Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 29(2): 269-282, 2022 (December) DOI: https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v29i2.63529 © 2022 Bangladesh Association of Plant Taxonomists ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AMONG LOCAL PEOPLE OF SHERPUR SADAR AND SREEBARDI UPAZILAS OF SHERPUR DISTRICT, BANGLADESH LUTFUNNAHAR SUCHANA, MD. ABUL HASSAN AND M. OLIUR RAHMAN1 Department of Botany, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh Keywords: Ethnomedicinal plants, Informant Consensus Factor; Citation Frequency; Fidelity; Conservation; Sherpur. Abstract An ethnomedicinal investigation was carried out in Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur district to record, and document the traditional knowledge alongside with determining the consensus factor, citation frequency and fidelity level among the folklore medicinal practitioners. A total 51 plant species belonging to 49 genera and 38 families were cited with their mode of application for treating different ailments. The most frequently used plant species were represented by herbs (35.94%) followed by trees (33.33%), shrubs (19.61) and climbers (11.76). Leaves were found to be the most utilized part (50%) followed by root (14%), fruit (10%), flower (10%), stem (10%), bark (4%) and seed (2%). The reported ailments were categorized into 14 diseases and the maximum species were employed to treat digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. Leaves of Eclipta alba (L.) Hassk. are used in treatment of cataract without applying in eyes at the initial stage which is the first report for Bangladesh, and this species could be further screened for bioactive compound which can lead to discovery of new and potential drugs. Many species reported in the current study were found to be very rare which need to be conserved to maximize the sustainable uses of these vital resources in the study area. Introduction Ethnomedicine refers to traditional medicine practiced by various ethnic communities, and the origin over 50% of all pharmaceutical drugs could be traced back to ethnomedicine (Van Wyk et al., 1997). Many studies have shown that 80% of people in developing countries depend on traditional medicine for their basic primary health care (Faruque and Uddin, 2014; Getu et al., 2015; Hanako and Tsurho, 2016; Rajamurugan et al., 2016). According to WHO, about 80% of the world's population, mostly the rural people of developing countries still primarily rely on traditional medicines (WHO, 2001). The global herbal medicine market size was estimated to be US$ 83 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ 550 billion by 2030 (https://www. insightslice.com/herbal-medicine-market). Currently, this market for medicinal plants and plant products has been rising day by day because of easy availability, effectiveness in chronic diseases, less side effects, and cost effective. The Conference of Parties (COP) gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 with the Agenda 21 in order to formulate biodiversity conservation policy that gave emphasis on the documentation and sustainable utilization of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants. Bangladesh is richly endowed with floral diversity and it has been estimated that more than 5,000 angiosperm species exist in the country (Rahman, 2020). The traditional medicinal practices have long been in use in Bangladesh like Ayurveda, Unani, folk medicine and home remedies, all 1Corresponding author. Email: oliur.bot@du.ac.bd https://doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v29i2.63529 https://www. mailto:oliur.bot@du.ac.bd 270 SUCHANA et al. of which utilize plants to a major extent for treatment (Ghani, 2003). Several studies on ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal plants were carried out to document the traditional knowledge in different parts and among different ethnic communities in Bangladesh (Hassan and Khan, 1986, 1996; Mia and Huq, 1988; Alam et al., 1996; Uddin M.Z. et al., 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2017; Yusuf et al., 2002, 2006; Uddin S.N. et al., 2004; Uddin S.B. et al., 2011; Sajib and Uddin, 2013; Rahman, 2013; Ferdoushi et al., 2016; Kona and Rahman, 2016; Hossain and Rahman, 2018; Khatun and Rahman, 2018), However, no any ethnobotanical