LIFE STYLE OF BAIGA:

The anthropological study of Baiga tribe reported by^{10, 11}The name "Baiga" means "sorcerer, medicine man" and is applied in this sense to the priests. The Baigas are the most primitive forest tribe of the district.They speak their own language which is a mixture of Chhattisgarhi and Gondilanguage . They have own idea of their origin closely resembles our history of the creation. Nanga and his wife Nangi, the ancestors of the whole human race, had two sons who married their sisters; from the elder of them is sprung the baiga caste, while the younger is the progenitor of the rest of the human race. They still hold to their ancient ways and exhibit primitiveness in the anthropological sense. Their culture, the association with the forest, low levels of literacy and close bonding with nature make them a special people.. The characteristics which made them special, namely the cult of magic, shifting cultivation (bewar), traditional medicine system and their formidable hunting prowess. Their appearance is what differentiates them from the other tribal groups in the area. Their wild and unkempt looks, 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 even the most unobservant outsider. They are of a delicate and fine physique not generally associated with the other tribal groups in the area. Long face, elegant features, small hands and rarely a trace of body hair, the Baigas are an object of envy for the other tribals in the area. Above all, it is their hair that sets them apart. They have magnificent, wavy hair that they so painstakingly take care of. The Baiga allows his 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. In the earlier days, they did not wear many clothes but partly due to coaxing from government officials and partly due to the tribal tendency to adopt new things, they started wearing clothes that cover most of their body. However, there are still to be found many such members who show an utter disdain for clothes and prefer just a langoti or a lugra (women’s garment). The Baigas never wear any nose ornament which was surprising because tribal groups are known to adorn ornaments. Women use tattoos for ornamental significance and many an elaborate design can be found on their body that they feel make them look beautiful.Thebaigas are not strict adherents of religion. The tribe has now been almost completely assimilated into the Hindu religion.They worship local deities such as buradeo, thakurdeo, nangabaigaand dhartimata, bhimsen and a few other local deities. They celebrate Hindu festivals with as much vigour. They live in simple houses not much decorated and surrounded by the meagre collection of livestock and poultry that they own. Their house tough small is however kept clean with regular mud dressings and constant brooming.The hut may have a simple bed made usually of bamboo, some utensils, battle axes (pharsa); axe for normal usage (tangia) and the sickle (hasia). But it is a matter of pride for these people that they keep and make several bamboo-based objects. In fact they make innumerable objects out of bamboo that serve a lot of purpose. Baskets are often made of varying sizes. They rear livestock but only for subsistence reasons. Pigs are a favourite, while cows and goats are also found. Poultry are also reared. They are avid smokers. Often while speaking with them, one of them would start rolling a salpatta and fill tobacco from his pouch and begin smoking. They are legendary drinkers of an alcoholic beverage manufactured from the corolla of the mahua tree (Bassia latifolia ). 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. Local people gave testimony that this food is much better and healthier than many other food that they eat. Also, beyond doubt they eat several wild vegetables, fruits, tubers corms and rhizomes. They hunt as well, primarily fish and small mammals. The baigas were earlier excellent hunters but have been forced by the administration to reject this practice.. It was another matter when you find bows and arrows in a number of houses still occupying a place of pride amongst the meagre households assets. They prepare bamboo based handicraft to sell in the weekly market.Thus the baiga has very limited sources of livelihood and most of them, if existing are often at the subsistence level.

Major religious practitioners include the Dewar and the Gunia. The former of a higher status than the latter. The Dewar is held in great esteem and is responsible for the performance of agricultural rites, closing village boundaries, and stopping earthquakes. The Gunia deals largely with the magical-religious cure of diseases and prescription of herbal drugs. They still used magico-religious practices for a number of occasions such as growth of crops, marriage, death, and injury from wild animals, venereal diseases and protection from ill omens. 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. In these remote mountainous tracts the medicine men are the first succour for the poor tribals who have otherwise few other means to cure themselves of diseases. The area is highly prone and endemic to malaria, elephantiasis, jaundice etc. arising from poor water quality.

METHODOLOGY:

The present study was carried out among 16 villages of Mandla tehsil. During year 2013 & 2014 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^12,13.The photographs of plant in its natural habitat were taken from Nikon Camera. 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 was to establish rationale behind ethnopharmacological uses of medicinal plant hence a comprehensive literature survey was conducted on phytochemical and pharmacological data. These medicinal uses were corroborated with chemical and biological activities of plant. If any kinds of corroboration exist then comments are made in the part of discussion. The specific plant part used as a medicine and finding out its phytochemical and biological activities has been considered because such approach limits the literature and avoids distraction. The reports of the chemicals and biological activities on unused plant parts and other species of genus have been simply avoided.

