Folkloric knowledge of medicinal plants: an account of eight folk herbalists in Comilla district, Bangladesh

Besides regular folk medicinal practitioners, folk medicine is also practiced by elderly people and rural women, who through practical experiences or anecdotal evidences have gathered knowledge on medicinal plants. Usually the knowledge is limited to a few plants and treatment of a few diseases. The objective of this survey was to document the medicinal practices of eight such folk herbalists (FH) practicing in various villages of Comilla district in Bangladesh. Five of the folk herbalists were women and three males. In between them, the herbalists were observed to use a total of 22 plants. It was further observed that the folk herbalists differed in the type of diseases treated and the medicinal plants and formulations used. Our study highlights the necessity of conducting surveys among such folk herbalists or part-time traditional medicinal practitioners to obtain a comprehensive view of medicinal plants used in Bangladesh.