study was carried out in Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas under Sherpur district. Therefore, the present study aims at recording, integrating and documenting the traditional knowledge of ethnomedicinal species as well as to determine the informant consensus factor, fidelity level and citation frequency of the plants in Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur district. Materials and Methods Study area: Sherpur Sadar upazila is located at 24°55' to 25°06' N latitudes and 89°53' to 90°07' E longitudes with an area of 356.12 sq. km. and consists of 14 unions. It is bounded by Sreebardi, Jhenaigati and Nalitabari upazilas on the north, Jamalpur Sadar upazila on the south, Nakla upazila on the east, Islampur and Melandaha upazilas on the west. Sreebardi upazila is situated in 25°03' to 25°18' N latitudes and 89°53' to 90°03' E longitudes with an area of 270.34 sq. km. and comprises 10 unions (Fig. 1). The annual average temperature of Sherpur district ranges from 12℃ to 33.3℃, while the annual rainfall is 2174 mm (BBS, 2011). Garo Hill tract also known as Shalbon is present in this district where mainly Garo tribal people live along with local people. Luxuriant growth of seasonal herbs, aquatics and climbers were observed in this area during growing season. Some native tree species were also found in Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas. A good number of people possess traditional botanical knowledge and they use such plant species in their primary health care management. The tribal people are mainly dependent on plants for their ailments. Plant samples and data collection: Plant specimens were collected from the study areas during field survey from July 2019 to December 2020. The specimens were critically studied and identified by experts and using standard literature and online databases (Ahmed et al., 2008-2009; The Plant List 2013; TROPICOS, 2018). The voucher specimens of the medicinal plants were prepared following standard herbarium protocol (Alexiades, 1996) and were deposited at Dhaka University Salar Khan Herbarium (DUSH). Data were collated through semi-structured questionnaires (Alexiades, 1996). Authentic informants were interviewed independently from 54 informants, of which 29 were women and 25 men of 23 to 95 years of ages. The respondents provided plant names, parts used, mode of application and the disease to be treated. Data analyses: Factor of informant consensus (Fic): In order to estimate the use diversity of the medicinal plants, Factor of informant consensus (Fic) was calculated using the following formula: Fic = Where, Nur denotes the number of use reports in each category and Ntaxa refers the number of species in each category (Heinrich et al., 1998). ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 271 Fig. 1. Maps showing the study area Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur district. Citation frequency (Cf%): CF values were estimated using the formula: Citation frequency (Cf %) = ×100 Where, n is the number of people interviewed citing species and N denotes total number of people interviewed (Friedman et al., 1986). 272 SUCHANA et al. Fidelity level (Fl%): The fidelity level value is useful for identifying the informants’ most preferred species in use for treating certain ailments. Fl value was computed using the following formula: Fidelity level (Fl %) = x100 Where Ip is number of informants who indicate use of a species for the same major ailment, Iu is the total number of informants who mentioned the same plant for any other use (Friedman et al., 1986). Medicinal plants that are widely used by the local people for a particular ailment have higher Fl values than those which are less popular. Results and Discussion The present study has revealed a total of 51 medicinal plant species belonging to 47 genera and 38 families with 60 formularies for treating different ailments indicating that there is rich diversity of ethnomedicinal plants with different uses in the study areas. For each species, updated nomenclature with authority, family names, local name, parts used, diseases to be treated, mode of treatment and voucher numbers have been provided (Table 1). The study depicts that local people and folk medicinal practitioners of the study areas have a rich traditional knowledge