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Kala CP. Aboriginal uses and management of ethnobotanical species in deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh state in India. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2009 Aug 4;5:20. PMID: 19653889; PMCID: PMC2729299.

Chandra Prakash Kala of the Indian Institute of Forest Management reports on a comprehensive ethnobotanical survey of rural Surguja, a biodiverse region of rich deciduous forests in the Chhattisgarh state of central India. 

The people of this region have developed herbal remedies over centuries, perhaps millennia, for a number of tropical maladies. Here’s one extract from the article, in which Kala discusses plant products used for cobra bites, scorpion stings, and mosquito protection:

"Many species of snakes including cobra were found in the study area, and snakebite was one of the frequent problems. In case of snakebite, the person was treated by some specialized expert, who used some plant species and also chanted some spiritual words while curing snakebite. Diospyrus melanoxylon Roxb., Elaeodendron glaucum Pers., and Garura pinnata were some of the important plant species used for curing snakebite. Similarly, the scorpion bite was treated by using the leaf paste of Achyranthus aspera L., and tuber of Urginea indica Kunth. The Surguja district is a mosquito prone area, and death by malarial fever is a common phenomena. The local people spend most of the time in the forest for rearing of their livestock, collection of fuelwood, fodder, medicinal and edible plants. To keep mosquito away from their body, they rubbed leaves of Chloroxylon swietenia DC. on the exposed body parts and also put its twigs on the head and back."

Kala documents 73 ethnobotanical species used as medicines, food, tonics, dyes, beverages, fish poisons, and mosquito repellent. She also proposes screening and standardizing compounds according to medicinal potency and nutritive values, and developing sustainable harvesting and production practices that make fair-trade use of local resources and knowledge rather than exporting plant products in raw forms. [Read the article.]

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine malaria conservation

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Chang FY, Lu CL. Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome using complementary and alternative medicine. J Chin Med Assoc. 2009 Jun;72(6):294-300. PMID: 19541564

A thoughtful and enlightened review of CAM practices used by patients with irritable bowel syndrome, by researchers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine in Taipei.

From the abstract:

"Unfortunately, none of the currently available drugs … are globally effective in treating all IBS symptoms, and the advanced receptor-targeted drugs are not always successfully and safely marketed. Consequently, more than half of patients may seek complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat the annoying bowel symptoms. Physicians have considered these CAM measures to have an "enhanced placebo effect". For example, many herbal medicine and plant products are globally used to treat IBS, whereas their efficacies are often inconclusive because of small sample sizes, inadequate data analyses and lack of standardized preparations. Meta-analyses do not establish their true efficacy. Acupuncture has long been employed by patients themselves to treat functional gastrointestinal disorders with satisfactory response, but its effect on IBS does not seem to be promising. Peppermint oil, melatonin and clay-like materials are effective in treating some IBS symptoms, while their true pharmacology remains enigmatic."

CAMWatch: Posts about free-access, peer-reviewed articles on aspects of complementary medicine theory, practice and policy (about the blogger).This blog is not a source for medical advice.

technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine irritable bowel syndrome

Comments and Links Appreciated!