Ethno-medicinal study of religiously sacred plants used by the Hindu community in southwestern parts of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Hinduism has profound religious beliefs and cultural connections with many plants employed in various religious rituals to worship gods and goddesses. Most of these plants are believed to have curative properties for many ailments. In view of the Hindu population decline in Bangladesh during the last decades, there is a need to gather ethnopharmacological data on these sacred plants. This study focuses on documenting the therapeutic uses of plants significant to Hindu practices in southwestern Bangladesh. Through free listing interviews with 28 Hindu participants, medico-religious data on plants were collected using open-ended and semi-structured questionnaires. Results revealed 56 plant species from 32 botanical families as religiously sacred, with Aegle marmelos being most culturally significant. The study identified 89 diseases treated by these plants, with Curcuma longa being the most cited species, followed by Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. It introduced two new ethnomedicinal plant species, Oxystelma esculentum and Reinwardtia indica, previously unreported in Bangladesh. Additionally, new medicinal uses were uncovered, highlighting the intricate relationship between culture, religion, and traditional medicinal knowledge within the Bangladeshi Hindu community. This study represents the first attempt to compile a comprehensive list of plants utilized in Hindu religious practices in Bangladesh.

KEYWORDS:

• Medico-religious plants
• Ethnobotany
• Hinduism
• Ethnopharmacology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data underlying this article will be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Notes

1. The number of Hindu priests interviewed district-wise is shown in parentheses in the 3^rd column of the last row (study areas).

2. Navapatrika is a prominent part of Durga worship in Hinduism. The word ‘Navapatrika’ literally means nine leaves. Nevertheless, in reality, the ‘Navapatrika’ is not nine leaves but nine plants: Banana, Taro, Turmeric, Sesban, Wood Apple, Pomegranate, Asoka, Giant Taro, and Paddy. In common parlance, the name of the ‘Navapatrika’ is ‘Kala Bau’. The nine plants of Navapatrika are actually conceived as symbols of nine special forms of Goddess ‘Durga’.

3. Panchapallab is a prominent part of ‘Durga’ and ‘Vishnu’ worship in Hinduism. The word ‘Panchapallab’ literally means the combined leaves of five plants such as Jackfruit, Mango, Sacred Fig, Banyan, and Spanish cherry.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.