Title: Traditional knowledge of ethno-medicinal practices and its management: a case study of Khoyrasole block in Birbhum District of West Bengal

Authors: Atreya Paul; Amartya Pani; Arup Bhandary

Addresses: Post Graduate Department of Geography, Chandernagore College, West Bengal, India ' Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India ' Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Birbhum, West Bengal, India

Abstract: Ethno-medicine is sometimes used as a synonym for traditional medicine. The present study deals with the traditional knowledge of the ethno-medicinal uses of plants practiced by the rural tribal people in selected villages of Khoyrasole block in Birbhum District of West Bengal. An ethnomedicinal survey (EMS) consisting of 200 households in five villages was carried out to collect information regarding the various uses of 30 medicinal plants and their products generally. Moreover, the focal aim of this study is to discuss the possible threats and future prospects of ethno-medicinal practices in the northern part of Birbhum District, West Bengal, through participatory rural appraisal (PRA). The paper concludes that there is an urgent need for the development of conservation strategies in the region that will take into account local needs, approaches, and inclusive economic development opportunities with the help of the knowledge, beliefs, practices, and institutional (KBPI) arrangements framework of sustainable natural resource management.

Keywords: ethno-medicine; traditional knowledge; tribal people; ethnomedicinal survey; EMS; participatory rural appraisal; PRA; KPBI framework; Birbhum; West Bengal.

DOI: 10.1504/IJICBM.2022.127722

International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management, 2022 Vol.27 No.4, pp.510 - 533

Received: 25 Mar 2021
Accepted: 30 Jul 2021
Published online: 15 Dec 2022 *

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