INDIRA GANDHI INTEGRAL EDUCATION CENTRE

An institution for Research, Development & Training

Set up in association with NRDC,Govt. of India, New Delhi

 Some Thing More About :-

 India

A Qualitative Understanding of Local Traditional Knowledge and Medicinal Plants Use: -

The real figures behind that ‘80%’ figure.

At this very moment some where in a remote rural community in the State Of Orissa a local farmer may have just gathered the leaves or roots from a medicinal plant found nears the homestead.  In a nearly hamlet, a mother may be in the midst of preparing a traditional plant treatment believed to ‘restore strength’, relieve stomach cramps, heal a skin condition, or perhaps alleviate symptoms of as respiratory tract infection affecting her child. It is such routine use of plants by ordinary members of local communities across Orissa’s diverse rural landscape, which largely accounts for the widely cited 80 percent estimate of the population who continue to rely on traditional plant –derived medicines for their basic health care needs. 

While there is now growing recognition that the study of indigenous health knowledge and practices requires an essentially multidisciplinary research framework, too date, botanists, natural chemists pharmacologists, anthropologists and health-workers have generally pursued their specific research interests in this area in relative isolation from each other. In Orissa, there have been few cross-disciplinary linkages among the various approaches of researchers or the analysis of their findings. Moreover, much of the existing literature on Orissa traditional herbal medicine is dominated by plant-focused work, resulting from the’ main stream research agenda, which has been largely driven by an overriding interest in the specific therapeutic properties of individual plants. In searh of information on the properties of various Indian Medicinal plants, researchers have generally focused their attention on two main sources: (i) the professional traditional health practitioners and (ii) India’s ancient medico-religious manuscripts-herbal letters containing elaborate recipes of plant-derived treatments for a wide range of health conditions. 

By contrast, there have been few studies focused specifically on traditional knowledge and practices outside the  ‘professional’ realm of traditional medicine. The purpose of this article derived from as larger study; is to share some of the findings of current research envisaged focusing explicitly on the ‘lay domain’ of traditional knowledge in the Orissa context. 

         Objectives and methods

The fieldwork-based study aimed to gain insight into the local distribution of traditional health knowledge and the uses of various medicinal plants among ordinary men and women in rural communities, who constitute the vast majority of India’s population. The overall aim of the research is to contribute to the growing body of literature and experience pertaining to the role of indigenous/traditional systems of knowledge in development. Underlying this objective is the fundamental premise that health constitutes the linchpin of the development process, viewed at once, both as the means as well as the end of development. The fieldwork was carried out with the participation   of communities in the rural villages namely Gudrikiya, Sringakheta, Sulesaru, Chanchedi,Gandringia,Banegaon,Penala,Pagiguda,Dubagarh,Damiguda,Pipalpanga,Kanidani,Padinaju,DudukiSraki,Dumuripada,Bonangia,Kanapatta&Badaganda  Kandha district of Orissa State of India. A combination of research tools from various disciplines were employed. Gender considerations constituted an integral and cross-cutting aspect of the methodology, as important gender factors were expected to be involved, inter alia, in the distribution of traditional health knowledge and its inter-generational transmission. Among the instruments applied for gathering data were:

·      Household surveys (viewed as the main component of the field work):

·      Oral histories (based on open discussions with widely recognized knowledgeable elders):

·      Focused discussions with mothers at local health centers;

·      Local market surveys;

·      Questionnaires administered to high-school students; and

·      Structured interviews with (both modern and traditional) professional health practitioners.

         Preliminary assessment of the data

In-depth quantitative and qualitative analyses of the data gathered from these various sources are still under way. Following are some highlights of the preliminary findings of the research.

The tacit and pervasive nature of traditional health knowledge

In general, traditional knowledge about medicinal plants and its application are very much taken for granted by both men and women in all the study communities. Such traditional knowledge and practices constitute routine aspects of daily life and are deeply engrained in the socio-cultural and economic fabric of these rural societies. This is a significant finding in itself, as it clearly demonstrates the sheer scope and significance (actual and potential) of local traditional knowledge.

Gender and age dynamics

Some general trends could be discerned suggesting considerable gender and age differences in the type and extent of traditional health knowledge. For example, middle-aged and older women and men generally appear to have as greater breadth of medicinal plant knowledge. In addition, men more often demonstrated knowledge of plants primarily procured from the wild, whereas women generally showed greater familiarity with the therapeutic uses of weedy and semi-domesticated plants found around the homestead.

