Traditional medicinal knowledge about common herbs used in treatment of Spermatorrhoea in Chhattisgarh, India

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

The problem of Spermatorrhoea is increasing among the young generations in Chhattisgarh. The numbers of patients are increasing with alarming rates. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh specialized in treatment of Spermatorrhoea still remember early days when there were very less patients and they have to do little efforts to collect the common herbs used in treatment. Now as the patients are increasing, they have to invest two to three days in a week, in collection of herbs. Many healers have started bulk purchasing of herbs from local herb shops. They are aware of malpractice of adulteration common in Chhattisgarh but according to them patients are more important.

I have identified over 300 traditional healers in Chhattisgarh specialized in treatment of Spermatorrhoea. Seeing the increasing number of patients now other healers have also started giving the herbs. During my ethnobotanical surveys, in progress since 1994, I got opportunities to interact many traditional healers. This is really surprising observation that all healers use different herbs and herbal combinations in treatment of Spermatorrhoea. Due to lack of communication among these healers, they are unable to share their experiences with each other. I have noted many valuable traditional uses through these surveys. I am describing some promising uses of herbs in present article.

The use of the latex of Bar (Ficus benghalensis) internally is very popular among the natives of Chhattisgarh. The patients are advised by the healers to take latex with sugar once in a day till complete relief. There is no specific doses but in general few drops of latex are given. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains use the pods of Babool in specific way. They take a big piece of white cloth and dip it in the juice of fresh Babool pods. After soaking, the cloth is dried in shade. After drying it is again dipped in same juice. This procedure is repeated several times. According to the healers, it must be dipped atleast for 15 times. After final drying, the cloth piece is kept for future use. For its use, the healers cut this piece into 14 equal pieces. These pieces are given to the patients and advised to use one piece daily. This one piece is boiled in two glass of cow milk and after adding sugar, the patients are advised to take the milk. It is considered as one of the promising treatments. The healers informed me that its use regularly up to fourteen days cures the problem for ever. Babool (Acacia nilotica) is a common tree in Chhattisgarh. It is an integral part of rice ecosystem. The paddy growers allow the growth of Babool trees in rice bunds.

The use of Mahua bark for this purpose is also very common in Chhattisgarh. The bark is collected and after shade drying, it is converted into powder. The patients having the problem of Spermatorrhoea are advised by the healers to take a teaspoonful of powdered bark twice a day after mixing cow ghee and Shahad in it. After intake of this mixture, the use of lukewarm milk is recommended. This use is continued till complete cure. The scientific name of Mahua is Madhuca longifolia. Like the bark of Mahua, the juice of Bael bark is also in use in Chhattisgarh. A teaspoonful of bark juice is given internally with lukewarm cow milk. Bael (Aegle marmelos) is a common tree in Chhattisgarh.

The traditional healers also use the fruit pulp of Bael in treatment. Like Mahua and Bael, Khamhar is also a common tree in Chhattisgarh. The traditional healers of Durg region use the juice of young soft branches with cow milk in treatment of Spermatorrhoea internally. The use is continued till complete cure. The scientific name of Khamhar is Gmelina arborea. Like the latex of Bar tree, the traditional healers of Nandni-Ahiwara region of Chhattisgarh use the latex of Doomar, another Ficus sp. (Ficus glomerata) in treatment of Spermatorrhoea. It is used in same manner. The traditional healer of Mudpar village Shri Hanumat Prasad Verma uses Ajwain seeds with sugar. The method of use is very simple. The seeds and sugar are mixed in equal proportion and mixture is kept for future use. He suggests the patients to take half teaspoonful of this mixture twice a day with a glass of lukewarm water. According to him, this simple method is enough to root out the problem. For botany, reported and other traditional uses of above mentioned herbs, I suggest you to read previous articles. During treatment, the traditional healers suggest the patients to think positive and take special care of total health. They also suggest the patients to change the food habits. Many healers suggest the youths having this problem to give some time for meditation. The traditional healers are aware of their responsibilities and this is positive sign that they are working hard to make the young generation disease free.

Thank you very much for reading the article.