Traditional knowledge about medicinal rice soils in Chhattisgarh (India)

Research Note - Pankaj Oudhia
© 2001,2002,2003 Pankaj Oudhia - All Rights Reserved

The natives of Chhattisgarh are rich in traditional knowledge about medicinal rice varieties, weeds (Oudhia, 1999), insects (Oudhia, 1998, 2000a) and mites (Oudhia, 2000b) etc. Chhattisgarh is known as 'rice bowl of India'. The natives are cultivating different rice varieties from ancient times. The traditional healers (TH) have identified many medicinal uses of different components of rice ecosystem including soil. This knowledge has been transferred from one generation to another generation. The natives of Chhattisgarh still use different rice soils for the treatment of their health problems. To list out the various applications of medicinal rice soils of Chhattisgarh, a study was conducted by the author in the year 1999-2000.

The study was conducted in Bastar, Sarguja, Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Mahasamund and Bilaspur districts of Chhattisgarh. The help of well prepared interview schedule was taken. TH of selected districts still using medicinal rice soils were identified and 20 TH were selected for the study. The study was focused on traditional knowledge about three major groups of medicinal rice soils of Chhattisgarh i.e. Kanhar (Vertisols), Dorsa (Alfisols) and Matasi (Inceptisols). 

The study revealed that the TH of Chhattisgarh use all three types of rice soils as medicinal soils. Out of these three soils, Vertisols (Kanhar) was found most frequently used medicinal soil. During survey it was noted that TH are using these soils for the treatment of 30 acute and more than 10 chronic diseases. Some uses of these soils are described below.

(1) Kanhar soil with rice weed Eclipta alba is used externally for the diseases of head. It is one of the common uses.il from rice fields having rice var Baisoor is used to treat chronic headache particularly hemicrania. The TH of Durg has given this information.

(3) The TH of Sarguja. uses the soils of many common crops for the treatment. According to him, the best soil is rice soil, second best is kodo (Paspalum scrobiculatum L.) soil and soybean (Glycine max L.) soil is worst of all medicinal soils.

(4) The TH of Sarguja, use kanhar soil from rice fields mixed with weed Sida acuta L. to treat boils. They also use the Matasi soil mixed with Neem leaves juice to cure acne. It is used as external application preferably in form of face packs.
(5) Soils from rice fields of variety Karhani, are used for external application in case of paralysis specially in right side paralysis.

(6) Kanhar soils of rice fields having dense population or rice weed Commelina benghalensis L. is used to treat conjuctivitis. The poultice is used externally.

(7) Kanhar soil of Brown Plant Hopper ( Nilaparvata lugens. [Stal.]) infested rice fieldsare used for the treatments of common skin diseases like ringworm, itching etc.

These medicinal uses of rice soils are not reported in available literatures. All TH informed that the best time of collection of soils is the flowering stage of crop. The specific effect of any rice variety on medicinal properties of soil was may be due to the presence of allelochemicals secreted from the rice roots at the time of flowering. The study indicated that there is a strong need to study this phenomenon in detail.

According to the TH heavy and increasing infestation of an obnoxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus L. and decreasing population and area under traditional rice varieties and heavy use of synthetic inputs are the factors responsible for deteorating the medicinal properties of these soils. The study suggested that these is a strong need to document the traditional medicinal knowledge about rice soils not only in Chhattisgarh hut also in whole world.

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