BOTANY OF PLANT:

Family: Flacourtiaceae; Genus Flacourtia:-

Deciduous shrubs or small trees, about 3-7 m tall, usually armed with simple and branched spines, branches with sympodial growth. Leaves simple, alternate, variable, obovate-ovate, suborbicular-oblong, about 1.5-6 x 1-3 cm across, base cuneate to obtuse, sometimes 3-5 pliveined, margin lobed to coarsely serrate-crenate, apex acute, obtuse to sometimes slightly emarginate, leaves often clustered towards apices, lateral veins 5-8 on either side of the midrib, impressed above and slightly prominent beneath, glabrous above, glabrous beneath or pubescent to softly tomentose on the veins beneath, thicker near the midrib and diminishing towards the margins, lamina thick to thin, membranous, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, shiny, petiole reddish, minutely hairy, about 5-10 mm long, stipules minute early caducous or absent. Inflorescence in shortly pedunculate axillary and terminal raceme fascicles or panicles, bracteate, few flowered. Flowers unisexual (dioecious), hypogynous, greenish yellow, about 4 mm across, pedicels articulate, glabrous or hairy, about 3-5 mm long, sepals 4-5, imbricate, connate near base, ovate, margin ciliate, apex obtuse, hairy inside, subglabrous outside, petals absent, extrastaminal disc, with distinct glands inserted before sepals. Male flowers: Stamens numerous, filaments filiform, base minutely hairy, about 2.5 mm long, anthers 2 loculed, versatile, globular, dorsifixed, pollen fleshy, tricolporate, reticulate, pistillode absent. Female flowers: Ovary superior, globose, surrounded by disc, carpels 3-6, incompletely loculed, connate, with intruding placentae, ovules often 2 per locule, style 5-6, little or not connate, stigma slightly recurved, shortly bilobed. Fruit indehiscent berry, ellipsoid-globose, about 5-10 mm across, when ripe first red and turning to dark purple, with 2 superposed pyrenes in per locule. Seeds 5-6, ovoid-obovoid, thinly coriaceous, non arillate, pale yellow to brown.

Species F. indica (FI):-A large shrubs or a moderate size tree with short trunk thorny branches.Leaves toothed or crenate, deciduous 1 to 5 inch; variable in shape from ovate to obovate, glabrous above, more or less pubscent beneath;3-5 nerved at the base. Flowers yellow,small,in simple or compound raceme generally pubescent, dioecious, rarely-2-sexual, sepals 4-6, imbricate.Petals 0. Stamens many; anthers versatile.Ovary on an annulate or lobed disk or disk represented by separate glands; styles 5-11, separate connate or 0; stigma usually in pairs on each placenta. Fruit indehiscent drupe; dark red or black; edible; endocarp hard with as many as seeds or separating into 1-seeded stones; stones superposed in two tiers, cotyledons orbicular¹⁴Flacourtia species dioecious, i.e., male (staminate) flowers on one plant, and female (pistillate) flowers on another plant, or sometimes complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Note: The leaves fall in Jan-feb, the new foliage appears in April-May.

Flowering:-: December-March

Fruiting:- May-August.

MEDICINAL USES:

Gum—anticholerin, used as a gargle, applied on eczema and skin diseases; Bark—antidysenteric, astringent, diuretic;Seed— antirheumatic;Fruit—stomachic;Root—applied externally in skin diseases;Leaves and young shoots— astringent and stomachic.¹

