The Lost Glory of Folk medicine
Abstract
Folk medicine is significant source of Ayurvedic, Unani, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Medical herbalism. Folk medicine incorporates crude medicinal herbs, decoctions and infusions and syrups. Folk medicine is still practiced by some vendors, hakims and vaids in remote areas and some folk preparations are of surprisingly high curative value. A large proportion of the population in a number of developing countries still relies on traditional practitioners, including traditional birth attendants, herbalists and bonesetters and on local medicinal plants to satisfy their primary health care needs. Vincristine and vinblastine, the potent anti cancer drugs were derived from folk plant, Vinca rosea (periwinkle) used traditionally for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Today herbal medicine is making dramatic comeback and scientists are turning to natural products for answer to ailments like cancer, Aids, hepatitis and rheumatoid arthritis. The article reviews the history and possible role of folklore drugs in modern drug industry.
Keywords: Folk medicine/ Medicinal herbs/ Natural
products).
Alternative
systems of medicine have become increasingly popular in recent years. It is
very difficult to define such systems because of their diverse origins and
different beliefs. A broad, generalizable definition of such systems is widely
accepted: “Systems of medicine not taught in the medical schools”. They
include a number of systems like homeopathy, acupuncture, traditional remedies,
herbal medicine, etc. A study from the
Traditional medicine
has maintained its popularity in a number of Asian countries, such as
During
the last decade, there has also been a growing interest in traditional and alternative
systems of medicine in many developed countries. One-third of American adults
have used alternative treatment and 60% of the public in the
A genuine interest in various traditional practices now exists among practitioners of modern medicine and growing numbers of practitioners of traditional, indigenous or alternative systems are beginning to accept and use some of the modern technology. This will help foster teamwork among all categories of health workers within the framework of primary health care. The reasons for the inclusion of traditional healers in primary health care are manifold: the healers know the sociocultural background of the people; they are highly respected and experienced in their work; economic considerations; the distances to be covered in some countries; the strength of traditional beliefs; the shortage of health professionals, particularly in rural areas, to name just a few.
Medicinal
plants are the oldest known health-care products. Their importance is still
growing although it varies depending on the ethnological, medical and
historical background of each country. Medicinal plants are also important for
pharmacological research and drug development, not only when plant constituents
are used directly as therapeutic agents, but also when they are used as basic
materials for the synthesis of drugs or as models for pharmacologically active
compounds.
The history of the
relationship between products from living plants and healing medications goes
back to the very beginnings of medicine itself, from 3700 B.C.
Folk healers are unlicensed but not necessarily untrained. Like
physicians, they pursue their specialties, learning by observation and
imitation. Often healing is considered a gift that runs in a family and is
passed down from mother to daughter or from father to son. The ability to set
bones, for example, is thought to be hereditary as is the power to stop
bleeding. Charms are often recited by the healer and jealously guarded.
Faith healers make use of prayer and touch
to treat disease. Most other healers use some combination of prayer, charms,
and rubbing or massage; or they prescribe herbal teas or decoctions of animal
parts and vegetables. There are also magical rituals, or procedures, such as
pulling a person through the cleft of a tree or a bramble bush to be divested
of disease. Then there is putting a bag containing a mixture of worms and human
hair under a threshold to cause disease. The person who steps over the hidden
bag will get ill because folk healers can cause disease as well as cure it.
Herbal medicines were used with magical practices, sometimes alone. Many of the herbs used by the American Indians--such as datura, coca, cinchona, curare, cascara sagrada, and the like--are now used as drugs in modern scientific medicine. Herbal medicines are assuming greater importance in the primary health care of individuals and communities in many developing countries and there has been an increase in international trade in herbal medicines. However, in most countries the herbal medicines market is not adequately regulated, and the products are therefore unregistered and often not controlled by regulatory bodies.
