Ethnobotanical study of antilithic plants of Bhopal district.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Since urolithiasis is the third most common disease, found throughout the world, with a prevalence of 1-5% in Asia and two stone belts have been identified in India, one of which includes the study area, so an ethnobotanical study was conducted in and around the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, India to investigate the range of plant species used in the treatment of urolithiasis.
Materials and Methods: Survey was undertaken in 75 villages of four directions of the Bhopal district and in the 3 herbal fairs that were organized in this area during the study period. Interviews were conducted with 304 people in whom 270 people were of villages in the four directions while 18 were traditional medicine dealers or Ayurveda consultants and 16 were knowable people.
Results: Total 67 plant species belonging to 40 families were encountered during the study. The most predominant families in terms of number of species were Asteraceae and Papilionaceae with 5 species each. In the four directions, the people of eastern direction were found to have maximum knowledge of antilithic plants, but the Ayurveda consultants and knowable people were found to have much more knowledge than all the general people of the villages. Nine plant species, namely, Citrullus lanatus Thunb.(Cucurbitaceae), Malva sylvestris L. (Malvaceae), Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth (Liliaceae), Bauhinia variegata L. (Caesalpiniaceae), Dolichos uniflorus L.(Papilionaceae), Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae), Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. (Asclepiadaceae), Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. (Plantaginaceae) and Piper longum L. (Piperaceae) was not found to be previously mentioned for the treatment of lithiasis. Boerhaavia diffusa L. was found to have the highest use value. On the basis of habit of these plants, herbs constituted 41.79% of the total plant species used.
Conclusions: From this study, it can be concluded that complete ethnobotanical knowledge can be gained only when thorough literature survey along with field survey with respect to common man, traditional medicine dealers or Ayurveda consultants and knowable people has been extensively undertaken. This study will help in making the people aware about the selected plants or other suggested plants for use in lithiasis.
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