Main sources of traditional knowledge

‘Routine observation and practice’ or learning by doing’. Was the most widely cited method through which knowledge is acquired? Here again, a relatively larger proportion of men indicated having obtained their knowledge in this way, suggesting some notable gender differences in terms of the mechanisms by which traditional knowledge is imparted.

The medicinal plant resource base

The locals names and specific uses of more than 25 plants with medicinal value were documented throughout the study. The large majority of these are wild/weedy species, often occurring around the homestead or farm and requiring little management. This finding along is strongly supportive of the originals research hypothesis, i.e. that significant knowledge about medicinal plants resides in the’non-professioinasl’ or public domain. In addition, the local names and specific uses of most medicinal plants cited by different informants were appreciably consistent.

Role of rural professional health practitioners

In general, professional traditional health practitioners seem to play as much less pronounced role in the rural communities than has generally been presumed. It appears that most ailments are diagnosed and treated at the household level. Very few informants reported seeking professional traditional help on as regular basis. Where professionals are consulted, it is often for their specialized traditional knowledge and skills pertaining to a relatively limited range of heath problems.

The qualities of traditional knowledge

Further reflections about the various features of the traditional knowledge characterized above raise some questions, inherent paradoxes and eye-openers. These relate to the potential role of traditional health knowledge, the nature of the traditional learning process and the intrinsic contrasting features of traditional knowledge.

The potential role of traditional health knowledge: challenges and limitations.

The term ‘challenge’ immediately brings to mind the single largest health problem in the study area-malaria. However, no specific traditional plant medicines for malaria were reported. While this raises questions regarding how’ new’ malaria is to the area, it also seems compellingly related to the fact that overall understanding of malaria etiology is extremely poor among the local people. The latter underscores the urgent need for community-based health education and prevention programmes. Nevertheless, some relevant traditional perceptions regarding the general ‘ecology’ of the disease could be discerned, which may provide an advantageous basis for effective locally adapted health education and promotion efforts.

Another basic challenge has to do with the dire sanitary conditions in the rural communities. Indeed, it would seem that such communities that rely heavily on traditional plant treatments are caught in as vicious cycle, as many of the ailments that the local plant medicines are used for are linked to poor environmental sanitation. Thus, the lack of proper latrines, waste disposal and clean water can be viewed as the raison d’etre for many traditional treatments. Conversely, however, it can also be argued that, were such very basis and vital provisions in place, then health care efforts at the local level could perhaps. Have been more effectively and appreciable targeted at the prevention of some of the more difficult health problems in the area, such as malaria. Hence these very shortcomings can, in a sense, be viewed as among the greatest impediments to the realization of the full potential of indigenous ingenuity and traditional approaches in meeting local health needs..

The knowledge transmission process.

Exactly how is traditional health knowledge transmitted over generations? Are the traditional mechanisms that have been in place in the past still intact? These are complex questions, requiring detailed contextual longitudinal evidence, which is extremely elusive and difficult too unearth. However, one observation that may have some relevance to these questions concerns traditional knowledge among children. It was observed that boys and girls as young as 6-7 years had remarkable ‘ botanical’ knowledge, i.e. the  ability to distinguish various medicinal plants growing around the homestead. But what of other aspects of traditional knowledge pertaining to the preparation and administration of plant medicines and the diagnosis of diseases? Could knowledge about these aspects be ‘selectively’ threatened ? Such important issues will be investigated through further analysis of the information gathered.

Contrasting features of traditional practices.

With increasing interest in the role and value of traditional knowledge systems, such knowledge and its application have often sweepingly but perhaps, precariously, become associated with positive outcomes. Yet, if traditional health systems are to be strengthened as a whole, due attention should also be given to those practices that appear, at least prima facie, to be less than beneficial. Cases in point are, traditional surgical procedures such as the removal of the   uvula, tonsils and teeth, and even graver practices of bloodletting and female circumcision- all of which remain widespread in the study communities. Perhaps even more so than in other aspects the particularly complex issues entailed in such traditional practices, necessitate the utmost socio-cultural sensitivity and as sound understanding of the local context in which they persist.

 Healers and doctors join forces in Orissa.

In order for public health goals to be realized in Orissa, Healers should be active participants in the health systems. This makes good sense, since each community has its very own indigenous healers. In Orissa, the said institution has received reorganization from public/communities of its innovative work with traditional healers, and has received support from general public also.

