Ethno-medicinal uses of plants by tribal communities in Hili block of Dakshin Dinajpur district, West Bengal

Use of plants by different ethnic tribal communities for treatment of various ailments in ‘Hili’ block of Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India has been documented. As many as 62 plant species belonging to 34 families (61 Angiosperms and one fern), used by Santhal, Oraon, Munda and other communities (Polia, Sabar, Lodha) for medicinal purposes were identified. Largest number of plants was found in the family Fabaceae (8), followed by Amaranthaceae and Euphorbiaceae (4 each), Acanthaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Poaceae (3 each). Malvaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Moraceae and Polygonaceae contained two plants each, while rest of the families possessed one plant each. The common health problems such as fever, diarrhoea and dysentery, indigestion and respiratory troubles dominated among the tribes for which herbal medicines were used. Significantly, fairly high numbers of plants have been used in treating sexually transmitted diseases and diabetes. Among the plant parts, leaves have been used most frequently by ethnic peoples, of which Santhals were the best among tribal communities under study in acquiring, maintaining and using traditional knowledge of herbal plants.