medicinal plants used by the tribals for hair disorders in melghat
TRANSCRIPT
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Medicinal plants used by the tribals for hair disorders inMelghat forest of Amravati district, Maharashtra
IPC Code; Int. c1.7-A61K7/06,A61K35/78
Keywords: Hair disorders, Herbal remedies, Melghat tiger reserve forest,Ethnomedicine.
sources are an integral part of human
health care system because of major
concern about synthetic drugs and their
side effects and toxicity.Many of the life
saving drugs in present day of allopathic
system are obtained from plant origin
only.Data on the plant uses including the
D M Sakarkar1*, U M Sakarkaf2, N M Sakarkar3, V N Shrikhande4, J v Vyas4 and R S Kale4
lSakarkar Building, Namuna Lane - 2, Amravati444 601, Maharashtra2ChaitanyaAyurvedicMedical College, Sakegaon, Bhusawal, Maharashtra
3p' G. T. D. Home Science, AmravatiUniversity,Amravati 444 602, Maharashtra
4VidyabharatiCollege of Pharmacy, Camp, Amravati444 602, Maharashtra*Correspondent author, E-mail: [email protected]
'-~--"~~-'-'------'~----------------- - - - medicinal ones have been systematically
gathered and compiled by many workers.Gadgil and Vartakl-3 studied most of the
plants from sacred groves of the Western
Ghats. Godbole et al4 studied vegetable
drugs. Jain5 has laid more emphasis oncertain less known and unrecorded uses
of plants. Saxena and Vyas6have reportedon infectious diseases from tribal areasof Banda district. Chute and Tiwari7 have
reported on indigenous ethno-medicinal
plants from tribal region of Bhandara andGadchiroli district of Maharashtra State.
Hair loss, dandruff, discoloration
of hairs, etc. are common hair disorders
which may occur due to heredity, older
age, lack of nutrition, use of
chemotherapeutic agents, infections (suchas worms, lice, scabies, dandruff and
eczema) and use of synthetic products
(soaps, shampoos and hair oils). The
Abstract
Products from natural sources are an integral part of human health
care system because there are major concern about synthetic drugs owing to
their side effects and toxicity.The present study is an attempt to investigate the
medicinal plants used for hair disorders by tribal women community based inthe Melghat forest of Amravati district. 1\venty four plant species belonging to
22 families of ethnomedicinal interest are recorded after survey and critical
screening.
Indian medical system advocates
the use of medicinal plants as drug source.
Drugs obtained from plant origin occupyimportant position in different
pharmacopoeias. Products from natural
Introduction
Natural Product Radiance Vol 3(5) September-October 2004
present study is an attempt to investigate
the medicinal plants used bytribal women
community for hair disorders in the
Melghat forest of Amravati district.
Melghatis the tiger reserve forest
in Amravatidistrict of Vidarbha region inMaharashtra Stateincluded in Chikhaldara
and Dharni tahasil. Its total area is about
2027.41 sq kIn which lies between the
meridians oflongitudes 76° 57' to 77° 30'
East and between the parallels of latitude
21° 15' to 21° 45' North. Melghat tiger
reserve forest is divided into twenty-two
villages. In these area tribals like Balai,
Korku, Nihal and Gond are dispersed in
small pockets where adequate formalmedical facilities are not available even
today. They solely depend onethnomedicines for the treatment of
different diseases. The estimated tribal
population of the tribes in Melghat tigerreserve forest is 8027.
Ethnomedicinal survey
An extensive ethnomedicinal
survey was conducted in the rural and
tribal pockets of Melghat wild life area,
which include places like Madizadap,Raipur, Semadoh, Makhala, Pili, Memana,
Kund,Churni, Pastalai, Vairat,Matur, Rora
Mangia, Adhao, Dhakana, Koha, Dolar,
Bori, Kelpani, Dhargad and Gullarghat.
The roadside localities were covered byvehicle to studythe plants while places like
Gullarghat, Matur and Mangia weretraveled on foot. The data presented arebased on first hand information collected
during July 2000 to June 2003. The
information was collected by holding a
group discussion with tribal women (15
50 years old) having knowledge of herbalmedicine for hair disorders. The collected
plant specimens have been authenticated
at Chaitanya Ayurvedic Medical College
Sakegaon, Taluka Bhusawal, District
Jalgaon, Maharashtra.
