CHAPTER 10
ETHNOMEDICINE FOR SKIN DISEASES IN INDIA
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
The review deals with 583 species of plants covering 419 genera and 135 families used by different tribes living throughout India for curing a variety of skin ailments. They are used in curing 34 skin diseases under 904 ethnomedicinal practices. Azadirachta indica and Jatropha curcas cures a maximum of 9 skin ailments each followed by Abutilón indicum, Argemone mexicana, Callicarpa macrophylla, Datura metel, Lawsonia inermis each curing 7 ailments and others. As many as 27 plants cure 5-9 skin diseases. Of the 904 practices 789 involve single plant only and the rest 115 involve a combination of one to seven plants. Detailed phytochemical and pharmaco- logical studies are needed to determine the effective constituents and characteristic biological activity.
10.1 INTRODUCTION
Primitive man gets much enthusiasm towards green plants and started to examine the property of using plants by trial and error and obtained different beneficial properties. Later he became enriched with the knowledge of many useful and harmful plants. His enriched knowledge has been transferred from one generation to another without any written documents. Much of the information about the medicinal value of plants has come from the knowledge gathered by the aboriginals since the tribes mostly inhabit forested and hilly terrains. The familiarity with plant species producing medicines, essential oils and insecticides dates back to the beginning of civilization. They must have tested the plant resources of the earth and the knowledge thus gained must have been retained by their ancestors.
In India the scheduled tribe population is 84,326,240 constituting about 8.2% of country total population of 1,026,103,289 belonging to over 550 tribal communities and 227 ethnic groups. They inhabit about 5000-forested villages and about 15% of countries geographical area is occupied by them. They are spread over varied geographic and climatic zones of the country. The skin is the largest in the human body. It is the first line of defense against hostile environment, being waterproof and germ- proof. The inflammatory skin disorders include a range of rashes and lesions that cause irritation and inflame the skin, viral skin problems and fungal infections.
10.2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Sinha et al. (1996) dealt with 27 ethnomedicinal plants belonging to 24 genera and 19 families of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for curing various skin disorders among the tribes Jarawas, Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onges, Nicobarese and the Shompens. Nayak et al. (2004) provided information on the use of plant crude drugs for various diseases used by Paraja, Kandha, Kutia kandha, Tekeria and Jhadia tribes of Kalahandi district, Orissa. Ayyanar and Ignacimuthu (2005) reported the use of 14 plants to cure skin diseases by the Kani ethnic group in Tirunelveli hills of Tamil Nadu. Jeeva et al. (2007) described 30 plant species belonging to 29 genera and 22 families used in the treatment of skin diseases in south Travancore, southern peninsular India. Bhattachaijee and Chatterjee (2007) reported 10 plant species used for skin diseases by the Oraon tribe of North 24 Paraganas district of West Bengal. The study of Wayanad district, Kerala by Nisha and Sivadsan (2007) resulted in 62 species of plants used by tribes (Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Kattanaikans, Kadans) for curing various skin diseases. Lal and Singh (2008) communicated information on 18 plant species belonging to 14 families used by the Lahaula and Bhotia communities for curing different skin disorders in Himachal Pradesh. Prashantkumar and Vidyasagar (2008) described 26 plant species of 25 genera belonging to 16 families used by the Kadukuruba and Lambani folk of Bidar district, Karnataka for the treatment of skin diseases. Das et al. (2008) studied medicinal plants used by Jaintia, Riang, Chorai, Hrangkhol, Mizo, Vaiphei paite, Karbi, Naga and Kuki tribes of Cachar district, Assam for curing various ailments. Silja et al. (2008) revealed the use of 136 plant species for traditional medicinal purposes by the Mullu kuruma tribe of Wayanad district, Kerala. Kingston et al. (2009) reported 30 plant species belonging to 29 genera and 22 families for treating skin diseases in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Raju et al. (2010) recorded 104 species of plants belonging to 91 genera and 49 families used by the Konda reddi tribe of Andhra Pradesh for curing various skin diseases. Shukla et al. (2010) studied 166 plant species used against different diseases including skin disorders by the tribes Gond, Kol, Baiga, Panica, Khairwar, Manjhi, Mawasi and Agaria of Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh. Shah et al. (2011) reported 54 grandmas’ prescriptions for skin ailments in Valsad district, Gujarat. Manjula and Reddi (2015) reported 77 species of plants covering 68 genera and 37 families used for treating scabies and skin diseases by the Koya, Lambada, Gond/Naikpod, Yerukula, Nayak and Konda reddi tribes of Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh. A study on ethnomedicinal plants used for skin diseases by the Bagata, Gadaba, Khond, Konda dora, Konda kammara, Kotia, Mali, Muka dora, Porja and Valmiki tribes of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh resulted in 51 species of plants covering 49 genera and 39 families (Babu and Reddi, 2015). Suneetha and Reddi (2015) dealt with 67 species of plants covering 59 genera and 36 families used for curing skin diseases by the Konda reddi, Konda dora, Koya dora, Konda kammara, Konda kapu, Manne dora and Valmiki tribes of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. The present review provides folk prescriptions of botanical origin for treating some of the cutaneous elements like acne, alopecia, allergy, anemia, blisters, boils, bruises, burns, carbuncle, cuts, dandruff, eczema, excoriation, heel cracks, herpes, itches, leprosy, leucoderma, pimples, psoriasis, scabies, scurvy, tumors, ulcers, whitlow and wounds.
10.3 ENUMERATION
The plants are arranged in a tabular form in alphabetical order with botanical name followed by practice and reference (see Table 10.1).
