Ethnomedicine of Dharwad district in Karnataka, India—plants used in oral health care

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Abstract

The present ethnomedicine survey covers the Dharwad district of Karnataka in southern India. It was revealed that 35 plants belonging to 26 families are being used to treat different types of oral ailments like toothache, plaque and caries, pyorrhea and aphthae. Sixteen of these plants were new claims for the treatment of oral ailments not previously reported in the ethnomedicinal literature of India. Basella alba, Blepharis repens, Capparis sepiaria, Oxalis corniculata and Ricinus communis are used for the treatment of aphthae; Azima tetracantha, Caesalpinia coriaria, Cleome gynandra, Gossypium herbacium, Leucas aspera, Merremia chryseides, Pergularia daemia, Prosopis juliflora and Solanum nigrum are used to treat tooth ache and Cassia hirsuta and Cassia tora are used in the treatment of plaque and caries.

Introduction

Prevention of oral diseases is easier than a cure. Proper oral care is necessary to prevent oral diseases. Knowledge about oral diseases and their causes will help to maintain proper oral health. Oral problems are related to teeth, tongue or gums. Dental plaque and caries, pyorrhea, toothache and aphthae are common oral ailments.

Dental plaque is the colourless sticky mixture of bacterial products. Dental caries is the decalcification process carried out by micro-organisms, which grow on remnants of food materials between the teeth. Decalcification, enamel and dentine decay, exposure of pulp and putrefactive decomposition are different degrees of severity. Pyorrhea is a disease of the tooth socket characterized by bleeding gums. Bleeding is due to bacterial activity, which can produce many toxins leading to softening and bleeding of the gums (Farooqi et al., 1998).

Toothaches are mainly due to bacterial infection. Aphtha is a type oral disease in which small painful erosions are formed on the mucosa. Aphthae occurs repeatedly in the mouth of susceptible individuals. Aphthae may be related to menstruation or the intake of certain food items. The outer alveolar sulci, under the surface of the tongue or inside the lips are the usual sites of aphthae, but it may affect any part of the mouth (Lee, 1953).

In India, plant wealth is greatly exploited for its therapeutic potential and medicinal efficacy to cure various oral ailments since time immemorial. Farooqi et al. (1998) have documented 84 plants being used in oral health care. Similarly, 197 plants have been listed by Rao (2000). Karnataka, in Southern India, has the richest plant diversity especially in the Western Ghat region and documentation of ethnomedicinal plants have been carried out by various workers. Psidium guajava, L., Leonotis nepetifolia, R. Br. and Casearia elliptica, Willd. being used by the ‘Gowlis’ and Leucas aspera, (Willd.) Link. and Caryota urens, L. being used by the ‘Siddis’ in Uttara Kannada district is documented by Bhandary et al., 1995, Bhandary et al., 1996. Similarly Harsha et al. (2002) have reported the use of Spilanthes acmella, (L.) Murr. by the ‘Kunbi’ tribe of the same district. Dharwad is one of the 27 districts in Karnataka. This district is situated in the northern part of the state and extending between 14°17′ to 15°50′N. latitude and 74°48′ to 76°00′E. longitude (Fig. 1) with an annual average rainfall of 69 cm. Deciduous forests and scrub jungles are the main vegetation types in the district. This district is lying adjacent to one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world, the Western Ghats. An ethnomedicine survey under taken during the last 3 years (1999–2002) in Dharwad district revealed that many herbal medicinal practitioners of Dharwad district are using a number of locally available plants in the treatment of various oral ailments. The present paper is the result of that survey.

Section snippets

Methodology

Ethnomedicine explorations of Dharwad district were undertaken during the years 1999–2002. Several field visits were made to different parts of the study area and in the survey, 245 herbal healers were contacted during different seasons of the year. Information was collected about the medicinal plants used in oral health care, the method of medicinal preparation and its administration. All the medicinal plants claimed to be of use for oral health care were collected during the flowering seasons

Results and discussions

Data gathered are arranged according to plant family in alphabetical order. Information about the botanical name, local name (Kannada language), herbarium number, part of the plant used, method of medicinal preparation and administration are given in Table 1. New claims are indicated by asterisk (∗) marks.

The present ethnomedicine survey indicates that 35 locally available plants are being used by local herbal practitioners in the Dharwad district to treat various oral ailments. A comparison of

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to UGC for the financial assistance and University authorities for facilities provided.

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