Rahmatullah Mohammed, Ayman Umma, Akter Fatema, Sarker Mridul, Sifa Rolee, Sarker Bijoy, Chyti Humayra Naj, Jahan Farhana Israt, Chowdhury Majeedul H, Chowdhury Soheli A
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Development Alternative, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2012 Dec 31;10(2):213-22. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v10i2.5. eCollection 2013.
The Kanda tribe is one of the lesser known small tribes of Bangladesh with an estimated population of about 1700 people (according to them), and on the verge of extinction as a separate entity. To some extent, they have assimilated with the surrounding mainstream Bengali-speaking population, but they still maintain their cultural practices including traditional medicinal practices, for which they have their own tribal healers. Nothing at all has been documented thus far about their traditional medicinal practices and formulations, which are on the verge of disappearance. The Kanda tribe can be found only in scattered tea gardens of Sreemangal in Sylhet district of Bangladesh; dispersion of the tribe into small separated communities is also contributing to the fast losing of traditional medicinal practices. The objective of the present study was to conduct an ethnomedicinal survey among the traditional healers of the Kanda tribe (in fact, only one such healer was found after extensive searches). Information was collected from the healer with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire and the guided field-walk method. A total of 24 formulations were obtained from the healer containing 34 plants including two plants, which could not be identified. Besides medicinal plants, the Kanda healer also used the body hairs of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and bats (Pteropus giganteus giganteus) in one of his formulation for treatment of fever with shivering. The ailments treated by the Kanda healer were fairly common ailments like cuts and wounds, skin diseases, helminthiasis, fever, respiratory problems (coughs, asthma), gastrointestinal disorders (stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea), burning sensations during urination, various types of pain (headache, body ache, toothache, ear ache), conjunctivitis, poisonous snake, insect or reptile bites, jaundice, and bone fractures. A number of important drugs in allopathic medicine like quinine, artemisinin, and morphine (to name only a few) have been discovered from observing indigenous medicinal practices. From that view point, the formulations used by the Kanda healer merit scientific studies for their potential in the discovery of cheap and effective new drugs. Scientific validation of the medicinal formulations of the Kanda healer can also be effective for treatment of ailments among this tribe, which does not have or does not want to have any contact with modern medicine.
坎达部落是孟加拉国鲜为人知的小部落之一，据他们自己估计，人口约1700人，正濒临作为一个独立实体灭绝的边缘。在一定程度上，他们已与周围说孟加拉语的主流人口同化，但仍保留着包括传统医学实践在内的文化习俗，为此他们有自己的部落治疗师。迄今为止，关于他们濒临消失的传统医学实践和配方，尚无任何记录。坎达部落仅分布在孟加拉国锡尔赫特地区斯雷曼加尔的零散茶园中；部落分散成小的隔离社区也导致传统医学实践迅速失传。本研究的目的是对坎达部落的传统治疗师进行民族医学调查（事实上，经过广泛搜寻，仅找到一位这样的治疗师）。借助半结构化问卷和实地引导走访法从该治疗师处收集信息。从该治疗师那里共获得24种配方，包含34种植物，其中有两种植物无法鉴定。除药用植物外，这位坎达治疗师在其一种治疗寒战发热的配方中还使用了亚洲黑熊（马来熊）和蝙蝠（马来大狐蝠）的体毛。这位坎达治疗师治疗的疾病都是相当常见的疾病，如割伤和伤口、皮肤病、蠕虫病、发热、呼吸道问题（咳嗽、哮喘）、胃肠道疾病（胃痛、便秘、腹泻）、排尿烧灼感、各种疼痛（头痛、身体疼痛、牙痛、耳痛）、结膜炎、毒蛇、昆虫或爬行动物叮咬、黄疸和骨折。从观察本土医学实践中发现了许多现代医学中的重要药物，如奎宁、青蒿素和吗啡（仅举几例）。从这个角度来看，这位坎达治疗师使用的配方因其在发现廉价有效新药方面的潜力而值得进行科学研究。对这位坎达治疗师的药物配方进行科学验证，对于治疗这个与现代医学没有或不想有任何接触的部落中的疾病也可能有效。
