Traditional Health Practices among the Tribal Belt of Chhattisgarh, India: An Indigenous Knowledge from Indigenous Peoples

Abstract

Ethnomedicinal practices have a great past and are associated with Ayurveda. It is still the best and cheapest medicinal practice among the tribal people. Due to its holistic, the traditional medicine system provides a new research idea. In this study, we connect the uses of traditional medicinal knowledge to local traditional medicine practitioners by using scientific methodology. The ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in three tribal districts of Chhattisgarh, India i.e., Kanker, Bilaspur, and Jashpur, where 125 informants were identified for interview. The demographic details showed the ages, literacy rates, and experience of informants. The Informant consensus factor, use value, and fidelity level were the major scientific tools used to analyze secondary data. Medicinal plants were categorized into 25 groups according to their medicinal uses. Traditional healers have cited 80 medicinal plant species and 41 different plant families. 31 plant species were used to treat skin and stomach-related health issues. Terminalia bellirica Roxb. has a maximum use value (UV) with a 0.99 score. In our study, we found the highest Informant consensus factor (1.0) for the calculus, hematological and urological ailment categories. The parameter fidelity level was found 100% for Andrographis paniculata, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., Curcuma caesia, Madhuca indica G mel., Terminalia bellirica Roxb. Terminalia chebula, Zingiber officinale Rosc. in this study. we found 79 informants gained indigenous knowledge through vertical transmission.