urgent to popularize to use health-friendly and cheap method of herbal care system.