According to the 2011 census, India is inhabited by 104 million people classified as tribal (i.e. ~ 8.6% of the country’s population) who belong to more than 550 tribal communities and approximately 277 ethnic groups. Tribal communities have fully submitted to the forest environment and as a result of living so close to nature they have acquired, over the years, unique knowledge about the use of local resources. Since they possess valuable knowledge about the specific use of a large number of wild plants, they could almost be considered as the true custodians of medicinal plants. There is a growing understanding of the critical role that medicinal plants play in providing herbal remedies for health ailments. According to a study by the All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology (AICRPE), tribes are reported to use more than ten thousand species of wild plants to meet their primary health care and food needs. In addition, there are approximately eight thousand varieties of medicinal plants used by more than two million traditional healers to treat ailments of both humans and livestock. Traditional medicine, passed down from generation to generation, is rich in domestic recipes for common illnesses. The best-known examples of traditional medicine, differing in concept and protocol, are well-developed systems, such as Ayurvedic and herbal treatments, which have been widely used to maintain human health, especially in tribal regions of India.
1. Bhokar / Shelti: cure kidney stones, diarrhea and stomach problems.
2. Karvand: a rich source of iron, phosphorus and vitamin C
3. Pathari: for ichthyosis (peeling of the skin), xeroderma (dry skin). The roots are crushed and the extract is used
4. Kadu kand: Well-cooked bulb slices can be consumed to relieve stomach pain, while heartwood paste is used to heal wounds.
5. Tetu: given to women to treat leucorrhea and menorrhea.
Traditional medicine: links with maternal and child health
Traditional medicine is essential and has contributed greatly to the health care of both mother and child in tribal regions. The Jawhar block in the Palghar district, Maharashtra, is a tribal block that has rich biodiversity, especially rice varieties that have specific characteristics and uses. Tribal farmers have cultivated various varieties of rice for purposes such as food security, instant energy supply during peak workload, and medicinal use. This wonderful diversity of rice has formed the basis of a safe and nutritious diet for vulnerable groups of the tribal population, namely mothers, pregnant and lactating women and young children.
Several ongoing studies carried out by NGOs such as the BAIF Development Research Foundation in different tribal belts of Maharashtra found a number of rice varieties that have specific medicinal properties and uses. For example, a variety of rice called ‘Mahadi’ has multiple health benefits; one of them is to cure weakness in women after pregnancy. Other varieties of rice include Rajghudya and Kali Kudai (used to increase breast milk in lactating women); Kali Khadsi (for the growth and nutrition of the child); Kasbai (used for misting, which provides instant cough relief) and Dangi (used for instant energy boost), among others.
In addition, traditional kitchens serve as internal storage for medical supplies. Tribal regions lack adequate health centers. Therefore, most child deliveries take place at home and not in a hospital. The institutional delivery rate is slowly increasing, but there is still a long way to go before this becomes the rule rather than the exception. Since most deliveries take place at home, traditional birth attendants play an important role in tribal regions. One of the practices carried out by midwives in the villages is to use materials such as cow dung as a disinfectant in the house that helps keep various diseases at bay. The various home remedies, mostly herbal, for mother and child are also predominantly prescribed. Restoring the mother to her original physiology is a challenge that native healers often take on.
Loss of habitat: a threat to traditional medicine
An imminent threat to the further proliferation of traditional medicine is the rampant loss of habitat. Unregulated harvesting of wild products along with ecological degradation leading to resource depletion and landlessness by tribes (and even those who have land are continually losing their lands to the government or private corporations) are some of the the factors that pose a serious and growing threat to the population. preservation of indigenous foods and traditional medicinal plants.
In addition, there has been a gradual erosion of indigenous varieties, especially rice biodiversity. Most of the indigenous rice varieties are being replaced by high-yielding varieties. These high-yielding varieties have not resulted in any dramatic increases in yield in this region. Most farmers, especially resource-poor tribal farmers, cannot afford the expensive, high-quality fertilizers that are normally recommended in conjunction with these varieties.
Tribal healers: erosion of traditional knowledge and threat to livelihoods
In addition to the above, there has been a gradual loss of practical knowledge of traditional medicine and healing practices in tribal regions over the past two decades. This has resulted in the poor health of the most vulnerable sectors of the tribal population. Many factors contribute to this erosion of knowledge. The most pressing problems related to this erosion of knowledge are: a) lack of incentives and recognition. For example, scientists and researchers collect data and publish their studies, but often do not give due credit to healers. In addition, Ayurvedic and allopathic pharmaceutical companies extract knowledge for research and development purposes, but do not often share the profits with tribal healers; b) lack of adequate documentation of knowledge about traditional healing practices; and c) broken intergenerational links (which affect the diffusion of ancestral knowledge and traditions from the previous generation to the younger generation), among others.
Tribal healers are known to use their own health care systems with plant and animal extracts. However, in the recent past, factors such as aversion to following low-income traditional healing practices; gradual shift towards more lucrative alternative livelihoods; An increased reliance on non-traditional healing practices and the high degree of incursions from modern medicine are threatening the proliferation of traditional medicinal traditions. Native tribal healers are precious, but they are still a neglected bunch.
Traditional medicine is essential and cost-effective (relative to hospital care) and ensures the self-reliance of medical care due to increased dependence on local biodiversity. It should get the much needed boost.
Furthermore, most traditional healers lack the legal authority to heal. Herbal healers must be identified and honored. These forgotten heroes must be incorporated into India’s formal healthcare system so that unhindered services are available to those in need in the villages. Also, eliminating unskilled healers is equally important. These healers serve the innermost and underserved tribal regions. Therefore, appropriate regulations and government policy actions and support would help rationalize traditional healing practices.
Since state-run health systems based on modern medicine cannot address the gigantic health challenges in the country, coupled with the acute shortage of resources and well-trained health personnel to effectively care for all and each, it is imperative to recover traditional healing practices. wheels Sharing traditional knowledge, conserving rich biodiversity and increasing focus on tribal healing practices through greater recognition of traditional healers and thus ensuring their livelihood is the need of the moment. Furthermore, providing a much-needed boost to time-tested traditional medical practices is relevant to ensuring better healthcare for all sectors of society, especially the most vulnerable sector in the country’s tribal belts.