Table 1 :- Ethnomedicinal Data

Tribe and Region	Uses
Islanders of Indian Ocean	Eczema, rheumatism, indigestion, diabetes, nephritis¹⁶
ValsadTribals _ Gujrat	Leaves is used to cure jaundice¹⁷
Malayali Tribe-Tamilnadu	Fruits edible¹⁸
Lobedu Tribe- South Africa	Leaf is carminative, astringent,tonic, expectorant,antiasthma, pain relief, gynaecological complaints, hydrocele, pneumonia and intestinal worms.Root cure body pain¹⁹
Gonda, Munda Tribes- Deogarh District, Orissa,	Stem bark cure leucoderma²⁰
Tribes of Kenya	Decoction of leaves and roots used for malaria²¹
Comoros Island	Aerial Parts used to cure maleria²²
Siwalik Hills, GarhwalUttarakhand	Eye disease and liver troubles²³
Tribes of Zimbabwe	Leaves cure diarrhoea²⁴
Marthwada Region - Maharashtra	Fruits are used for jaundice and enlarged spleens. Leaves and roots are taken forschistosomiasis malaria, and diarrhoea.Roots are used for hoarseness, pneumonia, intestinal worms, astringent, diuretic and pain reliever²⁵
Ukhla, Smaila, Plassi, Kot, Baldwara, Bhambla, Sikandra, Bachawan, Kasmela, Math, Bhated, Balra, Alsogi, Chowk, Amblagalu, Kalkhar, Katoh, Badoun, Nadgi, Dabhoi, Trifalghat, Ropadi and Leda	Dog bite, facilitate child birth, stomach-ache²⁶
Gond, Panika, Bhariaand, Muria, Kol and Baiga	Root paste applied externally in skin diseases²⁷
Gujjar tribe, Uttarakhand	Bark paste applied on boils and carbuncles²⁸
Rawalpindi District - Pakistan	Fruits edible and antidiabetic²⁹
Yandi Tribe	Fruit powder cure digestive problem³⁰
Gond,Halba – Dhamtari, Chattisgad	Leaves and tender stalk used for fever³¹
Tribes of Ethiopia	Bark extract cure cold³²
Baiga Tribe - Orissa	Bark paste applied on eczema³³.
Baiga tribe – Dindhori District, Madhya Pradesh	Fruits used in jaundice and enlarged spleen³⁴
Tribes of Tabora Region, Tanzania	Roots used in cough, snakebite, infertility and stomachache³⁵
Riwa District, Madhya Pradesh, India	Leaf sap dropped to cure conjunctivitis; Fruit juice used to cure liver problems³⁶
Bhil, Bhilala, Barela, Patelia, Dhar, Madhya Pradesh	Root paste applied on skin diseases³⁷

Table 2 :- Phytochemical and Pharmacological Data

Phytochemistry

Pharmacology

Butyrolactonelignan38

Phenolic Glycosides39

Lignan glycosides, monoterpene glycoside40

Pyrocatechol, Homaloside D22

Flacourtosides A-F,phenolic glycosides isolated41

Poliothrysoside42

Nutritional Value of fruit: 100g of edible flesh contains the following values:

Nutritional Value of fruit- Ca,Mg,Fe,P,K,Na is 589 µg g-1

94kcal;0.5g Protein (negligible);0.6g Fat

24.2g Carb;1.2g Fiber;33mg Calcium;0.7mg Iron (3.8% RDI);17mg Phosphorous (>1% RDI);171mg Potassium (4.8% RDI);5mg Vitamin C (8.3% RDI);0.01mg Thiamine/B1 (negligible);0.02mgRiboflavin/B2(negligible);

0.4mg Niacin/B3 (2% RDI);30iu Vitamin A (negligible)43

Recently reported nutritional values as

Crude Protein 17.33 mg g -1;Total Sugar 226.83 mgg -1;Total Lipids 0.075 mg g -1 . 44

Antioxidant activity 44,45,46

Hepatoprotective activity47,48,49

Antimalarial activity22

Antibacterial activity50,51

Anti-inflammatory activity52

Antiasthamatic activity53

Antiplasmodial activity of β-hematin54

Antimalarial activity55

Apoptosis of human colon cancer cells56

Lipophilic activity57

Phenolic glycosides are novel inhibitors of Chikanguniya and Dengue virus41

Diuretic activity58

Antiulcer activity59

RESULT:

Flacourtiaindica (Burm.f.)Merr., Flacourtiaceae; Katai, Kattar, Kankair (Hindi); Kateyyal (Baiga); VJT- 690; Ripe fruits are edible as liver tonic to cure liver cirrhosis and aqueous decoction of stem bark taken for 21 days to cure malarial fever.

DISSCUSSION:

The main objective of the present discussion is to establish rationale for ethno pharmacological uses of FI by various tribes of India. The reported phytochemical and pharmacological findings are useful as a supporting evidence to interpretate validity of uses of BL. A plant which is used in one area in the treatment of disease whether similar plant is used in the different area in the treatment of same disease. Use in other area presumably increases likelihood that the plant is active against the illness. The ethno medicinal uses reported from other areas support the folk use, the plant is ranked as possessing highest degree of confidence. The use of FI for liver disorder, tonic, carminative, antimalarial, diuretic, pneumonia, diarrhoea, rheumatism, inflammation, antiseptic, antibacterial, jaundice is corroborated with its relevant phytochemical and pharmacological findings.

Fruits of FI are edible because of its nutritive value^{43, 44}. Baiga and inhabitants of Riwa district of Madhya Pradesh uses the fruit as liver tonic^23,
36. These uses

appears to be valid because antioxident^{44, 45, 46}; hepatoprotective^{47,
48, 49}properties have been reported.

