[24] INDIGENOUS MEDICINAL PLANT KNOWLEDGE AMONG TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF WEST BENGAL: A REVIEW
How to Cite the Article: Saswati Bandyopadhyay & Bishnupada Nanda (2025). Indigenous Medicinal Plant Knowledge among Tribal Communities of West Bengal: A Review. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Reviews. 4(3). 264-274. https://doi.org/10.56815/ijmrr.v4i3.2025.264-274
Abstract
Traditional medicinal knowledge plays an important role in the health care practices of tribal communities, particularly in rural and forested regions where access to modern medical facilities is limited. In West Bengal, tribal communities have long depended on medicinal plants for the treatment of various diseases and for maintaining their cultural and ecological traditions. The diversity of medicinal plants that are used by Tribal Communities of West Bengal in their health care practices; how these medicines are utilized;
and why they are significant, has been reviewed from literature to provide an understanding of this area. A literature review was conducted utilizing Google Scholar for a comprehensive search, resulting in approximately 13,20 records. Following a review of the relevant literature, sixteen studies were chosen. This literature review identified a variety of medicinal plants that have been traditionally used by Tribal Communities of West Bengal to treat many different types of health issues. These include but are not limited to, respiratory issues, infections, and skin conditions. Additionally, there was significant geographic variability among the ecological zones studied.Examples included the plateau zone, the forest zone, the Himalayan zone and the coastal zone. In addition, this literature review noted that Traditional Healers and Community Members continue to utilize Ethnomedicinal Plants and maintain/apply Ethnomedicinal Plant Knowledge. Lastly, it was found that Sacred Grove Conservation is culturally important to the Tribal Communities of West Bengal. Despite the ongoing importance of utilizing Ethnomedicinal Plants as a form of Primary Health Care throughout the rural areas of West Bengal, there remain two major challenges. They consist of inadequately documenting Ethnomedicinal Plants and loss of Biodiversity due to environmental degradation. Therefore, this literature review clearly identifies the need for documenting Ethnomedicinal Plants toconserve them for long term use and future EthnopharmacologicalResearch
