Some less known traditional medicinal uses of common herbs used in treatment of Lakwa (Paralysis) in Chhattisgarh, India

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

Through the interactions with the traditional healers of Narharpur region, I have got many valuable information on use of common herbs in form of herbal oil, in treatment of Paralysis. I am giving the details. The traditional healers of this region take the roots bark of Kaner, seeds of Gunja and leaves of Dhatra in equal quantities and after mixing it, they prepare a mixture. This mixture is further mixed in base oil and solution is boiled. When all watery contents evaporate, the boiling is stopped and after filteration, oil is stored for future use. This herbal oil is considered as a boon for the patients having the problem of paralysis. Oil is massaged gently in numb parts. It is used as minimum as possible because by nature, it is very hot and in large amount, it can cause harms to skin. Sarson (Mustard) or Til (Sesamum indicum) seed oil is used as base oil. One of the main ingredients of this oil, Kaner (Nerium indicum syn. N. odorum syn. N. oleander is a common herb planted in home gardens for its fragrant flowers. The nearby forest of Narharpur are rich in natural population of Gunja (Abrus precatorius). The healers use the leaves of black flowered Datura species. All herbs are used fresh. In general the healers do not prefer the old, stored plant parts. The healers prepare this oil in bulk and distribute it to the patients having problem. Many healers use the oil under their own supervision with the help of workers at their homes. The healers do not disclose the ingredients to the patients and in most of the cases, the patients do not ask for this because they have deep faith in healers. You will be surprised to know that many healers use the same herbal oil as aphrodisiac also. The oil is massaged on male genitals before intercourse for this purpose. The healers also informed me about one more useful herbal formulation. In this formulation, the leaves of different herbs are used. The healers mix the Andi (Ricinus communis), Fudhar (Calotropis gigantea), Sahadevi (Vernonia sp.), Munga (Moringa oleifera), Asgandh (Withania somnifera) and Nirgundi (Vitex negunda) leaves in equal proportion and prepare a mixture. After mixing, juice is extracted and after mixing the juice in base oil, the solution is boiled and herbal oil is prepared. This oil is also considered as promising. All the herbs used in this oil are commonly available in Narharpur region except the Asgandh. The healers delete this herb from the list of ingredients. When I disclosed and discussed this formulation with the traditional healers of other parts of Chhattisgarh, I came to know that the healers use this formulation with slight modifications. The modifications are based on the availability of herbs in that particular part. The traditional healers of Bhopalpatnam region use this oil with Asgandh leaves. The healers of Chhattisgarh Plains add Sonth (Dried Ginger) powder in this formulation in order to make it more stronger. The healers of Dhamtari region do not add the leaves of Munga and Nirgundi in the formulation. Although all herbs are mixed in equal proportion in this oil but in different parts it is known as different names like Andi Tel, Dhatra Tel, Fudhar Tel etc. Kuth (Saussurea lappa) is not found in Chhattisgarh. The traditional healers of Rajnandgaon region add the Kuth roots in this herbal oil. They purchase it from local herb shops. This oil is available in variations and all variations are giving promising results. I personally feel that there is a need for scientific study on this interesting aspect. Unfortunately, none of the variant is available in form of patent drug in markets. As all ingredients are locally available and the formulations are local, there is tremendous scope to establish small cottage industries in Chhattisgarh based on this project. The traditional healers of Rajnandgaon region use, Kuth in combination with Kalonji or Karayal (Nigella sativa) seeds to prepare a special herbal oil. This herbal oil is also in use in this part of Chhattisgarh. Kalonji is used in other formulations also. The healers of Gandai region add Kalonji seeds, Ajwain (Carum copticum), Akarkara (Spilanthes acmella) and rock salt and by boiling it in base oil prepare a herbal oil. The healers of Bhopalpatnam are also aware of this combination. They add Asgandh also in this combination. There is a slight variation in method of preparation also. Before boiling the mixture in base oil, the healers boil the mixture in water and prepare a decoction. This decoction is boiled in base oil and finally prepared a herbal oil. During recent visit, I informed the traditional healers of Gandai region about this modified method adopted by the healers of Bhopalpatnam region. They assured me to try this method also. The healers of Gandai region, use Akarkara herb in combination with Mustard (Sarson) seeds also. This combination is used externally but in different way. Both herbs are mixed with the help of Shahad (Honey) and massaged gently on tongue. According to the healers, this application helps the patients to get early recovery from one sided paralysis. I have started a new series of articles based on less known traditional medicinal uses, because the formulations described in this series are limited to very few healers and ending with them. The healers do not want to transfer this knowledge to their young generations for many reasons. The fear of misuse is one of the main reasons. I am confident that when once it will come in documentation form, it will remain safe for future generations. This is good sign that the healers are under standing the importance of documentation work.

Thank you very much for reading the article.