about medicinal plants that has been inherited from generation to generation. Moreover, the present investigation has displayed that people of Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas emphasize on using medicinal plants with a discovery of application method. However, the traditional medical practitioners from study area were not much aware in conserving medicinal plants and local people are not also aware to conserve the plants used for sustainable uses. Among the species investigated, the most frequently used species are herbs (35.94%) followed by trees (33.33%), shrubs (19.61) and climbers (11.76) (Fig. 2). The study revealed that out of all formularies, 72.13% was of internal application and the remaining 27.87% was of external application (Fig. 3). Leaves were found to be the most utilized plant part (50%) followed by root (14%), fruit (10%), flower (10%), stem (10%), bark (4%) and seed (2%) (Fig. 4). Factor of informant consensus: The Factor of informant consensus (Fic) model was used to determine the use diversity of medicinal plants and to identify the ethnopharmacologically important plant species (Heinrich et al., 1998). The Fic values among the investigated species varied from 0.840 to 1 (Table 2). The highest Fic value 1 was found in the cases of anthelmintic, jaundice, bone fracture and kidney stone, and the cited species for treating the species are Ananas comosus Saccharum officinarum, Cissus quadrangularis and Kalanchoe pinnata, respectively. In case of the second highest Fic value category disease i.e. respiratory diseases, the most cited species is Justicia adhatoda. The use of Ananas comosus as anthelmintic as revealed from the study was found in the same line with that of Kadir et al. (2012), Saccharum officinarum applied for treating jaundice was found to be consistent with Rahim et al. (2012), Cissus quadrangularis in bone fracture was found similar to Ramachandran et al. (2021), and administration of Kalanchoe pinnata against Kidney stone was found consistent with Islam and Uddin (2022). Fidelity level: The current investigation displayed 100% fidelity level (Fl) in Litsea glutinosa, Azadirachta indica, Justicia adhatoda, Zingiber officinale, Terminalia arjuna, Aloe vera, Aegle marmelos, Allium sativum, Tinospora crispa and Clerodendrum viscosum against dysentery, body pain, phlegm-catarrh, gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and fever, ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 273 274 SUCHANA et al. ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 275 276 SUCHANA et al. ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 277 respectively (Table 3). The higher FL value of a species indicates the prevalence of a specific disease in an area and the utilization of plant species by the inhabitants to treat that disease (Srithi et al., 2009; Bibi et al., 2014). Table 2. Consensus of agreement on the uses of medicinal plants among informants. No Category of disease Most cited plants No. of use reports No. of taxa Fic 1 Digestive and Gastrointestinal diseases (Gastritis, diarrhea, dysentery, appetite, constipation) Litsea glutinosa 165 15 0.915 2 Muscle and skeletal disorders (Swelling, wound, pain in body part, rheumatism, migraine, toothache) Azadirachta indica 102 9 0.922 3 Dermatalogy (Tinea, dandruff, allergy,boil) Citrus limon 87 11 0.884 4 Cardiovascular diseases (Heart problem, blood purifier, hypertension) Terminalia arjuna 44 3 0.953 5 Fever (Normal fever, internal fever, black fever) Tinospora crispa 26 5 0.840 6 Eye problems (Cataract, Ophthalmia) Eclipta alba 26 3 0.920 7 Aesthenia (Body weakness) Litsea glutinosa 42 7 0.853 8 Diabetes Syzygium cumini 22 3 0.904 9 Cancer Moringa oleifera 9 2 0.875 10 Respiratory diseases (Phlegm, Catarrh) Justicia adhatoda 39 2 0.974 11 Anthelmintic Ananas comosus 10 1 1 12 Jaundice Saccharum officinarum 22 1 1 13 Bone fracture Cissus quadrangularis 18 1 1 14 Kidney stone Kalanchoe pinnata 17 1 1 Fig. 2. Habit-wise categorization showing the percentage of species for treating different ailments. Fig. 3. Percentage of mode of administration of medicinal plants used by the local people of in the study area. 278 SUCHANA et al. Citation frequency (Cf): Citation frequency of some selected plant species are shown in the Table 4. Litsea glutinosa showed the highest Cf value (94.11) which indicated that this species is very commonly used in the study areas to treat dysentery followed by Azadirachta indica, Zingiber officinale and Justicia adhatoda. In contrast, the lowest citation frequency was found in Allium sativum. In the current study, the most commonly cited mode of administration is in the form of juice followed by paste, crushed, decoction, powdered and chewed. Our results were found to be concordant with that of previous study (Uddin et al. 2017). The maximum informants preferred oral consumption of medicines instead of external application. This finding was also supported by several other (Uddin et. al., 2015; Faruque et al., 2018; Islam and Uddin, 2022). Table 3. Fidelity level (Fl) values of frequently cited plant species and their major uses. Ailments Species No. of Informants (Ip) Total no. Informants (Iu) % of Fidelity level (Fl) Dysentery Litsea glutinosa 48 48 100 Body pain Azadirachta indica 42 42 100 Phlegm-catarrh Justicia adhatoda 37 37 100 Gastrointestinal problem Zingiber officinale 41 41 100 Cardiovascular disease Terminalia arjuna 31 31 100 Gastrointestinal problem Aloe vera 25 25 100 Dysentery Aegle marmelos 15 15 100 Hypertension Allium sativum 13 13 100 Fever Tinospora crispa 12 12 100 Abdominal pain Clerodendrum viscosum 9 9 100 Diabetes Coccinea cordifolia 17 25 68 Cancer Moringa oleifera 5 13 60 Rheumatism Vitex negundo 23 42 54.76 Cataract Eclipta alba 13 25 52 Fig. 4. Percentage of plant parts used for medicinal purposes by the local people in Shrherpur and Sreebordi upazilas of Sherpur district. ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 279 Fig. 5. Number of taxa used for treating major diseases by the local people in Shrherpur and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur district. Table 4. Citation frequency of some selected medicinal plant species of the study area. Species Local name Ailments Citation Citation frequency (CF %) Litsea glutinosa Kharajora Dysentery 48 94.11 Azadirachta indica Neem Body pain 42 82.35 Zingiber officinale Aada Gastrointestinal problems 41 80.39 Justicia adhatoda Basak Phlegm-catarrh 37 72.55 Terminalia arjuna Arjun Cardiovascular 31 60.78 Aloe vera Chokkoira gach Gastrointestinal problem 25 49.02 Allium sativum Roshun Hypertension and cancer 13 25.49 The present study has revealed novel information regarding the uses of some species which are not found in previous studies carried out in different parts of Bangladesh (Uddin et al., 2006, 2015, 2017; Sajib and Uddin, 2015; Nahar et al., 2016; Sohel et al., 2016; Yasmin and Rahman, 2017; Khatun and Rahman, 2018). A few of the noteworthy and novel findings include: Eclipta alba is reported for the first time to treat cataract, Moringa oleifera to treat cancer, Ficus hispida to reduce water from foot swelling of pregnant women, Coccinea cordifolia to treat extreme dandruff and Coix lacryma-jobi to treat stomach problems. From the present survey, some threats to the medicinal plant species have come in light including habitat destruction and fragmentation, deforestation, over-exploitation, lack of awareness for conserving the species diversity among local people and plantation of exotic species. According to local people, these species might possess threats to native ecosystem as no birds sit in these trees and no fish can survive in nearby ponds. To protect valuable medicinal plant species in the present study area, a number of protective measures should be undertaken i.e. nurseries should be developed for propagating important and threatened medicinal plants, distribution map with specific longitude and latitude for the important species to be generated, and ex-situ conservation strategies should be applied for conserving the medicinal plants in the study area for their sustainable uses and development. The species with the highest Fic value, fidelity level and citation frequency might be phytochemically screened for searching novel bioactive compounds. The study might unveil a new window for 280 SUCHANA et al. drug discovery in future that will have a significant impact on socio-economic development and health sector of Bangladesh. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to the local people and folklore practitioners of Sherpur Sadar and Sreebardi upazilas of Sherpur district, who gave the information about the medicinal use of plants and co-operated during research work. References Ahmed, Z.U., Begum, Z.N.T., Hassan, M.A., Khondker, M., Kabir, S.M.H., Ahmad, M., Ahmed, A.T.A., Rahman, A.K.A. and Haque, E.U. (Eds) 2008-2009. Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Vols. 6-10. Angiosperms: Dicotyledons (Acanthaaceae-Asteraceae). Asiat. Soc. of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Alam, M.K., Choudhury, J. and Hassan, M.A. 1996. Some folk formularies from Bangladesh, Bangladesh J. Life Sci. 8(1): 49-63. Alexiades, M.N., (Ed.) 1996. Selected Guidelines For Ethnobotanical Research: A Field Manual. The New York Botanical Garden, New York, 305 pp. BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics) 2011. Statistical Pocket Book Bangladesh 2011. Statistics and Informatics Division, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Bibi, T., Ahmad, M.,Tareen, R.B., Tareen, N.M., Jabeen, R. and Rehman, S. 2014. Ethnobotany of medicinal plants in district Mastung of Balochistan Province-Pakistan. J. Ethnopharmacol. 157: 79-89. Faruque, M.O. and Uddin, S.B. 2014. Ethnomedicinal study of the Marma community of Bandarban district of Bangladesh. Academia J. Med. Plants 2(2): 014-025. Faruque, M.O., Uddin, S.B., Barlow, J.W., Hu, S., Dong, S., Cai, Q., Li, X. and Hu, X. 2018. Quantitative ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by indigenous communities in the Bandarban district of Bangladesh. Front. Pharmacol. 9: 40. Ferdoushi, A., Mahmud, S., Rana, M.M., Islam, M.S., Salauddin. A.S.A. and Hossain, F. 2016. A survey on medicinal plant usage by folk medicinal practitioners in different villages at Nalitabari upazilla, Sherpur district, Bangladesh. European J. Med. Plants 11(3): 1-22. Friedman, J., Yaniv, Z., Dafni, A. and Palewitch, D. 1986. A preliminary classification of healing potential plants, based on a rational analysis of an ethno-pharmacological field survey among Bedouins in the Negev Desert, Israel. J. Ethnopharmacol. 16: 275-287. Getu, A., Asfaw, Z., and Kelbessa, E. 2015. Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by local communities of Minjar-Shenkora district, North Shewa Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia J. Med. Plant Studies 3(6): 01-11. Ghani, A. 2003. Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh with Chemical Constituents and Uses (Second Edition). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 603 pp. Hanako, J.K. and Tsurho, K. 2016. Documentation of medicinal plants and its uses by Phom tribe of Longleng district, Nagaland, India. J. Med. Plant Studies 4(6): 167-172. Hassan, M.A. and Khan, M.S. 1986. Ethnobotanical record of Bangladesh-1: Plants used for healing fractured bones. J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh Sci. 12(1&2): 33-39. Hassan, M.A. and Khan, M.S. 1996. Ethnobotanical record of Bangladesh-2. Plants used for healing cuts and wounds. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 3(2): 49-52. Heinrich, M., Ankli, A., Frei, B. and Weimann, C. 1998. Medicinal plants in Mexico: healers consensus and cultural importance. Social Sci. Med. 47: 1859–1871. Hossain, U. and Rahman, M.O. 2018. Ethnobotanical uses and informant consensus factor of medicinal plants in Barisal district, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 25(2): 241-55. Islam, S. and Uddin, M.Z. 2022. Study of ethnomedicinal plants used by the local people of Raipura upazila of Narshingdi district. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 29(1): 137-156. ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE 281 Kadir, M.F., Sayeed, S.B. and Mia, M.M.K. 2012. Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants used by indigenous and tribal people in Rangamati, Bangladesh. J. Ethnopharm. 144(3): 627-637. Khatun, M.M. and Rahman, A.H.M.M. 2018. Medicinal plants used by the local people at the village Pania under Baghmara upazila of Rajshahi District, Bangladesh. Discovery 54 (266): 60-71. Kona, S. and Rahman A.H.M.M. 2016. Inventory of medicinal plants at Mahadebpur upazila of Naogaon district, Bangladesh. Appl. Ecol. Environ. Sci. 4(3): 75-83. Mia, M.M.K. and Huq, A.M. 1988. A preliminary ethno-botanical survey in the Jointiapur, Tamabil and Jafflong area, Sylhet, Bangladesh Nat. Herba. Bull. 3: 1-10. Nahar, J., Kona, S., Rani, R., Rahman, A.H.M.M. and Islam, A.K.M.R. 2016. Indigenous medicinal plants used by the local people at Sadar upazila of Naogaon district, Bangladesh. Inter. J. Adv. Res. 4(6): 1100- 1113. Rahim, Z.B., Rahman M.M., Saha, D., Hosen, S.M.Z., Paul, S. and Kader, S. 2012. Ethnomedicinal plants used against jaundice in Bangladesh and its economic prospects. Bull. Pharma. Research. 