INTRODUCTION:

The incorporation of traditional and modern evidence-based medicine as integral parts of a country’s formal health care system is most likely to be achieved and has been demonstrated to be practicable in many countries, particularly in Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and India.¹There is also a general belief that the remedies used in traditional medicine are safe and more readily acceptable by the body.² There is a great diversity in the plants used in traditional medicine; the diversity varies with local cultures and tradition.³It is stated that ethnopharmacological information is an important tool in drug discovery⁴.Recently role of ethnopharmacology in drug discovery is very well expressed.⁵ It is discussed with several approaches to select higher plants as candidates for drug development with the greatest possibility of success.

The role of information derived from various systems of traditional medicine and its utility for drug discovery purposes is discussed in detail.⁶ Over 227 ethnic groups of people residing in about 5000 villages of India. In many countries scientific investigation of medicinal plants have been initiated because of their contribution to health care. It is the urgent need of time to collect information about ethnomedicinal uses of plants by tribal population. Recently various ethnopharmacological studies have been conducted to explore the knowledge about medicinal plants from various tribal communities. The present ethnopharmacological investigation have been undertaken on Baiga tribe as this tribe is the most primitive tribe inhabiting in the forest areas of Mandla district. This tribe have been selected as there are few reports^7,8.9

LIFE STYLE OF BAIGA:

The anthropological study of Baiga tribe is reported.^{10; 11This} is the most primitive forest tribe of the district. They speak their own language which is a mixture of Chhattisgarhi and Gondi language. They still practice shifting cultivation (bewar), traditional medicine system and their formidable hunting prowess.

AREA UNDER STUDY:

State and Coordinates	Madhya Pradesh (India); Latitude 22.6262° N, Longitude 80.5438° E
Tehsils	Niwas, Narayanganj, Mandla, Ghugari, Bichiya, Nainpur
Area	8771 sq.km.
Villages	1,221
Total Population	1,054,905
Tribal Population	610,528
Tribal Population (%)	57.88%
Forest Area	2830 sq.km.
Total forest area (%)	48.79%
Study Area:-16 Villages of Mandla Tehsil	Baja, Bakora, Chargaon, Dhenko, Gwara, Hirdenagar, Kanhari, Khari, Khursipar, Kudopani, Ludhiya, Mungli, Purwa,Simariya, Tikariya, Umariya
Distance from Bhandara:Road& Train	225 km. and 240 km.

Their appearance is what differentiates them from the other people, tattoos among the women, piece of cloth covering the head that serves as a turban and similar dressing pattern all help in making them easily recognizable to the outsider. Long face, elegant features, small hands and rarely a trace of body hair, the Baigas are an object of envy for the other tribal in the area. Above all, it is their hair that sets them apart. They have magnificent, wavy hair and they allows their hair to grow very long and ties it in a bum or a jura. Though they have normally very dark skin albeit a few have been known to possess light and golden brown appearances. Women prefer to wear just a lugra (women’s garment).Women use tattoos for ornamental significance and many an elaborate design can be found on their body that they feel make them look beautiful. The tribe has now been almost completely assimilated into the Hindu religion.They live in simple houses not much decorated and surrounded by the meagre collection of livestock and poultry that they own. Their hut may have a simple bed made usually of bamboo, some utensils, battle axes (pharsa); axe (tangia) and the sickle (hasia).

They are avid smokers. Often while speaking with them, one of them would start rolling a tendu (Diospyrosmelanoxylon) leaves and fill tobacco from his pouch and begin smoking. They are legendary drinkers of an alcoholic beverage manufactured from the corolla of the mahua (Bassialatifolia) tree. They have strong religious and cultural affinities with mahua and use it to drown their sorrow or enjoy a feast. They takes coarse food and shows no extravagance in this aspect. They eat coarse grain, kodo (Paspalumscrobiculatum), and kutki (Panicummiliare), eat little flour (Triticumaestivum) and pulses. One of the prime foods is Pej that can be made from the water left from boiling rice. Also, beyond doubt they eat several wild vegetables, fruits, tubers corms and rhizomes. They kept bows and arrows in houses still occupying a place of pride amongst the meagre household’s assets.

The medicine man is known as Gunia/Vaidha who is one of the most respected people in the village. He is well known in the knowledge of wild herbs and many medicinal plants.

METHODOLOGY:

The present study was carried out among 16 villages of Mandla tehsil indicated in Map.During year 2014 & 2015 field visits were conducted in the villages. The traditional healers or medicine men locally known as Gunia/Vaidha were interviewed. Good rapport was established with them in order to reveal their secret knowledge about plants. They were cross questioned to know about real medicinal uses. The herbarium specimen was prepared and voucher specimens are deposited in the herbarium of P G Department of Botany, J M Patel College, Bhandara. The plant was identified using the floras. Questions about the use of medicinal plants were asked using classical means of ethnobotanical analysis.^12,13The photographs of plant and method of drug preparation were taken from Nikon Camera (see Figure II)The reported medicinal use of plant is accepted because majority of healers from different villages have narrated the same information.

The main objective of the paper is to assess validity of medicinal uses of leaves of LN on the basis of ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological profiles hence a comprehensive literature survey was conducted through e-library facilities.