Plant species used by the tribalsare mentioned in Table 1 with their
botanical and vernacular names, family
and plant parts used in various hairdisorders.
Conclusion
Perusal ofliterature indicates that
Melghat tiger reserve forest in Amravati
district of Maharashtra Stateis botanically
underexplored. Thepeculiar geographicalposition and physical features of the
district gives idea to a large extent the
extreme isolation of tribes. People in the
area are dependent on limited agriculture
land and local plant products. Their
immediate contact and dependence onnature has led to the development of
curious knowledge, which ultimately isreflected in traditional culture, folklore,
local belief and religion. It was observedthat amongst 24 species included in this
paper some species of plants likeSapindus trifoliatus Linn. syn. S.laurifolius Vahl, Acacia sinuata(Lour.) Merrill, Bacopa monnieri(Linn.) Penn., Hibiscus rosasinensis Linn., Azadirachta indicaA. Juss, Aloe barbadensis Mill.,Lawsonia inermis Linn. and
Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) StandI.
are used extensivelyfor hair disorders by
tribals living in Melghat forest.
The ancient Indian system ofmedicine needs verification on modern
scientific basis. An attempt to blendancient and modern sciences as well as
art could be fruitful and such attempts
must be carried out on sound scientific
basis. It is very necessary that researchers
and the professionals look seriously at
complementary and alternative modalitiesof herbal remedies for hair disorders
available from plant origin used by thetribes in Melghat forest. Hopefully, some
of the new uses and substitutes will be fully
studied through experimental and clinical
research, which may lead to development
of commercial products.
Acknowledgement
The authors are thankful to all
staff of the Melghat tiger reserve forest
office, Amravati, for providing necessary
information and field survey.
References
1. GadgilM and Vartak YD, 1975a, The
sacred groove of Western Ghat inIndia, Econ Bot, 1975, 30, 152.2.
Gadgil M and Vartak VD, 1975b,
Studies on sacred groove along theWestern Ghats from Maharashtra andGoa, tale of belief's and folklore, In:Jain S K (Ed) Glimpses of IndianEthnobotany, Oxford and IBHPublishing Co.,NewDelhi, 1975,272.3.
Gadgil M and Vartak VD, Sacred
groove of Maharashtra, an inventory,In: Jain S K (Ed) Glimpses of IndianEthnobotany, Oxford and IBHPublishing Co.,NewDelhi, 1981,279.4.
Godbole S,Pendse Gand Bedekar VA,
Glossary of VegetableDrugs, I. D. R.A, Pune, 1996, 71.5. Jain SK, Manual of Ethnobotany,
Natural Product Radiance Vol 3(5) September-October 2004
ethnomedicinal plants used by tribalpeople of Bhandara and Gadchiroli
DistrictsofMaharashtra State,IndianJ Nat Prod, 1999, 15, 3.
diseases from tribals of Banda
District, J Econ Taxon Bot, 1981,2, 191.
Scientific Publishers, jodhpur, 1987,26.
6. Saxena AP and Vyas KN,
Ethnobotanical records on infectious 7. Chute GS and Tiwari V], Indigenous
Table 1: Plants used by tribals for hair disorders in Melghat
Botanical name/ Family Local nameParts usedMethod of use/type of hair disorder~
_w_. ~~- '" -- - --
Acacia sinuata (Lour.)
ShikakaiFruitsAbout 40-50 fruits are boiled in 250 ml of water
Merrill (Mimosaceae)for half an hour and foam obtained is applied
on scalp to wash hairs.Allium cepa Linn. (Liliaceae)
KandaBulbjuice of squeezed bulb is applied on scalp toremove dandruff and kill lice.
Aloe barbadensis Mill.
KorphadPulpPulp of leaves is applied on hairs for(Liliaceae)
three hours to make hair silky.
Annona squamosa Linn.
SeetaphalSeedsPaste of seeds is applied on scalp for six(Annonaceae)
,hours to remove dandruff and kill lice.
Azadirachta indica A.Juss.
NeemSeeds & LeavesSeeds are crushed, mixed in sesame/til oil and(Meliaceae)
boiled for one hour. It is then applied onscalp to remove dandruff and kill lice. juice ofleaves is also applied on scalp to removedandruff.
Bacopa monnieri (Linn.)