Chinese medicine has also continued many traditional practices. Most of
the knowledge of early Chinese medicine has been gleaned from the Yellow
Emperor's Nei Ching
(Classic of Internal Medicine), which formerly was thought to date from before
the year 2000 BC but is now
believed to be from the 2nd century BC. Artemisinin, a potent Antimalarial drug was derived from Artemisia
annua, a plant traditionally used in
Indian medical systems, among them the ancient science of Ayurveda,
have always been aware of the medicinal value of plants. To cite but one
example, for at least 2500 years before the West recognized the medicinal
properties of the Rauwolfia serpentina (sarpagandha) root, used by folk healers
to calm violently disturbed patients. In the 1940's Indian scientists isolated
the active substances from rauwolfia and discovered its added benefit as a
remedy for high blood pressure.
The Madagascar periwinkle with its pink/white flowers is a hardy
perennial that grows without fuss in countless Indian gardens. So persistent is
the flowering that the shrub has come to be known as sadabahar, meaning `ever
bloom'. In the 1950's, the periwinkle yielded some alkaloids, particularly
useful in the treatment of leukaemia. Great piles of crushed periwinkle leaves
are now exported from
In 1500 B. C. Hippocrates, a
Greek physician, prescribed leaves and bark from willow tree to relieve fever
and pain. In 200 B.C, native people of
Folk medicine describes a drug Ati-bala [confirmed to be Sida rhombodifolia] to be most powerful immnunomodulator and modern investigations prove that the drug, stimulates phagocytosis, acts as anticomplementary agent, immune stimulant and hypoglycemic. According to the latest development the drug has been found to be effective in enhancing immunity in AIDS patients.
Plaunotol isolated from Croton sublyratus is a potent ulcer-healing
agent. A number of plant derivatives have shown anti-Aids activity. Ancistrocladus korupensis (michellamine-b), Caulophyllum langigerum (calanolide), Caulophyllum
teymani (costatolide), Homalanthus nutans (prostratin), Conospermum
species (concurvone) are the medicinal herbs from African countries find
application in research for exploring a suitable cure for Aids. All these drugs
are derived from African folklore.
Bacopa monniera is a medicinal herb used in ancient system of medicine, Ayurveda. Recent clinical research has highlighted the role of the herb as ‘brain tonic’. Bacopa monniera is mentioned in old texts as Medhyarasayana [in allusion to brain tonic]. Initially there was confusion regarding the identity of the drug. The drug is widely prescribed by folk healers in loss of memory. Saponins known as bacosides are the active principles of the herb.
With onset of scientific research in herbals, it is becoming clearer
that the medicinal herbs have a potential in today’s synthetic era, as numbers
of medicines are becoming resistant. According to one estimate only 20% of the
plant flora has been studied and 60%of synthetic medicines owe their origin to
plants. Ancient knowledge coupled with scientific principles can come to the
forefront and provide us with powerful remedies to eradicate the dreadful
diseases.
In
References
1.
Eisenberg DM, Kessler RC, Foster C, Norlock FE,
Calkins DR, Delbanco TL. Unconventional medicine in
the
2.
Malhotra S, Bhatia GS, Pandhi P. Patterns of use of
unconventional therapies in the medical outpatient department of a tertiary
care hospital in
3.
PDR for herbal medicines. First edition.
4.
Bisset NG, ed. Herbal drugs and phytopharmaceuticals.
A handbook for practice on a specific basis.
5.
Ackerknecht, Erwin H.
Medicine and Ethnology: Selected Essays.
6.
7.
Schmid B, Heide L, The use of Salicis
cortex in rheumatic disease: phytotherapie with known
mode of action? In: PM 61(Abstracts of 43 rd Ann Congr):
94. 1995.
8.
Kapoor LD. CRC Handbook of Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants.
9.
Anonymous. Indian
Herbal Pharmacopoeia Volume 1. Worli, Mumbai: Indian Drug Manufacturers
Association, 1998.
10.
11. Nadkarni K. Indian Materia Medica
vol 1,
Address for correspondence:
Medical &Research Executive
House No: 2101 Phase-7
MOHALI -160062.
Email amritpal2101@yahoo.com