Traditional Medicinal knowledge about herbs used for preparation of some useful herbal oils in Chhattisgarh , India

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

Ratti is one of the most common herb in Chhattisgarh. The beautiful but toxic seeds are used as weights by goldsmiths (Sunar) and as beads for necklaces. Each seed weighs about 1.75 grains. The natives and Traditional healers are well aware of its miracle medicinal properties. It is used both internally and externally as medicine in Chhattisgarh. Last year when I was on my ethnobotanical survey in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, I have found one unique use of Ratti.

During my travel from Raipur to Jagdalpur in midway the engine of bus was failed. When the driver informed me that we can go by other bus or wait for two-three hours, I preferred second option. Our bus was failed near Keshkal valley, known for rich bio-diversity. Mr. Rajesh from Bhilai was with me as assistant. We decided to visit the nearby forest village in search of herbs, insects and mites and also to interact with the natives. Fortunately after crossing one small hill, we met a person collecting the wild herbs from forests. He welcomed us and when we informed him that we are at his forest in search of herbs, he became our friend. As usual, I opened my treasure of valuable and important knowledge about herbs first and in response, he informed us about the special oil prepared with the help of Ratti seeds. As time was very limited, we decided to discuss on single species (i.e. Ratti). According to him, in the dense forests of Keshkal valley many varieties of Ratti seeds occur naturally. We were aware of three varieties at that time, categorised on the basis of the seed colour These were (1) Red seed with black eye. (2) Black seed with red eye (3) White seed but in his personal collection there were over ten more combinations. According to him, the herbal oil prepared from the Ratti seeds is very useful for sexually ill patients. In order to increase the sexual desire and stamina, he recommend his patients and friends to use this herbal oil. The herbal oil is prepared using Ratti seeds as main component.

The other main components is Mucuna seeds. If I am not wrong his name was Sukhram. Sukhram told me that the red seeds with black eye are most potential as compared to other seeds. The matured seeds collected from plants are best as compared to the seeds collected after it has fallen on ground. As red seeds with black eye are not very common in his area, he make special efforts and travel long in search of this specific seeds. As second major component black seeded Mucuna is preferred but according to him brown coloured seeds of Mucuna having black spots are most potential but in his area these are rare. When I asked why the other seeds are not so potential, he said that his forefathers have told him about the specific seeds. After coming back from Keshkal when I consulted the reference literatures, in terms of chemical composition I have found no variation in the seeds having different colour. Possibly the human beings have yet not found the variations in terms of chemicals composition, but Sukhram having no advanced laboratory and analysis facility, is able to differentiate most powerful and powerless seeds, medically. When I talked to my Bio-Chemist friend about the different types of Ratti, he said chemically and medicinally there is no meaning of seed colour and Mr. Sukhram has no knowledge about the seeds. But I know and believe in the scientific findings of real scientists Mr. Sukhram. After collecting the potential Ratti and Mucuna seeds from wild, he dip it in cow’s milk for 24 hours, and after 24 hours he again dip these seeds in human semen for 24 hours. According to him, the semen of unmarried rural youth is used only. There is no other option.

The youths having the habit of tobacco chewing are rejected. I was really surprised to know the traditional medicinal uses of human semen. I have never seen or read about this use. After 24 hours, the seeds are washed thoroughly and boiled with cow’s milk. After boiling the seeds are meshed and mix in sesamum oil. The mustard oil can be used as substitute. This oil is put in bottles and the bottles are buried in the ground for four weeks. After four weeks, the oil is used externally on male genitals in order to increase the desire, stamina and duration. During my ethnobotanical surveys, I have noted that the drugs or oils after preparation buried in ground for specific duration. I am trying to discover the science behind this. When I consulted the traditional healers about his special treatment, they said that the mother earth is having the capacity to remove the bad effects of drugs or oils. In other words, the soil reduces or eliminates the unwanted harmful heat from the drugs or oils. My many friends are associated with leading pharma companies of India. When I disclosed this methodology to them , they surprised and said that in drug factory they never adopt this methodology and according to them, this is the reason why the common Indian still believe in home preparation of drugs and oils or to purchase it from the traditional healers.

The scientists from Research and Development division of these companies, never conduct detailed ethnobotanical surveys in order to get the correct methodology. They prefer the formula given in reference books. The traditional healer of Raipur told me that all drugs or oils requires specific treatment. According to him, the traditional healers of Bastar have rich traditional knowledge about the specific sites used to burry the drugs or oils. The shade of common medicinal trees like Mahua, Neem or Sal is preferred in order to burry it. According to the traditional healers, these trees play vital role in making the drugs or oil more potential. Possibly, after knowing the complete and specific information we can explain these effects again with the help of Allelopathy.