Lobedu tribe of South Africa uses leaves as caraminative and astringent tonic¹⁹. This use is justified because leaves of FI are consumed at the seedling stage young leaves are used in the preparation of soups andthe fruits are edible. Decoction and alcoholic extract of plant are used as an excellent energy drinks. Study of leaves and roots collected at two different stages revealed that it contain proteins, lipids, sugars and polyphenols with amounts ranging from 0.09% to 13.98%. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium,iron and zinc are present⁶⁰.

Baiga tribe and others use this plant as antimalerial^21,22,25. This use is corroborated with b-hematin formation, suggesting that this compound act on a heme polymerization target and potent antimalerial. Mururin A shows significantly inhibited the in vitro growth of both a chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and a chloroquine-resistant (K1) strain of Plasmodium falciparum^54. Three compounds were isolated from the decoction of this plant material, pyrocatechol, Homaloside D and poliothrysoside. In vitro antiplasmodial activity on the chloroquine-resistant strain (W2) of Plasmodium falciparum and the cytotoxicity on two complementary human cell lines (THP1, HepG2), of acetone extract and pure compounds, Flacourtosides A-F isnovel inhibitors of chikungunya (CHIKV) and dengue (DENV) virus replication, ethyl acetate extracts of stem barks were studied in CHIKV virus-cell based assay and DENV NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) assay. Study yielded six new phenolic glycosides, flacourtosides A-F, phenolic glycosides itoside H, xylosmin, scolochinenoside D and poliothrysoside and betulinic acid 38-caffeate. Significant inhibition was observed in the DENV RNA polymerase assay with betulinic acid 3ß-caffeate. Several fractions and extracts showed significant antiviral activity in the CHIKV virus-cell-based assay⁴¹.

The use of FI as diuretic by inhabitants of Island of Indian Ocean and Marathwada region^{16, 25} appears to be valid because diuretic activity is reported⁵⁸

In folk medicine this plant is used to cure pneumonia^19,
25; diarrhoea^23,25; boils, carbuncles and skin diseases^28,37. These uses are justified because antibacterial activity of methanolic root extract is reported⁵⁰.

FI shows anti-inflammatory⁵²and antibacterial^50,51activities. These activities support its use in rheumatism¹⁶and stomachache^26,
35 and pain relief ¹⁹

Inhabitants of Shiwalik Hills and Riwa district uses plant extract as liver tonic^{23, 36}. This use iappears to be valid because of strong nutritive value of fruits.

Baiga tribe and peoples of Valsad and Marathwada region uses FI to cure jaundice^{17, 25, 34}. This use may be corroborated with its antiviral activity⁴¹.

Other medicinal uses such as eczema, indigestion, diabetes, asthma, anthelmintic, hydrocele, leucoderma, schistosomiasis, facilitate child birth, enlarge spleen, cold, snakebite, dogbite, infertility, cold, hoarseness, gynaecological problems, intestinal worms, asthma, expectorant, schistosomiasis,conjunctivitis, indigestion does not find any supporting evidences from relevant chemical and biological activities.

Pharmacological reports of anticancer, antiasthamatic, lipophilic and antiulcer activities gives strong medicinal value to this plant.

CONCLUSION:

Due to paucity of phytochemical and pharmacological work it is very difficult to establish rationale for traditional uses. The author feels that there is a great need to examine efficacy of this medicinal plant on the basis of modern scientific parameters. Due to meagre phytochemical and biological work it is difficult to validate the ethnopharmacological uses of plant. Looking into the medicinal potential of the plant there is immediate need to focus on its chemical and biological studies.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The author is thankful to Dr.Vikas Dhomne, Principal, J M Patel College, Bhandara. for providing basic infrastructure and e library facility to carry out present research work.

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Received on 12.01.2017 Modified on 28.01.2017

Res. J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochem. 2017; 9(1): 23-30.

DOI: 10.5958/0975-4385.2017.00004.8

Country,State and Coordinates	India, Madhya Pradesh; 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%
Total Number of villages in Mandla Tehsil	176
Reserved Forest- Kanha Tiger Reserve	940 sq.km
Important Rivers	Narmada and its tributories
Hills	Maikal and Satpuda Hilly Ranges
Dimension of district	The extreme length of the district is about 133 kms. from North to South and extreme breadth is 182 kms from East to West
Villages of Mandla tehsil visited during study	Baja, Bakora, Chargaon, Dhenko, Gwara, Hirdenagar,Kanhari, Khari, Khursipar, Kudopani, Ludhiya, Mungli, Purwa,Simariya, Tikariya, Umariya
Distance from Bhandara : Road Train	225 km. 240 km.

Fruits are used for jaundice and enlarged spleens. Leaves and roots are taken forschistosomiasis