Today in Orissa, traditional healers and modern physicians and health workers have combined forces in an exciting and promising program implemented by the said institution. The said institution is an innovative non-governmental organization (NGO) that links traditional healers, physicians and health workers, botanists, social scientists, and people living  with diseases.  The institution’s goal is to bridge the gap between traditional and western biomedicine by treating diseases with traditional medicine.

Conclusion

It is anticipated that some significant conclusions will emerge from the ongoing study. What can be generally surmised at this stage, are some of the broader implications and expected contributions of the research.

First, over the last decade or so, increasing interest in traditional knowledge, particularly regarding medicinal plants, has been fraught with debates regarding intellectual property and traditional resource rights. Often, driven primarily by interests and forces external to indigenous communities, these remain extremely complex and indeed, urgent issues with which policy-maker and stakeholders from both the North and South  & East to West are actively grappling in various international fora. But this highly politicized focus at the global level seems to have diverted research attention away from the local context, i.e. from a real understanding of the actual and potential roles of traditional health knowledge and practices in addressing arguably the most urgent health-care needs of growing populations in resources-constrained developing countries like India. Hence, it is hoped that the present study and others like it can, in the first instance, help to redirect some research attention to the community level.

Second, as this study has demonstrate, at least in the context of rural communities in the State of Orissa of India, traditional knowledge regarding the  use of medicinal plants is far from being a corpus of wisdom or expertise generally presumed to be restricted to the male-dominated elite of professional traditional health practitioners. Indeed, most of the traditional treatments used in the communities studied are collected, prepared and administered by ordinary men and women at the household level. Hence, this implies that those 80% of the population, who are said to rely on traditional plant-derived medicines, do not invariably consult professional practitioners. Indeed, the fact that traditional health knowledge is so pervasive and the use of local medicinal plants so widespread has paramount implications, which simply cannot be ignored by those concerned with health development and practitioner in the closely allied field of natural resources management.

Finally, it has become evident that research and development efforts must also aim to identify and address the challenges and threats faced by traditional health knowledge systems, in Orissa The ultimate goal is to strengthen and improve this vast knowledge base for the benefit of the great majority of the developing world who have survived on it for centuries and will continue too do so into the foreseeable future.

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                                                                                 1st.  QUARTERLY REPORT

a.                  Methodology/Resources employed v envisaged in Work Plan.

1.                Methodology used compared to methodology set out in work plan.

-The first actions have been carried by Indira   Gandhi Integral Education Centre (IGIEC) after the official starting date of the project (1st November 2002). We defined a project team composed by a first group of Professional internal to IGIEC and a second group of professionals external to our institution.

-IGIEC internal staffs includes a Project Co-ordinator, a doctor and an IT&C expert for the virtual platform.

In the month of 1^st,November, 2002, to the first phase of the project’Preparatory step to project  implementation. They have been developed at two level project management and communication and    relationship with the international partners.

2.                Activities carried out compared to activities set out

                             In work plan.

 -Pregnant women and Mothers are the target population of Kandha tribal sector or Orissa State. Activities carried out by our IGIEC were field studies, investigation, analysis of      existing situation and also study on Traditional healers and with the help of PHC doctors. For this we have done by creating an elaborated    collected data already.

The Institution also in the process of website planning. The identification of at least 5 Nos. of the common illness among the pregnant women & Mothers are as follows: -

*. The Common complaints of pregnant women:

-         Nausea & Vomiting in Early pregnance,

-         Tiredness,

-         Gas in Abdomen,

-         Constipation,

-         Urinary Coplaints.

And the identification of two popular beliefs about causes and remedies related to the identified   illness are as follows: -

(i). Gas in Abdomen:

Powder of Trachyspermum ammi (Ajavain): 1 TSF in hot water BD.

                                                   OR

(Elettaria cadamomum):(Elaichi): ½ TSF powder in hot water TDS.

(ii). Urinary Coplaints:

Powder of Tribulus terrestris (Gokshura): TSF (5g) with water TDS.

The activities of 1^st International meeting will be organised in the month of 17-19,March 2003,due to some unforeseen problems that is due to late     release of funds.

Till now we have not received any funds from CEFPAS, Italy.

3.                Resources used compared to those in budget and work plan.

The institution has allocated proper resources compared to those in budget and work plan.

b.                      Numerical comparison of Actual v Targets.