So, we were talking about the formula of Mr. Sukhram. After giving the details of his formula, Mr. Sukhram informed that as friend he can give some sample to us. We agreed. We visited to his village and met his patients using this unique formula. They were well satisfied and according to them continuous use of this oil upto one month can root out this problem forever. One of his patients informed that when the reaction (in form of blisters on skin) starts, it is the indication that the role of oil is over. After giving than to Mr. Sukhram when we returned to main road, the bus was not there. We looked at our watches. You will be surprised to know that we spent over 6 hours with Mr. Sukhram. After reaching Jagdalpur by another bus, when I consulted my traditional healer friend about the miracle medicinal properties of Ratti, he said that the oil of Ratti is well known in this region but it is used for skin diseases externally and he showed ignorance on its use as sexual stimulant. With his great help, we prepared herbal oil using seeds having different colours according to the formula of Mr. Sukhram. My friend tried these different oils in his patients and confirmed the findings of Mr. Sukhram that red seeds with black eye are best.

My traditional healer friend was using the Ratti oil for the treatment of skin troubles. His method was very simple and alone Ratti seeds were sufficient to produce the desirable effects on skin problems. As experiment when he recommended this oil for application on male genitals, it has reacted very badly. We concluded that the special methodology used by Mr. Sukhram and use of other herbs, helps in eliminating the harmful effects of pure Ratti seeds. When I disclosed Mr. Sukhram’s formula to the traditional healer of Pendra, he said that in place o human semen, goat’s milk can be used successfully. I personally feel that the specific scientific evaluation is needed for this interesting and surprising finding.

The scientific name of Ratti is Abrus precatorious L. (family Leguminoseae). In English it is known as Rosary Pea, Crab’s eye or Indian Liquorice. In standard reference literature I have found this detailed botanical description. It is perennial climbing shrub with slender glabrous and finely silky branches. Leaves pinnate, leaflets 10-20 pairs, linear or linear oblong, apiculate, glabrous or minutely silky beneath. Flowers in long dense pedunculate racemes, pinkish white, calyx campanulate, truncate, finely silky. Corolla pink or white, stamens 9 , monadelphous. Pods oblong with a sharp deflexed beak,. Seeds sub globuse, shining scarlet with a black spot at hilum, some times white. Ratti holds a reputed position in all systems of medicine in India. According to Ayurveda, the seeds are acrid, aphrodisiac and tonic and useful in eye diseases, leucoderma, skin diseases etc. The roots and leaves possess same properties as seeds. Also these are useful in treatment of fevers, stomatitis, head complaints, asthma, thirst, tuberculous glands and caries of teeth. In different parts of India, Ratti is well known ethnomedicine.. In reference literatures, I have found description of oil named Ganjadya Tailam used for external application in skin diseases but the use of Ratti oil as sexual stimulant specifically the method described by Sukhram is not available in reference literatures.

In my Allelopathy studies, I have found Ratti plant very useful against Rice pests. The extracts and leachates of whole plant were found less effective as compared to extracts and leachates prepared from its seeds. I have focused my work on pesticidal properties of this common herb.

Pen or pen bija is one of the well known non wood forest produce having high demand in national and international drug markets. Every years several tons of Penbija is collected and sent to different metros from the Dhamtari market of Chhattisgarh. During my ethnobotanical surveys in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, I have got information on unique uses and medicinal properties of this useful herb. Some of these information are still not available in reference literatures. The English names of Pen or Penbija are Black-oil tree, Climbing staff plant or Intellect tree. In India, it is commonly known as Malkangini or Jyotishmati. Its scientific name is Celastrus paniculata Willd. The medicinal properties of Pen oil are well documented in available literatures. According to these literatures, the oil is stomachic, tonic and good for cough and asthama. It is used in leprosy, gout, rheumatism, headaches and leucoderma. Its use in the treatment of beri-beri is also reported. The natives and traditional healers of Chhattisgarh are well aware of these medicinal properties of Pen. The aphrodisiac properties of this oil is not mentioned in reference literatures. The traditional healers of Bastar, use the oil of Pen in combination with other native herbs as sexual stimulant. When I was studying in B.Sc. (Agriculture) second year, there was a long strike by students against the reservation policies of government. During strike, I decided to visit Jagdalpur, the district place of Bastar region and to stay with forest guards in dense forests. My neighbour Dr. A.S. Dave helped me and with his help, the forest officers of Bastar gave me permission to live for two months in guest house of Machkot village. At that time, the Machkot range was not considered as safe place for stay because of presence of men killer tigeress. I stayed at that guest house with the family of forest guard, belonging to Balaghat district. He was a caretaker of herbal nursery of Machkot and was well aware of the useful herbs of that region.

