The use of Plants in Traditional Health Care Practice: An Ethnomedicinal Survey at Mymensingh Sadar and Shambhuganj Area in Mymensingh District of Bangladesh

The present ethnomedicinal survey was conducted to comprehend the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the Kavirajes of Sadar and Shambhuganj area, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Informed consent was obtained and interviews were conducted with the help of a structured questionnaire. This study provided a preliminary evaluation of sixtyseven plant species used by Kavirajes for treatment of various diseases. These medicinal plants belong to fortyfour families. The Fabaceae family provided the largest number of species followed by the Apiaceae, Combreteaceae, Lamiaceae, Solanaceae and Zingiberaceae. The various plant parts used for treatment comprised of whole plants, leaves, stems, roots, barks, flowers, fruits and rhizomes. The findings revealed that the use of above-ground plant parts particularly leaves was higher (77.61%) compared to the under-ground plant parts (13.43%). Whole plants were also used (8.96%) in some cases.