The uses of stem, flowers and seeds of LN have not been taken into consideration because author want to focus only on the uses of leaves and thus want to limit the literature so as to avoid distraction. Most of the existing texts on ethnopharmacology and ethnobotany deals only with medicinal uses of plant ignoring their chemical and pharmacological aspect. A large number of chemical and pharmacological studies need to be reviewed which will help in assessment of validity of herbal drug. Thus medicinal claims ascribed to a plant are need to be validated by such approach will certainly provide a rationale to medicinal uses of plant. Keeping this approach in mind the author have supplemented a text of chemical and biological profile of plant. It is necessary to examine similarities of phytochemicals between reported plant and other taxa. This is very important aspect which should be taken into consideration while examining validity of medicinal plant because similar chemical analogue may show same or different biological activities. Similarity of bioactive phytochemicals and there structure-activity relationship gives us an important clue about medicinal properties of plant.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION:

A slender, erect, rigid, leafy herb 1-3 feet high; stem terete, striate, glabrous or pubescent; branches often numerous in the upper part, ascending, terete, more or less pubescent. Leaves very variable in size, sessile, usually 1-3 by 1/8-1/2 inch (sometimes much larger, reaching 6-7 inch long), oblong-lanceolate, acute, entire or serrulate, rough or scabrid with short appressed hairs on both sides, pale beneath, dialated and with rounded auricles at the base. Heads ¼ - ¾ inch in diameter on long slender paduncles. Involucre bracts slender, erect, linear, acute, more or less hairy and with membranous margins, the outer much the shorter. Ray flowers 12-24, much longer than the involucre; ligules yellow, narrow, 3-toothed at the apex, revolute. Pappus of ray-flowers absent, of disk-flowers scanty. Achenes 1/30 – 1/25 inch long, pale, terete, sparsely hairy¹⁴

Commonly growing as a weedon plains and paddy field. Flowers bright yellow. Flowering and fruiting from November to April.

RESULT:

ETHNOMEDICINAL USE: Vicoaindica,

Asteraceae, Local name: Pivli, Herbarium Sheet No: 1473, Plant Part Used: Whole Plant; One cup aqueous fresh juice of plant is used to cure dysentery. Leaves extract is applied on skin infections.

Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile

Ethnomedicine

Phytochemistry

Pharmacology

Whole plant extract used for cough, fever and skin diseases¹⁵

Roots paste is used collagen on facilitating rapid healing and flowers juice used for pimples¹⁶

Root paste administered orally and root is kept as an amulet work as an antidote for snakebite¹⁷

Antifertility activity, scorpion sting, throat disorders¹⁸

Leaf is boiled in water and the decoction isadministered orally to cure indigestion and dysentery¹⁹

Leaf juice administered twice a day for 15 days to cure asthma²⁰

Antiviral³⁷

3’5,6-trihydroxy-4’,7-dimethoxyflavone isolated²¹GermacranolideVicolide D reported²²

4’,5,6-Trihydroxy-3’7-Dimethoxy Flavone present²³

Four Vicolides–sesquiterpenoides²⁴

Vicolides A,B, C and D –sesquiterpene lactones²⁵

Sesquiterpene lactone²⁶

Vicogenin 28-nor-12-oleanene-2β,3β,16β,23-pentol; Triterpenoid and 28-nor-12-oleanenepentol reported²⁷

5-(3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl)-1-piperdionopent-2,4-dien-1-one²⁸.

Vicogenin-2α,3β,16α,17β,23-pentahydroxy-28norolean-12-ene triterpenoid²⁹

Vicodiol³⁶

Antibacterial activity against -Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia,Salmonella typhi, Vibrio parahaemo-lyticus,V. cholera, Bacillus subtilisand Streptococcus pneumonia³⁰

Antiinflammatory And Analgesic Actions Of 4’,5,6-Trihydroxy-3’7-Dimethoxy Flavone²³

Four vicolides (sesquiterpenoides) were evaluated against three keratinophilic fungi, viz., Microsporumgypseum, Chrysosporiumtropicum, and Trichophytonterrestris. All the test fungi were found to be sensitive to vicolides. Vicolides A and C showed the maximum efficacy while B and D exhibited moderate activity. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was observed in the range of 15.62-125 micrograms³¹

Vicolides A,B, C and D, the sesquiterpene lactones exhibited antiinflammatory activity against cotton pellet granuloma in rats at dose level of 10 mg/kg body weight, sc. Highly significant activity was observed with Vicolides C and D²⁵

Contraceptive activity³².

Antifertility activity in rats³³.

Epilupeol and Epilupeol acetate which exhibited pronounced antiviral activity against Ranikhet disease virus (RDV) in chick embryo³⁴

The antifertility activity of the plant was tested in proven fertile bonnet monkeys³⁵

DISCUSSION:

The main objective of the present discussion is to establish rationale behind medicinal uses reported by Baiga tribe and uses reported in published ethnobotanical/ ethnopharmacological reports.

The Ethnomedicinal use for the purpose of cough, fever and skin diseases¹⁵ reported get supporting evidences because antibacterial and antibacterial activities are reported³⁰The use of root as a antidote for snake bite does appears to be a magico-religious belief. The antifertility activity¹⁸finds supporting evidence because similar activity in animal models^{33, 34, 36}. Herb to cure indigestion and dysentery ¹⁹appears to be valid because antibacterial activity³⁰ have been reported on this plant. The root is used as antiviral activity³⁷ finds scientific base as similar activity is reported ³⁵The report of use of leaf juice as anti-asthma does not find any support from phytochemical and pharmacological reports.

CONCLUSION:

Due to paucity in chemical and pharmacological work it is difficult to establish rationale behind some uses therefore it is strongly advocated to carry out chemical investigation on this plant so as to discover new active secondary metabolite.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The author is thankful to Principal Dr.VikasDhomne for providing basic infrastructure to carry out present work.

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Received on 13.07.2017 Modified on 23.08.2017

Res. J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochem. 2018; 10(3):207-210.

DOI: 10.5958/0975-4385.2018.00033.X