Plants Used for Family Planning and Sex DiseaseTreatment in
Muhammad Ishtiaq
Ch,* M. A. Khan, Amin ullah Shah
Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Plant Taxonomy,
Department of Biological Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam
University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
________________________________________________________________________
Abstract
An ethnomedicinal
systematic exploration of medicinal plants of tribal area of Samahni valley
with an inventory and mode of use is presented in this paper This study was
carried out during the years 2001-2003, in Samahni valley district Bhimber A.K.
(Pakistan), using methods consisting of semi-structured interviews employing a
check list of questions, questionnaires, direct observations and biological
inventories. An exhaustive survey was conducted by frequent planned visits to collect
ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical data, which were being used by tribal people
for population control and sexual diseases. The geographical isolation and
hilly terrain has permitted the survival of folk herbal medicines. The
inhabitants of valley use medicinal plants for ailments of sex diseases; among
these uncommon use of Daucus carota,
Solanum nigrum, Solanum surrattense, Withania somnifera, Bombax ceiba,
Amaranthus viridis and of particular interest is the persistent use of Ficus racemosa, Coriandrum sativum, Setaria italica, Tribulus terrestris, Ceropegia
bulbosa and Ficus bengalensis to
check or produce off springs as in case of family planning respectively. As for
traditional medicines, we report for the first time the use of 36 plant
species, distributed in 26 families, to treat sexual diseases and control birth
rate, in Samahni valley. The most of these plants grow wild (55.55%), are indigenous
(61.11%) and are herbs (52.77%). The plant parts frequently used are seed (22.72
%), root (20.45%), fruit, leaf and whole plant (9.09%) each. Medications are
mostly prepared as decoctions and infusions. Most of curative species reported
here are directed to control family size and treat sexual diseases; Syphilis,
leucohrroea, menorrhagia, amenorrhoea, blennorhoea, haemorrhoids, hydrocoele
and regularise menses. The paper discusses ethnomedicinal uses in qualitative
and quantitative methodology and enlightens how data for ethnomedicinal
inventory of medicinal plants can be used effectively at local and regional
level.
Key
words: Ethnobotany; Ethnomedicines; Family planning; Samahni
valley; Systematic exploration; Azad Kashmir.
Corresponding author.
Tel.:+923205264211
E-mail: Muhammad_ishtiaq2001@yahoo.com
(M. Ishtiaq Ch).
1. Introduction
1.1 Study area and the people:
Systematic explorations of
traditional herbal medicines are urgently required in Samahni
The local tribes harbour the vast diversified
flora which is mainly coniferous and tropical forest. These herbal medicines
are used for population (birth) control and to treat sexual diseases. Traditional
sterilization method based on ethnomedicines is used to
control population growth rate; including abortion at initial weeks, preventing
conception or making the either member of the couple sterile. The tribal people
also use the local herbal remedies to cure sterility and enhance the chances of
conception and to cure sexual diseases leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea,
menorrhagia, galactorrhoea,
and regularise menses on daily basis.
1.2 Why EM knowledge of the area is
documented:
In many developing countries
people mostly rely on EM to treat diseases, because western-based health care
system is inefficient due to poor staffing or because western drugs are
expensive. EM is system of maintaining health and curing diseases based on folk
beliefs and traditional knowledge (TK), skills, methods and practices. As EM
knowledge is being disappearing because of rapid socio-economic, environmental
and technological changes. This means therefore, that local knowledge of EM must
be documented and conserved through systematic studies before it is lost
forever. To date there has been no systematic recording of EM knowledge used to
control birth rate and sexual diseases in Samahni
valley. Systematic studies on the area are justified for important reasons,
they can: (1) generate concise information which can be used to develop birth control
practices and methods that are locally suitable in Samahni
valley, (2) if developed systematically EM can be a key birth control and
sex-related diseases cure resource, (3) can also add new drugs to modern
population control and sex-related pharmacopoeia. The main aim of this study
was to document the plant’s ethnomedicinal uses,
being used to control birth rate and cure sex diseases. So it is important to
study how these tribal people have been using local herbs for control of family
size and cure of many diseases by their traditional EM knowledge, which profound
the aim of this study project.
