Exploring Scientific Evidence of Grassroots' Traditional Medicinal Knowledge of Chhattisgarh, India, in Human Healthcare

Abstract

<P>Background: The present study aims to portray the herbal practices commonly used by the locals of Chhattisgarh, India, for their primary healthcare needs and correlate them with the available scientific evidence. Since ancient times, herbs or plants have been an important part of the preventive and curative medications used in commonly across the globe. </P><P> Methods: Indian Traditional Medicines (ITM) can be categorized as Classical Health Traditions (CHT) like Ayurveda and Siddha and as Oral Heath Traditions (OHT). CHT are the codified forms of the medicinal system, whereas OHT exclusively encompass the undocumented form of knowledge, evolved through the experiences of their practitioners and passed on in improved form over the generations. This medicinal knowledge is prevalent in the rural and tribal areas due to non-accessibility and high cost of modern healthcare. Their importance is evident from the sustainable use over the years and the scientific studies supporting their medicinal potential. </P><P> Results: The present study aims to quantitatively analyse various plants and herbal preparations used by the tribals, traditional knowledge holders and grassroots innovators of Chhattisgarh, India, for the treatment of various human ailments. The study identified 81 practices belonging to 42 different plant families. Pain, inflammation and skin diseases were found to be the most prominent conditions. A large number of scientific studies have been conducted by researchers on the plants used by traditional knowledge holders to evaluate their potential in different animal models and/or clinical studies. Corroboration of traditional usage for 51% of the practices was found in the scientific literature. Of the total, only 20% of the traditional medicines were found to be clinically evaluated in human subjects. Active phyto-constituents were found to be identified in 12% of the cases. Many unexplored practices with no state of the art for particular indications were also found. </P><P> Conclusion: This study illustrates the potential and applicability of Indian traditional medicinal knowledge in disease management and utilization of these resources towards the development of better therapeutics.</P>