Traditional Asian medicine and leprosy in Bangladesh

Bangladesh covers an area of 147,570km², a little more than the size of Greece. It extends from 20°34N to 26°38N latitude and from 88°01E to 92°41E longitude. In Bangladesh, leprosy is among the major health challenges with 9% of the population estimated to be affected. This study focuses on the people affected by leprosy (e.g. patients, families, and tribal communities), and beliefs about its causes, prevention and treatment. In addition to the government supported allopathic health services and Bangladeshi Medicine System, people also consult a range of other traditional practitioners and religious healers. We conducted an ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by traditional practitioners and religious healers of Bangladesh. A total of 36 plant species were collected, which were used to treat leprosy. These plant species (with parts used given in parenthesis) included Zingiber officinale (tuber or tuber root), Jatropha gossypifolia (seed, fruit), Pandanus odoratissimus (whole plant), Cajanus cajan (leaf, seed), Tinospora cordifolia (whole plant), Calotropis procera (leaf, gum, flower), Nigella sativa (seed, fruit), Costus speciosus (whole plant), Sonneratia apetala (leaf, fruit), Solanum surattense (whole plant), Derris indica (seed, leaf), Plumbago indica (whole plant), Ricinus communis (seed, fruit), Terminalia arjuna (bark, fruit), Cynodon dactylon (whole plant), Bombax ceiba (seed, root), Azadirachta indica (leaf, stem), Madhuca latifolia (whole plant), Hibiscus esculentus (seed, fruit), Centella asiatica (whole plant), Glycine max (seed, fruit), Terminalia catappa (fruit, seed), Piper nigrum (whole plant), Luffa acutangula (seed, fruit), Acalypha indica (whole plant), Terminalia belerica (seed, fruit), Senna alata (whole plant), Sesamum indicum (seed, fruit), Lantana camara (whole plant), Ruellia tuberosa (whole plant), Nerium indicum (seed, flower), Ficus racemosa (leaf, fruit), Ocimum tenuiflorum (whole plant), Curcuma longa (tuber or tuber root), Cereus grandiflorus (whole plant), and Diospyros peregrina (seed, fruit). The study of leprosy in Bangladesh is especially important because of the greater acceptance of people with leprosy than in surrounding Asian countries (e.g. Myanmar, Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, and Bhutan) where leprosy remains among the most feared and stigmatized conditions. Project support received in part by the Peoples Integrated Alliance and SHACO—Health & Education Society.

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