1.3 Past study on EM
Considerable works which are published on ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical
uses of plants are of; Ahmed, M., and Siraj Din (1996), Al Said, M.S., (1993), Anis, M. and Iqbal,
M., (1994), Bhattri, N.K.,(1993), Delcourt et al
(1960), Haq,
I.,(1993), Hocking (1958), Hussain and Khalique (1996), Jain, S.K.,(1991), Joshi (1995), Katewa and Arora (1997), Katewa and Guria (1997), Khan (1994),
Pie and Manandhar
(1987), Shinwari and Khan (1999), Shinwari (1996), Siddiqui et al
(1988), Zaman (1999). In
2. Methods
The field work for the study was
conducted between June 2001 and June 2003. We used semi-structured interviews,
questionnaire and direct observations to collect data (Martin, 1995). Prior to
any contact with the local people, the study and its objectives were introduced
to the town chairman/officer; this introduction was always repeated when
entering a new administrative area (e.g. town or village). Six key informants
were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule consisting of
checklist of questions. Household respondents were chosen through stratified
sampling. In each town, a respondent was randomly chosen from at least one
village from each parish from the town. In this way 140 household respondents
were interviewed. We administered a questionnaire consisting of
a mixture open- and closed-ended questions in face-to-face interviews.
Some of the farmers and local hakims (ethnomedicine
practitioner) were a little hesitating and reluctant to tell us their local ethnomedicine based treatment methods used for control
family size and cure sex diseases. The asked questions focused on determining
(1) which sex diseases are common in community (2) which herbs are mostly used
for birth control and how these are mostly used. The interviews were conducted
in local language, Pahari
and Panjabi.
The interviews were direct supplemented by direct observations. Plant voucher specimens
(ISB) were collected and deposited at Quaid-e-Azam
university herbarium,
3. Enumerations
Abutilon
indicum (L.) Sweet. Family: Malvaceae
Ln: Kangi ISL: 118
Habit: Undershrub Disease:
Syphilis
Plant Part used: Roots and seeds Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Root extract is taken orally while seeds
are crushed and mixed with egg albumin and applied to penis to cure syphilis.
Acacia modesta Wall. Family:
Mimosaceae
Ln: Phulai ISL: 38
Habit: Tree Disease: Birth pain and body ache.
Plant Part used: Gum and bark Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Women use its gum with Desi Ghee (Butter obtained from buffalo and cow) and Papaver (Papaver somniferum) seeds (mixed together) to make ‘Punjoori’ after child birth, which give relief of labour pain and it provides
potency to women. The tribal
ladies also use its bark decoction and oil of Setaria italica in mixture as conceptive tonic.
Ajuga bracteosa
Wall. ex Benth. Family:
Lamiaceae
Ln: Hari booti ISL: 99
Habit: Herb Disease:
Vomiting due to pregnancy
Plant Part used: Whole plant Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Plant extract is taken in intervals to
prevent unusual vomiting
in initial
days of pregnancy.
Allium sativum L.
Family:
Liliaceae
Ln: Lassan ISL: 203
Habit: Herb Disease: Enhance
conception
Plant Part used: Bulb: Status: C, I
Preparation and administration: The bulb extract is applied in uterus to
enhance conception and fertility.
Amaranthus viridis L. Family: Amaranthaceae
Ln: Chulair ISL: 168
Habit: Herb Disease: Amenorrhoea
Plant Part used: Root Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its root decoction is used thrice a day to control
menstruation problems in females.
Anethum graveolense L. Family:
Apiaceae
Ln: Soya ISL: 28
Habit: Herb Disease:
Galactogogue and indigestion after delivery
Plant part used: Seeds Status: C, Int.
Preparation and administration: Women chew the seeds after delivery for
easy digestion of food and it is also useful as lactogogue.
Azadirachta indica
A. Juss. Family: Meliaceae
Ln: Neem ISL: 31
Habit: Tree Disease: Emmenogogue and contraceptive
Plant part used: Leaf and seeds Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: Leaf extract is made and is used twice a
day to stop excessive bleeding during menstrual period, while seed oil is used
as contraceptive, two hours before copulation.
Bombax ceiba L.
Family: Bombacaceae
Ln: Simbal ISL:
82
Habit: Tree Disease: Hydrocoele, leucohrroea, gonorrhoea and menstrual disorders
Plant part used: Bark and flower Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its
extract of bark is given for few days to cure sexual diseases like hydrocoele, leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea;
its flowers are ground as powder and taken by women with milk to cure menstrual
disorders.
Butea monosperma
(Lam.) Taub. Family:
Fabaceae
Ln: Chichara ISL: 171
Habit: Tree Disease: Leucohrroea and after birth bleeding
Plant part used: Bark and gum Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Fried gum is used in making ‘Halwa’ (a mixture of wheat flour and gum and oil) and given
to women during leucorrhoea. Its ¼th cup of warm extract of bark is given to ladies
as haemostatic after childbirth.