1.                Compare results in numerical terms actual v targets in Work plan and logframe as per proposal or as prepared for Inception Report.

-         Compare to results in numerical terms actual v targets in work plan and logframe as per the proposal or as prepared for Inception Report, We have only targeted to pregnant women & Mothers with a clear performanance and we have succeeded in collecting the elaborate data through study, investigation through two workshops in the months of November & December respectively. We have also went through the observation, interaction, rapport building, group sharing, facilitating the workshop & interactions with population in this three months.

c.                      Logical Framework update.

-Yes, logical Framework has been updated. In spite of the network of primary health centers & sub-centres, Villagers of our country still depend upon the traditional medicine practices because of its easy availability, accessibility, dependability and utility.

Therefore, the community health workers should have information about therapeutic utility of the herbal preparatory available as kitchen and grant-mother’s remedies or practiced by the Traditional practitioners.

If you listen & learn from them definitely they will listen to you and come forward to learn and use modern preventive and promotive ANC. You cannot force any new technique of health care over the people which     people/population will not accept. These can be     integrated with the traditional practice.

Let us respect the traditional practice and let us learn from them.

d.                                Effectiveness to date.

1.      Has Management Adapted to Changing Needs?

   -Yes.

2.        Is the level of Technical Expertise Sufficient?

   -No.

       3.               Is the current level of Management Capacity and    Experience Satisfactory?    

                        -Yes.

4.      Are deadlines met?

-Yes.

5.      Are Reports produced on Time?

-Yes.

e.                      Impact to date.

1.                What is the Impact on Target Groups?

-The Target Groups are fully dependant on Traditional Medicine. So it was a chance for them to   express, their  ideology & experiences, which they had learned from their fore-fathers.

2.                What is the Impact on Applicant and Partners?

-Satisfactory.

3.                What is the Impact on the IT&C Sector?

-In the IT&C Sector it will be a vital and challenging role. The information will be reached door to door through Internet, e-mail, website and population of the world will be healthy by applying the Traditional Medicine system by spending a little money and by saving time which was impossible due to the lack of in formations.

4.                Is the Project Contributing to the Achievement of the Aims of the programme?

-Yes.

f.                              Potential Sustainability.

1.                Has a plan for Sustainability been produced?

-Yes, as plan for sustainability has been produced by production of their raw materials (medicinal) through the Cultivation of the aforesaid medicinal plants.

2.                What are the planned Multiplier Effects?

-We are focusing of our project area in Tribal areas villages of Kandhamal District of Orissa State, 30 Traditional Medicine practitioners from 19 villages. As the target population are illiterate. So it is necessary for an institution to take up deeply research in the same fields and on plants and educate to the target population also. So in this way it will be effective Multiplier basis.

3.                What are the post project Financing plans?

To do more research  & have project on this system with the help of the Revolving Fund or Donor Contribution or through establishment of a Company on medicinal plants not for profit basis.

4.                What are the post projects Institutional Arrangement?

Through the IT&C supporting on Information, Education & Communication arrangements it will solve the problems. Every institution should have their own arrangements that is VSAT, Infrastructure facilities, own domain name and have their own creative system on Traditional Medicines and have willingness to provide information to target group free of charge or on a nominal charge basis which will be appropriate.

g.                  Financial Status (Attach a Summary of               Budget/Expenditure/Remaining balance).

-         Enclosed (Please see annex)

                        The result of the Project: Satisfactory.

Quantitative Terms:

1.                   No. Of Participants participate in the workshop. :

           -570   Nos.  In each workshop.

2.                   No. of Meetings/workshop. : Two.

Qualitative terms:

1.                   Quality of the Organization: Satisfactory.

                        Quality of the meeting/workshop : Satisfactory.

FINANCIAL REPORT :-The expenditures indicated in the financial report for the first quarter of the project "Traditional Medicine across European and Asian cultures" - Asia IT&C Programme (Contract number: ASI/B7-301/97/0126-42, Accounting number : ALA 97/0126) have been paid by the Indira Gandhi Integral Education Centre ,India ( IGIEC) organisation from its own resources.In this Asia IT&C  Programme,project on’Traditional Medicine across European & Asian Cultures'’, European Commission finance only the 50% of the expenses declared in the IGIEC Quarterly Report. The Further 50% has been Financed with our own (IGIEC) funds.

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