Ethnomedicobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used for the treatment of reproductive problems in Nalbari district, Assam, India

Journal of Ethnopharmacology Available online 19 July 2017 In Press, Accepted Manuscript Journal of Ethnopharmacology . Author links open the author workspace.SimiTalukdara. Numbers and letters correspond to the affiliation list. Click to expose these in author workspace. Author links open the author workspace.Partha PradipAdhikarib. Numbers and letters correspond to the affiliation list. Click to expose these in author workspace. Author links open the author workspace.AnantaBorahc. Numbers and letters correspond to the affiliation list. Click to expose these in author workspace a Department of Environmental Science, Arunachal University of Studies, Namsai-792103, Arunachal Pradesh, India b Genoine Research Laboratory Pvt. Ltd., Subhash Nagar, Karimganj, Assam-788710, India c Department of Botany, Birjhora Mahavidyalaya, Bongaigaon-783380, Assam, India Received 4 April 2017, Revised 5 July 2017, Accepted 17 July 2017, Available online 19 July 2017.Show less https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2017.07.024Get rights and content Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Reproductive problems are evolving as most predominant health care problems in many countries, furthermore, WHO, 2012 exemplified maternal illnesses, birth asphyxia and post birth difficulties, are rising at an alarming rate.Not all abnormalities of the human reproductive system have the same origin; the effects on reproductive problems would likely be affected by both male and female. For easy accessibility and affordability medicinal plants play a key role in primary healthcare care services in India and their use is an integral part of the cultural heritage. However, our growing understanding of the human reproductive problems; segregated and scanty herbal medication practices are available for such treatments. Aim of the study To document the local name of medicinal plants used by both male and female by indigenous knowledge for the treatment of reproductive ailments, to explore their biological and pharmacological evidence and to address the class of secondary metabolites present therein. Materials and Methods The results stem from an array of information collected by interviews of traditional medicinal practitioners conducted, September, 2015 - April, 2016 in three villages, namely Jaha, Niz-Bahjani and Madhupur of the southern Nalbari district, Assam. Both semi-structured and open-ended interview schedule was carried out with purposively selected individuals and focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted in three sites selected for this study. Systematic analysis of fidelity level percentage (FL %), preference ranking percentage (PR %) and formulation scoring (FS) are calculated. Electronic databases such as Google, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were also used to search existing pharmacological citations. Finally, preliminary chemical profiling for PR % ≥ 65 was analyzed. Results A total of 71 plant species belonging to 48 families and 64 genera are reported to be used for the treatment of several reproductive problems such as, infertility in male, impotence, erectile dysfunctioning, retrograde ejaculation and sexual potency in men and in women, aphrodisiac, metrorrhagia, infertility, dysmenorrhea and/or post birth difficulties, under mono (57), di (17) and poly (8) herbal formulations. Herbs (40.85%) were reported as the most common lifeform, whereas leaves (22.54%) and the roots (22.54%) were the commonly used plant parts against different ailments. Extracts of Abroma augusta (stem) (FL: 66.67%, PR: IM-77.33%, L-65.33, FS: 2), Morinda angustifolia (bark) (FL: 64.29%, PR: L-68%, FS:1), Hodgsonia heteroclita (fruit) (FL:63.64%, PR: IF-65.33, FS: 0.25) and Hibiscus mutabilis (stem) (FL: 40%, PR: IM-68%, IIM: 65.33%, IML-68%, FS:2) were selected for further phytochemical analysis. Conclusions Of the 71 plants used for reproductive healthcare management system, the highest number of plants was used for the treatment of irregular menstruation (22) followed by infertility (in both men and women) (19), vaginal disorder and leucorrhoea (9) and sexual potency (8). The preliminary chemical profiling, exhibited for the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, flavonoids and phytosterols, in maximum concentrations. This data is an important resource for the discovery of many bioactive principles. Graphical abstract Unlabelled figure Download high-res image (179KB)Download full-size image Keywords Reproductive problemssemi-structured interviewopen-ended interviewfocus group discussionphotochemical analysisbioactive compounds