Ceropegia bulbosa
Roxb. Family: Asclepiadaceae
Ln:
Glut ISL: 04
Habit: Herb Disease: Weak
fertility
Plant part used: Tubers Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its raw tubers are cooked and eaten by
ladies to enhance fertility and vitality.
Corchorus trilocularis L. Family: Tiliaceae
Ln: Kaunti ISL: 55
Habit: Herb Disease:
Syphilis
Plant part used: Seeds and roots Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: To cure syphilis decoction of roots is used
for several days, while seeds are powdered and used with root extract of Clematis sp. for one month.
Coriandrum sativum L.
Family: Apiaceae
Ln: Dhania ISL: 43
Habit: Herb Disease: To control
birth rate
Plant part used: Seeds Status: C, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its seeds soaked in water at night and
given to male to produce sterility as an effective and cheaper method of
population control.
Crateva magna (Lour.) D.C. Family: Capparaceae
Ln: Maimana ISL: 78
Habit: Tree Disease: Abortifacient
Plant part used: Stem Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: The stem twig is put inside uterus for
abortion, which occurs within 2-3h.
Daucus carota L. Family:
Apiaceae
Ln: Gajar ISL: 173
Habit: Herb Disease: Abortifacient and emmenogogue
Plant part used: Seeds Status: C, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its seeds decoction is used to regularise menstruation and its high dose is effective for abortifacient.
Echinops echinatus
Roxb.
Family: Asteraceae
Ln: Oont booti ISL:
186
Habit: Herb Disease:
Easy delivery
Plant part used: Roots Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Roots are kept in hand for easy
delivery and relief of labour pain by tribal ladies.
Euphorbia
caducifolia Hains. Family: Euphorbiaceae
Ln: Danda Thor ISL: 176
Habit: Tree Disease: Abortifacient
Plant part used: Roots Status: W, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its root decoction is used as
effective abortifacient at initial stages.
Ficus bengalensis L.
Family: Moraceae
Ln: Bar, Bargad ISL: 55
Habit: Tree Disease: Male
sterility and semen
Plant part used: Latex Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Five or ten drops of latex are taken with
sweet (patasa) by men up to one or two months to make
semen thick and regain sexual potentiality.
Ficus racemosa L. Family: Moraceae
Ln: Pakwari
ISL:
280
Habit: Tree Disease: Birth
rate control
Plant part used: Bark Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: The decoction of bark is used to check
spermatogenesis and oogenesis for few weeks to
control the population growth.
Hibiscus
rosa-sinensis L. Family: Malvaceae
Ln: Gul Khaira ISL: 15
Habit: Under shrub Disease: Genital
irritation/ Urithritis
Plant part used: Root Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its root decoction is used to cure Urithritis and genital irritation in penis of men.
Justicia adhatoda L. Family:
Acanthaceae
Ln: Baiker ISL: 136
Habit: Shrub Disease: Abortifacient.
Plant part used: Root Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its roots decoction is taken twice
daily as powerful abortifacient for seven days.
Nerium
oleander L. Family: Apocynaceae
Ln: Gandera
ISL:
131
Habit: Shrub Disease: Abortifacient
Plant part used: Roots Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Roots extract is taken in minute
quantity for abortion at initial stages, but its high dose is poisonous.
Ocimum basilicum L.
Family: Lamiaceae
Ln: Baburi
ISL:
101
Habit: Herb Disease: Sexual
sterility and strangury
Plant part used: Seeds Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its seed extract is taken orally by
men to increase sexual potency, while its juice (made from mixing its seed
extract and raw sugar) is used to cure strangury.
Onosma bracteatum
Wall. (Syn: O. macrocephala D. Done) Family: Boraginaceae
Ln: Gao
zaban ISL: 213
Habit: Herb Disease: Syphilis and
sexual potency
Plant part used: Whole plant
Status: C, I
Preparation and administration: The decoction of whole plant is
orally taken for relief of syphilis and with gum of Phulai
(Acacia modesta)
is eaten for one month to gain sexual potency by women.
Pinus wallichiana A.B.
Jacks. Family:
Pinaceae
Ln: Chir ISL: 65
Habit: Tree Disease: Gonorrhoea,
blennorhoea and Potency
Plant part used: Leaves and Seeds Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its leaves decoction is used to
cure gonorrhoea, blennorhoea
and as blood purifier also. Its cones give seeds called chalkgoza,
which are eaten to get potency and vigour.
Putrangiva roxburgii Wall. Family: Euphorbiaceae
Ln: Jia-putra
ISL:
233
Habit: Tree Disease: Weakness
of neonate
Plant part used: Fruit Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: A garland of its fruit is put around neck of
pregnant lady to produce healthy baby and then put it around neck of neonate
for few months to recover neonate’s weakness.
