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

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

While searching the field diaries having information's regarding ethnobotanical surveys conducted in different parts of Chhattisgarh, I got little information on common herbs used in treatment of hypotension by the natives and traditional healers of Chhattisgarh. In present article, I am giving the details. These information have yet not been available in form of written documents. This article is the first written document on this aspect. The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains use the Lason in treatment of hypotension in different ways. The traditional healer of Mudpar village Shri Hanumat Prasad Verma gave me the details. About half kg. Of Lason is taken and after peeling it is dried under open sky upto five days. After this drying, Lason is dipped in Shahad (Honey). This combination is kept as such again under open sky upto a month. After completion of this duration, Lason is collected and stored for future use. In general, he recommends two cloves of Lason (Garlic) twice a day with a cup of lukewarm cow milk. It is considered as one of the promising treatments for hypotension. The treatment is continued till complete cure. You will be surprised to know that same herb can be used by adopting different preparation methods in treatment of hypertension.

The traditional healers of Chhattisgarh Plains use the fresh juice with Shahad for the same purpose. In general, 15 drops of Lason are mixed with a teaspoonful of Shahad (Honey) and given thrice a day. It is considered as less effective treatment as compared to the early described one. The natives use Piaz as home remedy for hypotension. It is common belief among them that Piaz juice is capable of flushing out all the toxic materials from human body and in this way, it helps a lot to manage the problem of hypotension. The scientific name of Piaz is Allium cepa. Chandni (Tabernaemontana divaricata syn. Ervatamia corondria) based herbal formulations are also in use in treatment of hypotension. It is not native to Chhattisgarh. It is planted as ornamental shrub in home gardens. This is really surprising that the traditional healers of the state are well aware of its different medicinal uses. They prepare many formulations and use it in treatment. From my Guru Shri Vishal Bharat, I got information on an important formulation. By mixing, the Petals of Chandni and Gulab (Rosa indica) flowers in equal proportion he was preparing special combination, and using it in treatment of hypotension successfully. Many healers use the petals of Kusum (Carthamus tinctorius) for the same purpose. The above mentioned traditional uses are less in number but all uses are promising. I have seen its practical uses many times. Through the on-going ethnobotanical surveys, we are trying hard to gather more information on this important aspect. I will write more on herbs having capacity to manage hypotension, in my future articles.

Thank you very much for reading the article.