10.4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The present review deals with 583 species of plants covering 419 genera and 135 families used by different tribes for curing a variety of skin diseases ranging from acne to wounds. Fabaceae is the dominant family with 40 species followed by Euphorbiaceae (31 spp.); Asteraceae (24 spp.); Apocynaceeeae, Caesalpiniaceae, Mimosaceae (each 22 spp.); Lamiaceae (18 spp.); Verbenaceae, Poaceae (17 spp. each); Malvaceae, Rubiaceae (16 spp. each); Solanaceae (15 spp.); Cucurbitaceae, Acanthaceae (14 spp. each); Convolvulaceae (13 spp.); Rutaceae (11 spp.); Moraceae, Asclepiadaceae (9 spp. each); Arecaceae, Zingiberaceae (8 spp. each); Amaranathaceae, Liliaceae, Combretaceae, Menispermaceae (each 7 spp.); Anacardiaceae, Sterculiaceae (each 6 spp.) and others ranging from 1-5 species. The plants have been presented with their botanical name, method of preparation, dosage and mode of administration. Five hundred and eighty three (583) plants are used in curing 34 skin diseases under 904 ethnomedicinal practices. Azadirachta indica and Jatropha curcas cures a maximum of 9 skin ailments each followed by Abutilon indicum, Argemone mexicana, Callicarpa macrophylla, Datura metel, Lawsonia inermis each curing 7 ailments; Acacia catechu, Aegle marmelos, Aloe barbadensis, Cassia alata, Curcuma longa, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Mallotus philippensis, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Zanthoxylum armatum each curing 6 diseases; Ageratum conyzoides, Cassia fistula, Cocos nucífera, Datura innoxia, Eclipta prostrata, Heliotropium indicum, Holoptelea integrifolia, Leonotis nepetaefolia, Psoralea corylifolia, Tamarindus indica, Vernonia albicans each curing 5 ailments and others ranging from one to four. As many as 27 plants are used in curing 5-9 skin diseases. Of the 904 practices 789 involve single plant only and the rest 115 involve a combination of one to seven plants in addition to the original one; 67 practices involve one plant, 29 involve two plants, 14 involve three plants, 3 involve four plants, and 1 involve five and seven plants each. They are administered either in the form of ash, curry, decoction, infusion, juice, latex, mucilaginous jelly or gum, oil, paste, poultice, powder, pulp or sap along with either alum, ant eggs, bee wax, butter, butter milk, camphor, castor oil, cheese, coconut oil, cold water, cow ghee, cow milk, cow urine, egg albumen, feathers of peacock, garlic, goat milk, honey, hot water, jatropha seed oil, lime juice, mustard oil, palm oil, pepper, pongamia oil, salt, sesame oil, sugar candy, turmeric or wine. Large number of plants or their parts are used singly to treat the skin diseases given a clue of their use in combination with other suitable plants and the resultant experiences can be exploited in future practices by the vaidhyas for effective cure of the skin diseases.
TABLE 10.1 Ethnomedicinal Plants Used for Skin Diseases
FIGURE 10.1 (1) Arisaema tortuosum, (2) Aristolochia indica, (3) Asclepias curassavica, (4) Asparagus racemosus, (5) Bauhinia variegata, (6) Breynia retusa.
FIGURE 10.2 (7) Capparis zeylanica, (8) Couropita guinensis, (9) Entada rheedi, (10) Mirabilis jalapa, (11) Pueraria tuberosa, (12) Rauvolfia tetraphylla.
FIGURE 10.3 (13) Sansieveria roxburghiana, (14) Solanum nigrum, (15) Terminalia bellirica, (16) Terminalia chebula, (17) Thysanolaena maxima, (18) Wrightia arborea
Most common route of administration was external application. Common methods of obtaining medicinal plants were from the wild and cultivation. The collection, identification and documentation of ethnomedicinal data on biological resources are inevitable steps for bio-prospecting. The green wave all over the world is pushing the knowledge of primitive societies on the ascending spirals. These will straightway lead remarkable discoveries from the world of plant-based ethnomedicines. Folklore medicine in India has developed through the knowledge passed on orally from generation to generation. The earlier medicine men were reluctant to part with their knowledge on account of superstitions and other related factors but this has changed gradually in recent times. They freely discuss and exchange their views and ideas with them. Such cooperation is helpful in documenting the ethnic skills and has added many novelties to the medicinal wealth of India. After the advent of synthetic drugs, the attention towards herbal cure eclipsed for a time during the revolution of these allopathic medicines. Again people around the world became aware and attracted towards herbal therapy.
The same plant may not be used for curing the same skin disease in different parts of India but it may be used to cure some other skin ailment. Sometimes even if it is used for the same disease the plant part may be varying. The present study represents a contribution to the existing knowledge of folk remedies that are in current practice for treatment of skin diseases, which happens to be the most common ailment amongst tribal population because of their unhygienic habitat. Once the efficacy of these herbal drugs in treating skin diseases is scientifically established, the popularization of these remedies can be recommended in Indian healthcare system for wider application, since these plants are well within the reach of the tribal masses.
10.5 CONCLUSION
The detailed phytochemical and pharmacological studies are however required to determine the effective constituents and characteristic biological activity of these potential medicinal plants in the field of dermatology. Skin being delicate and sensitive part of the human body its tolerance to herbal applications varies from individual to individual and as such these applications must be used with utmost care.
KEYWORDS
- Burns
- eczema
- leprosy
- psoriasis
- ringworm
- scabies
- skin diseases
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