Solanum surattense
Burm.f.
Family: Solanaceae
Ln: Mokari ISL: 93
Habit: Herb Disease: Abortifacient
Plant part used: Fruit and root Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its fruit is used as abortifacient at initial stages. It is boiled and taken two
cups of soup at night, while its root decoction is used to treat haematuria.
Setaria italica
(L.) P.Beauv. Family: Poaceae
Ln: Kangni ISL: 11
Habit: Herb Disease: Sexual
potency.
Plant part used: Seeds Status: C, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its seeds crushed and mixed
with ghee as in form of a cake, and eaten to get sexual vigor and potency.
Solanum nigrum L.
Family: Solanaceae
Ln: Mako ISL: 12
Habit: Herb Disease: Abortifacient
Plant part used: Whole plant Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Whole plant is boiled and
extraction is taken orally as abortifacient and foetus is discharged in short time. .
Tecomella undulata
(Roxb.) Seem. Family: Bignoniaceae
Ln: Rohira/ Palwana ISL: 264.
Habit: Tree Disease: Abortifacient and haemorrhoids
Plant part used: Bark and seeds Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: The bark is powdered and is
used with hot milk for few days for abortion. Its seeds are crushed with
extract of Pinus
leaves, and taken to cure haemorrhoids.
Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague. ex Turrill.
Family: Apiaceae
Ln: Ajwain ISL: 176
Habit: Herb
Disease: Scanty
menstruation
Plant part used: Seeds
Status: SW, Int.
Preparation and administration: The powdered seeds are mixed
with Gor (Raw sugar) and Desi
ghee (Butter) and taken orally once a day for three days by ladies having scanty
menstruation and to regularise it. It is also used to
clear uterus and regularise menstrual cycle after
birth.
Tribulus terrestris L.
Family:
Zygophylaceae
Ln: Bakhara ISL: 188
Habit: Tree Disease: Impotency
Plant part used: Mucilaginous
infusion Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its mucilaginous infusion is boiled
with milk and taken at to cure sexual impotency and weakness.
Vitis vitiginea
(L.) Theob. Family: Vitaceae
Ln: Gangli angoor ISL: 198
Habit: Herb/ climber Disease: Leucorrhoea, menorrhagia
Plant part used: Tuber Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Extract of tuber is taken
in sexual diseases. For men, it increases potency, in females it is given in
leucorrhoea and menorrhagia.
Withania coagulans
(Stocks.) Dunal. Family:
Solanaceae
Ln: Paneer dodi ISL:
149
Habit: Herb Disease: Swellings pain of testis
and emmenogogue Plant part used: Fruit and Leaves Status: SW, I
Preparation and administration: Its fruit infusion is used by women as emmenogogue
and galactogogue. Leaves are crushed and pasted on testis to get relief from
swellings pain.
Withania somnifera
(L.) Dunal. Family: Solanaceae
Ln: Asgand ISL: 30
Habit: Herb/under Shrub. Disease: Abortifacient, haemostatic,
hydrocoele, leucohrroea, menorrhagia, sexual impotency and sterility.
Plant part used: Leaves, roots and whole plant.
Status: SW, I
Preparation and administration: Leaves extract one cup three times a day is
used to stop blood flow from uterus after delivery. Its root powder is used to
give power to body and lumber. But over dose may be abortifacient. Some times
whole plant decoction with root of Aspergus
officinalis, seeds of Phaeoleus mungo and silageet stone are
mixed and given to treat hydrocoele, leucorrhoea, menorrhagia and it also
increases sexual potency and fertility.
Zingiber officinale Roscoe. Family: Zingiberaceae
Ln: Adrak ISL: 282
Habit: Herb Disease: Delivery
pain
Plant part used: Tuber Status: C, Int.
Preparation and administration: Its dried tuber
powder is given to women after delivery as tonic to relief flatulence and
delivery pain with all dishes in first two weeks.
Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight. & Arn. Family: Rhamnaceae
Ln: Koken ber ISL: 181
Habit: Tree Disease: Scanty
Oogenesis
Plant part used: Fruit Status: W, I
Preparation and administration: Its fruit is
powdered and dipped in water and kept over night. Women take this extract at
morning to increases oogenesis.