BrahmiLeavesLeavesare soaked in til oil for three
Penn. (Scrophulariaceae)days and then boiled for one hour. This
preparation is massaged on scalp to prevent hairfall.Balanites aegyptiaca (Linn.)
IngoriyoFruitsFruits are soaked in water for three hours and
Delile (Balanitaceae)foam of fruits is applied on scalp to wash hairs.
Brassica campestris
SarsavSeedsPaste of seeds is applied on scalp to remove
Linn. (Brassicaceae)
dandruff.
Cicer arietinum Linn.
ChanaSeedsFlour (besan) is mixed with buttermilk and
(Fabaceae)
applied in the form of paste on scalp to washhairs and to remove lice and dandruff.
Natural Product Radiance Vol 3(5) September-October 2004 . 353
Botanical name/ Family Local nameParts usedMethod of use/type of hair disorder
Derris indica Bennet syn.
KaranjSeedsSeeds are crushed and boiled in mustard oil.
Pongamia pinnata Pierre
The oil is applied on scalp to remove dandruff
(Fabaceae)and fungal infection.
Eclipta alba (Linn.) Hassk.
BhangroLeafLeaves are soaked in til oil overnight and
(Asteraceae)boiled for one hour. The oil is applied on scalp
to remove dandruff and fungal infection.Emblica officinalis Gaertn.
AmlaFruitsFruit powder soaked in til oil and then boiled at
(Euphorbiaceae)80-90°C. Prepared oil is applied on scalp and
massaged well to prevent hair loss.Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn.
JasudFlowersAbout 20-25 fresh flowers are crushed and
(Malvaceae)(Jaswand)boiled in 200 ml of til oil for one hour. The oil
is applied on scalp to prevent hair fall and toblacken the hairs.
Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.)
DudhieFruitsFruits are crushed and soaked in til oil
StandI. (Cucurbitaceae)overnight. Boiled for half an hour, then applied
on scalp to prevent hair fall and to cool thehead.Lawsonia inermis Linn.
HeenaLeavesPowder of leaves is soaked in buttermilk
(Lythraceae)(Mehendi)overnight along with a pinch of tea powder in an
iron pot. The paste obtained is applied on scalpto blacken the hair. The henna dye is kept onscalp for five hours. Then washed with water.Linum usitatissimum Linn.
AlsiSeed oilSeed oil is applied on scalp to remove dandruff(Linaceae)
and kill lice.
Mangifera indica Linn.
MangoSeeds50 g of dried seed powder and lOOg dried(Anacardiaceae)
(Amba)Henna powder are added in 500 ml of water
(in iron pot) and boiled for half an hour so thatthe paste is formed. The paste is applied to thehairs for three hours to provide dyeing effect.Melia azedarach Linn.
Bakan limbdoSeedsAbout 30-35 seeds are crushed and boiled in
(Meliaceae)250 ml of water and applied on scalp to remove
dandruff and kill lice.
Natural Product Radiance Vol 3(5) September-October 2004
Botanical name/ Family Local nameParts usedMethod of use/type of hair disorder
Pennisetum typhoides (Bunn.f.) Bajro
SeedsPowder of seeds is soaked in water and appliedStapf. & C.E.Hubbard (Poaceae)
on scalp to kill and remove lice.
Ricinus communis Linn.
ArandiFruitsSeed oil is applied on scalp and massaged to
(Euphorbiaceae)prevent hair loss.
Sapindus trifoliatus Linn.
RitJiaFruitsAbout 20-30 fruits are boiled in 200 ml of
~.R laurifoliusVahlwater and applied on scalp to wash hairs.
(Sapindaceae)Sesamum indicum Linn.
TilSeed oilSeed oil is applied regularly on scalp and(Pedaliaceae)
massaged well to prevent hair fall and forlong life of hairs.
Tinospora cordifolia
Galo1\vigsThe fresh twig is crushed and soaked in water
(Willd.) Miers. emend. Troupinovernight and filtered. The liquid is drunk to
(Menispermaceae)prevent hair fall. This procedure is continued
for one month for good result.Wtex negundo Linn.
NagodLeaves100 g of leaves are soaked in til oil overnight
(Verbenaceae)~".•.
and then boiled for half an hour. Prepared oil is
used for massaging scalp to prevent the hair fall .
Natural Product Radiance Vol3(S) September-October 2004 . 355