At that time, there was no telephonic facilities to contact to my family. Daily my routine was to search the forests for new herbs, at noon after lunch, I invest my time for preparing herbarium file (instead of sleep) and at evening, with forest guard I use to visit nearby villages to interact with the traditional healers and natives. At night, I prefer to stay at guest house in order to avoid unwanted meetings with wild animals. This detailed and hard training at my student life developed an interest in me to know more and more about common herbs. The traditional healer of Machkot informed me about the use of Penbija oil as aphrodisiac. According to him, the method of preparation of oil is very simple but it is time taking. The other ingradients are fresh buds of lason (garlic), the roots of Akarkara (i.e. Spilanthus acmella) and again the Mucuna seeds. The 60 percent part is the Penbija and remaining 40 percent is the equal proportion of above mentioned herbs are mixed and as base oil, the Alsi oil (Linseed oil) is used. After boiling these herbs in Alsi oil, the oil is kept for two months in the shade of Mahua tree ( why only Mahua tree ? because it is common in this region ? or any specific reason ? - he has no answer; According to him this method is developed by his forefathers). After two months, the oil is put inside the earthen pot filled with Chuna (lime) and the pot is buried inside the soil for another two months. (Why this process in needed ? no answers). After two months oil is filtered and given to the patients having poor sexual desire. The oil is applied externally on male genitals before intercourse. According to him, one can use this oil life long without any side effect. My forest guard said that the traditional healers delay the procedure in order to show the patients and other villagers that it is not so simple and require special method. But I am not totally agree with him. I personally feel that there is a science behind his method and there is a strong need for scientific investigation. What will happen if we mix the oil prepared by this traditional healer and the oil prepared by Mr Sukhram ? Either this combination will show synergestic effect or not ? I am sure the enthusiastic pharma students of India will motivate to conduct the study on this important aspect, after reading this article.

In reference literatures, I have found this botanical description about the Pen plant. It is an unarmed woody climber. Leaves simple, alternate very variable, elliptic, ovate, broadly obovate or sub-orbicular, glabrous, sometimes pubescent beneath along the venation, base cuneate, obtuse or rounded, apex acute, acuminate or obtuse; margins crenate or serrate. Panicles large, terminal, pubescent. Male flowers minute, pale green. Calyx lobes sub orbicular, toothed. Petals oblong or obovate oblong, entire. Disk capsular. Stamens long, anther ovoid, obtuse,. Female flowers having sepals , petals and disk similar to those of male flowers. Ovary globose, style short, columnar, stigmas 3. Capsule sub globose, bright yellow tri valved, 3-6 seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, yellowish brown, enclosed in a red fleshy aril.

The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh is well known for limestone caves. In these caves very typical fauna have been reported. Dr. A. K. Pati from Chhattisgarh, has dedicated his life to work on the fauna of these caves. These caves are the home of many species of Bats. Kutumbsar cave is among these caves. It is most frequently visited caves by the tourists and researchers. The traditional healers of Bastar region, use of Bats from these caves to prepare a specific oil for the treatment of rheumatism and paralysis. I have noted a lot of variations in the ingredients and composition of oil. According to the majority of traditional healers, the Bat and dried ginger (sonth) are two main ingredient. One full size matured Bat is collected and a pinch of sonth is added, with the help of sesamum oil as base oil, this useful oil is prepared. Why only the bats living in caves are used not the other bats? They have no specific answer. As not much work has been done on identification of Bat species of Chhattisgarh, I am unable to differentiate the Bats living in caves from the bats living in other places. In many parts of Bastar, the traditional healers use the Bat alone for the preparation of oil. This oil is applied in affected parts externally. According to them, there is an important role of whole body. The patients having poor vital force are not preferred for application of this oil . During talk with the Traditional Healer of Durg, I have noted that he is also using Bat based oil for joint pains. He is well known in his region for this specific effective oil. He informed me that Bat is not a major component for preparation of oil. This was new thing for me. He uses over 60 species of herbs in equal quantity with aqueous extract of Bat for the preparation of oil. I have noted not much difference in effectiveness of oils collected from Bastar and from this traditional healer. The oil from Bastar is relatively cheap. I personally feel that there is a need of scientific evaluation of both of these oils. The herbal oil prepared from the whole plant and roots of common wasteland weed Fudhar (Calotropis gigantea) is also very popular among the traditional healers of Chhattisgarh. The use of whole plant for preparation of herbal oil is not described in reference literature whereas use of roots is mentioned. This oil is used for joint pains. For preparation of this oil mustard oil is used as base oil.

There is a long list of herbs used for preparation of herbal oils. You will find the details in my future articles. My ethnobotanical surveys revealed that the natives and the traditional healers are having rich traditional knowledge but they are not getting encouragement. You will be surprised to know that the administration harash the traditional healers by saying them quacks. There are many legal loopholes also. Now after formation of Chhattisgarh state, the state government is taking initiatives (?) to protect the rights of these traditional healers. Many international agencies particularly the pharma companies are searching the dense forests of the state for rare herbs. The traditional healers are well aware that these companies can cause harm to them for unique knowledge but they are not showing interest in disclosing their research findings. This is good example of resistance. These activities have motivated me to write detailed articles and to document the rich traditional knowledge about herbs, insects, mites and other creatures used as medicine. I am lucky that I am getting positive responses from the world community. Thank you very much for reading this article patiently.