2(2): 91-105. Rahman, A.H.M.M. 2013. Traditional medicinal plants used in the treatment of different skin diseases of Santals at Abdullapur village under Akkelpur upazilla of Joypurhat district, Bangladesh, Biomed. and Biotech. 1(2): 17-20. Rahman, M.A. 2020 Towards inventory and assessment of plant resources of Bangladesh: Challenges and Prospects. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 6(1): 47-58. Rajmurugan, J., Srineevasan, L., Govindasamy, I., Sathiskumar, S., Priyanka, P. and Mohandass, D. 2016. Documentation of traditional knowledge on medicinal plants of Thirukkanur village, Puducherry region, India. J. Med. Plant Studies 4(5): 44-49. Ramachandrani, S., Fadil, L., Gopi, C., Amala, M. and Dhanaraju, M.D. 2021. Evaluation of bone healing activity of Cissus quadrangularis (Linn), Cryptolepis buchanani and Sardinella longiceps in Wistar rats. Beni-Suef Univer. J. Basic & Appl. Sci. 10(30): 1-9. Sajib, N.H. and Uddin, S.B. 2015. Ethnomedicinal study of plants in Hathazari, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Pertanika J. Trop. Agric. Sci. 38(2): 197-210. Sohel, M.D.D., Kawsar, M.D.H., Sumon, M.D.H.U. and Sultana, T. 2016. Ethnomedicinal studies of Lalmohan gthana in Bhola district, Bangladesh. Altern Integr. Med. 5: 1. Srithi, K., Balslev, H., Wangpakapattanawong, P., Srisanga, P. and Trisonthi, C. 2009. Medicinal plant knowledge and its erosion among the Mien (Yao) in northern Thailand. J. Ethnopharmacol. 123(2): 335- 342. The Plant List, 2013. The Plant List, a working list of all plant species. Version 1.1 . TROPICOS, 2018. Tropicos.org. . Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA. Uddin, M.Z. and Roy, S., Hassan, M.A. and Rahman, M.M. 2008. Medicobotanical report on the Chakma people of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 15(1): 67-72. Uddin, M.Z., Arefin, M.K., Alam, M.F., Kibria, M.G., Podder, S.L. and Hassan, M.A. 2017. Knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants and informant consensus in and around Lawachara National Park, J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh Sci. 43(1): 101-123. Uddin, M.Z., Hassam, M.A. and Sultana, M. 2006. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Phulbari upazila of Dinajpur district, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 12(1): 63-68. Uddin, M.Z., Hassan, M.A., Rahman, M.M. and Arefin, M.K. 2012. Ethno-medico-botanical study in Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Bot. 41(1): 97-104. Uddin, M.Z., Kibria, M.G. and Hassan, M.A. 2015. Study of ethnomedicinal plants used by the local people of Feni district, Bangladesh. J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 41(2): 203-223. Uddin, S.B., Sajib, N.H. and Islam, M.M. 2011. Investigation of ethnomedicinal plants of Subarnachar in Noakhali, Bangladesh. The Chittagong Univ. J. Biol Sci. 6(1&2): 77-86. Uddin, S.N., Uddin, M.Z., Hassan, M.A. and Rahman, M.M. 2004. Preliminary ethnomedicinal plant survey in Khagrachari district, Bangladesh. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 12(1): 63-68. http://www. http://www.tropicos.org 282 SUCHANA et al. Van Wyk, B.E., Oudtshoorn, B.V. and Gericke, N. 1997. Medicinal Plants of South Africa. Johannesburg: Briza. WHO 2001. World Health Organization traditional medicine strategy, 2002-2005. Geneva, pp. 1-52. Yasmin, F. and Rahman, A.H.M.M. 2017. Ethnomedicinal plants used by the Santal tribal practitioners at Sadar upazila of Joypurhat district, Bangladesh. Indian J. Sci. 24(93): 435-453. Yusuf, M., Rahman, M.A., Choudhury, J.U. and Begum, J. 2002. Indigenous knowledge about the use of Zingibers in Bangladesh. J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 26(3): 566-570. Yusuf, M., Wahab, M.A., Choudhury, J.U. and Begum, J. 2006. Ethno-medico-botanical knowledge from Kaulkhali proper and Betunia of Rangamati district. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 13(1): 55-61. (Manuscript received on 20 October, 2021; revised on 10 December, 2022)