Ethnobotanical Information for the Treatment of Snake Bite and Scorpion Stings by Traditional Health Practitioners in Bagalkot District, Karnataka, India

Vijaymahantesh Gobbi, Kotresha Katrahalli

Abstract


Ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect information on medicinal plants used in the treatment of snake bites and scorpion stings in Bagalkot District, Karnataka. The field survey was conducted from January 2020 - October 2022. The indigenous knowledge of local traditional healers about the native plant species used for medicinal purposes was collected using a questionnaire through personal interviews during field visits. In the present investigation, 14 plant species, belonging to 14 genera and 12 families used by the different traditional practitioners against snake bite and scorpion stings were documented. Among the collected species 8 were used for snake bites and 4 for scorpion stings. Ruellia patula Jacq. and Strychnos nux-vomica L, was used for both treatments. The most popular preparations are in powder, juice, and paste. They used different plant parts viz., leaf (5), root (3), seed (2), whole plant (2), bark (1), and stems (1) are utilized in the medicine preparation by the local practitioners. The medicinal practitioners are above the age of 50; which indicates a lack of interest in the young generations. At present both the government and non-government organizations are involved in the documentation of traditional medicinal knowledge before it becomes vanished it will be helpful for the protection of our traditional knowledge and its documentation is for supporting IPR.


Keywords


Medicinal plants, Snake bite, Scorpion sting, Bagalkot district.

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