Department of Biology, The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University), Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.
Department of Botany, PRIST Deemed University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Mar 1;303:115880. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115880. Epub 2022 Nov 9.
Ethnogynaecology is an emerging branch of science dealing with the treatment of gynaecological ailments by tribals, local healers, and traditional practitioners. The ethnogynaecological importance of medicinal plants in India is a fertile area to conduct more scientific studies to evaluate their potentialities, to isolate bioactive compounds, and thereby to develop drugs for the common gynaecological health-related issues faced by women everywhere.
The Indigenous medical knowledge systems of India have not been properly documented with special reference to ethnogynaecology. This review aims to document the knowledge of ethnogynaecology among tribals, villagers, and local people inhabiting different parts of India and the bioactive compounds responsible for the action. This review provides a vast record of medicinal plants and their parts used, types of formulations, dosage, and ethno-gynaecological usage.
The detailed investigation of ethnobotanical and ethnogynaecological-related literature published between 1985 and 2021 by different scientific tools such as journals, books, and current electronic databases like Springer Link, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Wiley, ACS, Science Direct and Pubmed have been considered for the present study. The study included 300 articles published between 1985 and 2021 by scientific search using various standard databases. The tribals, vaidyas, traditional practitioners, indigenous medical healers, and local people of different regions in India have recognized the importance of ethnogynaecological uses of plants. The study on ethnogynaecology is limited to a few common but significant gynaecological issues including abortion, contraception, infertility, menstruation, leucorrhoea, and obstetrics. The phytocompound compounds isolated from various parts of the plants and responsibility for the gynaecological action were documented.
The major ethnogynaecological disorders recorded by various studies are leucorrhoea, abortion, contraceptives, infertility and related issues, and obstetrics including the irregular physiological process of menstruation. The ethnogynaecological and ethnobotanical information has been recorded from almost all the states of India; the highest number of records on ethnogynaecology was reported from the state of Madhya Pradesh. The most explored tribal populations to record ethnogynaecological knowledge belong to the following tribes: Bhil, Munda, Irula, Kani, Malayali, Meena, Paliyar, Muthuvar, Oraon, Narikuravar, Mannan, Malayarayan, and Malapandaram. Moreover, limited or no study has been attempted to prove the knowledge of ethnogynaecology of these tribes and the efficiency of their crude drugs against pharmacological actions. The paste prepared from various parts of the plants has been used widely as primary health care materials for abortion, obstetrics, menstruation, female infertility and male infertility. Phenols, glucoside, steroids and fatty acids reported with cytotoxic activities are connected to several gynaecological disorders whereas flavonoid, coumarin, sitosterol disrupt pregnancy. The phenolic compounds induced spontaneous abortion due to the major composition aristolochic acid, ceryl alcohol, β-sitosterol. Coreopsin, butin, isobutrin, monospermoside, palastrin, butrin. Mucunine, lecithin, prurieninine, gluthione and luteolin, Indicine, kaempferol, apigenin and quercetin effected therapeutic activity against leucorrhoea. Lignin, friedelin and beta-sitosterol are reported with abortifacient properties and therapeutic ability for leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. Tannins, mimusopsic acids, taraxerol and spinaserol effected fertility problems in women and tannins, saponins, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids and alkaloids which effected infertility.
This review reported comprehensive data on ethnogynaecological knowledge published from available literature and evident that the indigenous medical system of Indian tribes has also contributed considerably to the healthcare system and drug development of India. The fresh plant parts were identified as effective materials against various gynaecological illnesses including infertility. The root is considered an excellent plant part against obstetrics followed by abortion, menstruation, and leucorrhoea. These studies need experimental proof as well as standardization to confirm their efficiency. Promoting the sustainable use and the equitable sharing of benefits to the knowledge provider is a pathway for harnessing the conservation of this knowledge.
民族妇科学是一门新兴的科学分支，涉及到部落、当地治疗师和传统从业者通过药用植物治疗妇科疾病。印度药用植物在民族妇科学方面的重要性是一个进行更多科学研究的肥沃领域，以评估其潜力、分离生物活性化合物，并由此开发针对世界各地女性常见妇科健康问题的药物。
印度本土医学知识体系尚未得到适当的记录，特别是在民族妇科学方面。本综述旨在记录印度部落、村民和居住在不同地区的当地人的民族妇科学知识，以及负责这些知识的生物活性化合物。本综述提供了大量关于药用植物及其使用部位、制剂类型、剂量和民族妇科学用途的记录。
本研究考虑了 1985 年至 2021 年期间不同科学工具（如期刊、书籍和当前的电子数据库，如 Springer Link、SciFinder、Google Scholar、Web of Science、Wiley、ACS、Science Direct 和 Pubmed）发表的民族植物学和民族妇科学相关文献的详细调查。本研究包括使用各种标准数据库进行科学搜索后，在 1985 年至 2021 年期间发表的 300 篇文章。印度不同地区的部落、医生、传统从业者、土著医学治疗师和当地人都认识到植物在民族妇科学方面的重要性。对民族妇科学的研究仅限于少数常见但重要的妇科问题，包括堕胎、避孕、不孕、月经、白带和分娩。从植物的不同部位分离出的植物化合物及其对妇科作用的责任已被记录下来。
各种研究记录的主要民族妇科学疾病包括白带、堕胎、避孕药、不孕及相关问题和产科，包括月经生理过程不规律。印度几乎所有邦都记录了民族妇科学和民族植物学信息；报告民族妇科学记录最多的邦是中央邦。记录民族妇科学知识的最受探索的部落群体属于以下部落：Bhil、Munda、Irula、Kani、Malayali、Meena、Paliyar、Muthuvar、Oraon、Narikuravar、Mannan、Malayarayan 和 Malapandaram。此外，对于这些部落的民族妇科学知识，以及它们的粗药对药理学作用的有效性，很少或根本没有尝试进行研究。植物的各种部位制成的糊剂被广泛用作堕胎、产科、月经、女性不孕和男性不孕的初级保健材料。具有细胞毒性活性的酚类、糖苷、类固醇和脂肪酸与几种妇科疾病有关，而类黄酮、香豆素、甾醇则干扰妊娠。由于主要成分马兜铃酸、蜡醇、β-谷甾醇的存在，酚类化合物导致自然流产。Coreopsin、butin、isobutrin、monospermoside、palastrin、butrin。Mucunine、lecithin、prurieninine、glutathione 和 luteolin、Indicine、kaempferol、apigenin 和 quercetin 对白带有效。木质素、friedelin 和β-谷甾醇具有堕胎作用和治疗白带过多和月经过多的作用。单宁、mimusopsic 酸、taraxerol 和 spinaserol 对女性生育能力有影响，单宁、皂苷、黄酮类、甾体、萜类和生物碱对不孕有影响。
本综述报告了从现有文献中发表的关于民族妇科学知识的综合数据，并证明印度部落的本土医学体系也对印度的医疗保健系统和药物开发做出了相当大的贡献。新鲜植物部位被认为是治疗各种妇科疾病的有效材料，包括不孕。根部被认为是治疗产科疾病的极好植物部位，其次是堕胎、月经和白带。这些研究需要实验证明和标准化，以确认其有效性。促进对知识提供者的可持续利用和公平分享利益是利用这种知识进行保护的途径。
