2.sanjivani Beth Paper

JOURNAL OF NATURAL REMEDIES
Ethnomedicinal Wisdom of Tribes of

Latur District (Sanjivani Bet) Maharashtra
Kranti Satpute1*, Chaus Wajid1, Kaumudee Bodas2 and Nirvi Sheth3
1Dayanand College of Pharmacy, Latur, 413531, India
2Sinhgad College of Pharmacy, Vadgaon (Bk.), Pune, 411041, India
3Nulife Pharmaceuticals, MIDC, Pimpri, Pune 411018, India
Abstract
The Sanjivani Bet also called as Wadwal Nagnath Bet is very famous among tourists and scientists because of its biodiversity
and producing a very rare species of medicinal plants. The rare plants grow in the month July to September (Uttara Nakshatra).
In this period Ayurvedic practitioners, and researchers from various places visit this place in search of rare plants. Hence, it
is also beneficial to the local tribes as there is sharing of rich traditional knowledge. But still the ethno-medicinal wisdom
of the tribes of Latur is unexplored. So this study was undertaken to discover traditional knowledge of tribes. In this paper
information of 52 plant species that are used by the Kunbhi, Gawali, Gond, and other tribes is given with their botanical
names, local names and family, and the parts of the plants used.
Keywords: ethanomedicine, tribes, Sanjivani Bet, Latur district, Maharashtra
1. Introduction Latur city. The height of this hill is of 600-700 feet height
from the ground and it is 3 km away from Wadwal-
Latur district is in the south-eastern part of the Nagnath village. The rare plants grow in the month
Maharashtra state, and is situated on the Maharashtra- July to September (Uttara Nakshatra). In this period
Karnataka boundary. Latur is situated on the 18.7° Ayurvedic practitioner, researchers from various places
latitude and 73.25° longitude. The total area of Latur visit this place in search of rare plants. The Government
district is 7,372 sq.km. There are 943 villages and 10 of Maharashtra organises Vaidya Sammelan (conference)
Talukas in Latur district and the population is 2,080,285. for various Ayurvedic doctors and, local practitioners
This is the land of 11 sugar factories, and 2,283 small- who use traditional remedies for primary healthcare. As
scale industries. The percentage land under agriculture there is a tremendous response from the practitioners
is 91%. The major crops include sugarcane, edible oils, and local people of this region, this conference provides
soyabeans, wheat, jowar, bajara, grapes and mangoes. a platform for sharing of rich traditional knowledge
Latur is now famous for some best-known brands like which is also beneficial to the local tribes.
Tinna Oils, Kirti Gold, Videocon, and Kalantry Group’s The government has established a research centre for
Agro Processing Industries. the study of medicinal plants, but till now, no documents
The Sanjivani Bet (Wadwal Nagnath Bet) is known are available on any ethno-medicinal study among the
for rare species of Ayurvedic bushes and plants. This tribes of Latur district. The aim of this study was to
place is 16.5 km away from Chakur and 39 Km from evaluate the use of plants for medicinal purpose by the
*Corresponding author:
E-mail: krantikshirsagar@rediffmail.com
26 Ethnomedicinal Wisdom of Tribes of Latur District (Sanjivani Bet) Maharashtra
Q.5 Any precautions, suggestions or special advice