Abbreviations used: ISL= voucher number assigned to specimen deposited
at Herbarium,
Ln: Local name, W: wild, C:
cultivated, SW: semi wild, I: indigenous,
Int: introduced, EM: ethnomedicines
4. Results
and discussion
4.1 Plant
species used for family planning:
Thirty six plant species
distributed in 26 families are used as ethnomedicines to control birth rate and
sex-related diseases. Most of these families are dichotomous except Pinaceae
(Gymnosperm), Liliaceae and Poaceae (monochotomous). The families with the largest
plant species used for birth control as used in ethnomedicinal prescriptions
are Solanaceae and Apiaceae with four species each, Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae,
Moraceae, Malvaceae have two plants each, while remaining families are
represented by one plant each. The two families Solanaceae and Apiaceae have
the highest diversity of species used as ethnomedicines because they contain
relatively more species than other families in the area. In the present
traditional EM study of local plants as; Daucus carota, Solanum surrattense,
Solanum nigrum, Tecomella undulata and Justicia adhatoda are usually
used as abortifacient to control birth rate in initial stages, while Amaranthus
viridis, Trachyspermum ammi are used to regularize menstrual cycle. The tribal
ladies use decoction of bark of Acacia modesta and oil of Setaria italica as conceptive while Azadirachta indica oil is
effective as contraceptive. Ficus racemosa is used to check
spermatogenesis and oogenesis, Coriandrum sativum seeds are used to check
spermatogenesis. Some plants as Setaria italica, Tribulus terrestris,
Ceropegia bulbosa and Ficus bengalensis are used to increase fertility both
in male and female. Ziziphus nummularia is used to increase oogenesis
and Ceropegia bulbosa is used by women to increase potency, Ficus
bengalensis and Tribulus terrestris are used to enhance sexual
potency in men.
4.2 Common
sexual diseases and treatment:
The local people mentioned some
sex-related diseases as; gonorrhoea, leucohrroea, menorrhagia, syphilis,
hydrocoele, vomiting due to pregnancy, menstruation disorders, genital
irritation (Urithritis), swelling of testis, weakness of neonate, scarcity of
milk and sexual impotency and their conditions. Some these diseases described
by tribal people indicated the symptoms/local names of diseases (Table 1).The
naming of diseases by local people when compared to western medicines system,
at times did not distinguish between diseases and symptoms of diseases. This is
because that local disease nomenclature is based on symptoms of diseases, where
as under western system, diseases are named according to aetiological
information. For treatment
tribals use; Hibiscus rosa-sinensis to cure genital irritation of
penis in men, Withania somnifera, Bombax ceiba and Vitis vitiginea
are used to cure sexual diseases such as hydrocoele, leucorrhoea, and
menorrhagia while Zingiber officinalis is useful to cure of flatulence
and delivery pain. Trachyspermum ammi
is used for regularising menses after delivery, Setaria italica is good for sexual weakness, Onosma bracteatum, Corchorus trilocularis and Abutilon indicum are effective against syphilis, Ocimum basilicum for sex-potency, Ajuga bracteosa for cure of vomiting at
initial days of pregnancy, while for treatment of leucohrroea and hydrocoele Butea monosperma and Bombax ceiba are oftenly used.
Fig.1.Characteristics of plants used as ethnomedicines in Samahni valley
(n= 36).
(a) Management status. (b) status of origin (c)
growth habit (d) plant parts used (sd=seed, rt=root, lf= leaf, fr= fruit, w.pl=
wild plant, tbr=tuber, bk=bark, g/m=gum/mucilage, st=stem, lx=latex, bb= bulb,
fl= flower)
The main attributes of plants
used for birth control and sex diseases treatment are that the plants grow wild
(55.55%) , are indigenous to Samahni (61.11%) and are mainly herbs (52.77%; fig.1).
The most frequently employed plant parts are seeds (22.72 %), followed by roots
(20.45%) and leaves and fruit (9.090 %) each (fig.1). The practice of
exploiting perennial plant parts, such as roots of slow growing woody species,
can result in a decline, both the size and distributions of populations of
exploited plants species, and ultimately results in local extinction of these
populations (Cunningham, 1993; Sheldon, et al., 1997; Dhillion and Amundsen,
2000). Generally aims at conserving plants can be improved, if the species
selected has many different uses, as multiple uses can motivate people to conserve species( Aguilar
and Condit , 2001; Etkin, 2002).
Table 1 Some sex-related diseases of the study area:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
English gloss Local name f
________________________________________________________________________________________________
|
Amenorrhoea |
haiz ki bandish |
85 |
|
Blennorhoea |
biari boo |
81 |
|
Leucohrroea |
Lokoro |
77 |
|
Hydrocoele |
Mongoota |
65 |
|
Abortion |
Tohroo |
59 |