about the use of plant species?
Q.6 About the preservation and storage conditions of
plants
Q.7 Directions for use
Q.8 Detailed information about topically applied plant
species
Q.9 Is the Vaidya Sammelan useful for you?
Q.10 Do you get satisfactory response from the patients?
Fig. 1. The actual view of Sanjivani Bet Around 120-150 common people and 50 practitioners
were interviewed based on random sampling. The
Kunbhi, Gawali, Gond, and other tribes of this district. proportion of males to females present during field visits
Hence this study was undertaken to record the traditional was 80:20. Most of tthe people in this area are farmers
usage of plants by the tribal people of this district. and the others do their traditional jobs. The people in this
This paper will provide a strong base for developing area use medicinal plants for their primary health care.
an attitude for research in use of plants for medicinal The plants, plant families and plant parts used have
purposes. been documented in Table 1. The specimens were
collected manually, placed in gunny bags, and covered
with polythene. All the specimens were stored in cool,
2. Methodology dry, and rodent-proof areas to avoid deterioration due
A survey was carried out during 2010-11 in the months to microbial attack or moisture content. Plant specimens
of August and September to collect ethnobotanical were identified with the help of tribal people and
information, especially on medicinal plants used by were confirmed with the help of local floras/scientific
the Kunbhi, Gawali, Gond, and other tribes. During publications (1-5). The plant specimens have been
field visits, elderly persons, tribal heads, and local deposited in the herbarium of Botany Department of
medicine men called, Mukhia or Vaidu were contacted Dayanand College of Science, Latur.
and interviewed and ethnobotanical data was recorded
in a specially formatted questionnaire. The questions 3. Results and Discussion
were mainly about identification of plant species, their
parts used, traditional uses and the form and mode Plant species used by the tribes are mentioned in Table 1
of administration. The questionnaires were specially along with the common name, botanical name and name
formatted in Marathi, the local language and the of the family. The parts used and the uses of each plant
questions were explained to the local people to help are also mentioned. The drugs are ingested with different
them collect accurate information. After collecting vehicles like honey, milk, rice water, buttermilk, and
the information, the questionnaires were thoroughly lemon juice etc. The most commonly used part is the
analysed and the results were tabulated. leaf (15%), followed by roots (14%), and then barks and
fruits. The drugs are given in the form of decoctions,
The information was collected using following
pastes and powders. The most frequently used plants
questionnaire:
in this area are Dryopteris cochleata (Jatashankar),
Q.1 Identification, collection and uses of plants Centella asiatica (Mandukaparni), Mangifera indica
Q.2 Which parts of the plant are used? (Aumba), Ocimum basilicum (Kali Tulsi), Dathura
Q.3 How is it used, either in natural form, or any stramonium (Datura), Curcuma aromatica (Jangli
processed form? Haldi), Azadirachta indica (Kaduneem), Baliospermum
Q.4 Is a single plant used for a treatment or a montanum (Danti), Asparagus abscendens (Musali
combination of different plants is used? Safed), Asparagus officinalis (Shatavari), Adhatoda vasika
Journal of Natural Remedies | ISSN: 2320-3358 www.jnronline.com | Vol 13 (1) | January 2013
Kranti Satpute et al. 27
Fig. 2. The photo of plant Centella asiatica Fig. 4. The photo of plant Vitex negundo
Fig. 3. The photo of plant Adhatoda vasika Fig. 5. The photo of plant Gynmema sylvestre.
(Adulsa), Acacia arabica (Babul) etc. The tribals use all

parts of plants like Clerodendron serratum (Baharangi),
Cuscuta reflexa (Amarvela), Butea parviflora (Phaisan)
and Andrographics peniculata (Kalmegh) for treating
various disorders. Single plants like Azadirachta
indica (Neem), Baliospermum montanum (Danti), and
Caesalpinia bonducella (Sagargota) are used for treating
many ailments.
The major ailments treated using the plants in
the study area are fever, joint pain, gastric disorders,
inflammatory reactions, and skin diseases. The ailments
were equated with the medical terms after consultation
with volunteers from the medical profession present at
the time of the interaction, a few medical practitioners, Fig. 6. The photo of plant Asparagus officinalis
28 Ethnomedicinal Wisdom of Tribes of Latur District (Sanjivani Bet) Maharashtra
today, most tribes and certain communities practise

herbal medicine to cure a variety of diseases and
disorders. They are not at all aware of the importance
of such rare species. The use of traditional medicine
is widespread in this region. In all 52 plant species of
ethnomedicinal interest have been recorded after critical
screening with the available literature.Though some of
the plants mentioned in the present study are common
medicinal plants, the occurrence and uses of some
potential plant species have been recorded for the first
time. It highlightes the need for scientific assessment
of these herbal medicines based on pharmacognosy,
phytochemistry, and pharmacological studies. This
Fig. 7. The photo of plant Dryopteris cochleata would be helpful in the development of new molecules
for treatement of various disorders.
Acknowledgement
Authors are thankful to the tribes for sharing the valuable
information.
References
1. Naik VN. Flora of Marathawada. Aurangabad: Amrut
Prakashan; 1998.
2. Rathod OS, Chavan VB, Zare MK, Kagne RM.
Ethanomedicinal uses of some uncommon angiospermic
plant in Nanded District of Marathawada. New Delhi:
NISCAIR-CSIR; 2001.
Fig. 8. Photograph of Field Visit
3. Naik VN. Flora of Osmanobad. Aurangabad: Venus
publishers; 1979.
and through literature survey. About 80% remedies used 4. Trivedi PC. Ethanomedicinal plants of India. Jaipur:
by the tribals were polyherbal. Aavishkar Publishers; 2007.
The perusal of literature indicates that the Latur 5. Kasture SW, Rathod OS. A sacred groove from
district of Maharashtra is botanically unexplored. Even Marathwada, Bioinfolet. 2006; 3(1): 52-54.

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JOURNAL OF NATURAL REMEDIES

Ethnomedicinal Wisdom of Tribes of

Keywords: ethanomedicine, tribes, Sanjivani Bet, Latur district, Maharashtra

Q.5 Any precautions, suggestions or special advice

(Adulsa), Acacia arabica (Babul) etc. The tribals use all

today, most tribes and certain communities practise

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