ETHNOBOTANICAL KNOWLEDGE AND UTILIZATION OF LOCAL MEDICINAL PLANTS IN HEALTHCARE AMONG THE PEOPLE OF BOGURA, BANGLADESH: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Background:Medicinal plants have long been an integral component of traditional healthcare systems and continue to play an important role in community-based healthcare, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In Bangladesh, traditional medicinal knowledge is preserved through family practices, traditional medicine practitioners, and community-based knowledge transmission. Despite the widespread use of medicinal plants, systematic documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge, utilization patterns, and healthcare-related perceptions among Bogura District's general population remains limited.
Objective:This study aimed to assess ethnobotanical knowledge and utilization of local medicinal plants in healthcare among the people of Bogura, Bangladesh, focusing on awareness, commonly used medicinal plant species, health conditions addressed, preparation methods, sources of knowledge, perceived effectiveness, safety perceptions, and healthcare preferences.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to September 2022 among residents of Bogura District, Bangladesh. A total of 300 participants completed the survey after four individuals declined participation from 304 approached participants, yielding a response rate of 98.68%. Participants were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic characteristics, awareness and utilization of medicinal plants, reported health problems, sources of ethnobotanical knowledge, preparation methods, perceived treatment outcomes, safety perceptions, and preferred healthcare services. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize continuous and categorical variables, with results expressed as mean ± standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages. Pearson’s chi-square test was planned to examine associations between sociodemographic characteristics and medicinal plant-related responses, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Ethical approval was obtained from the Hamdard University Bangladesh Research Ethics Committee (HUBREC), and written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Results:The mean age of participants was 33.9 ± 12.8 years, and 64.7% were male. Most participants were married (61.7%) and literate (81.3%). The mean annual income was 117,180.33 ± 147,674.37 Bangladeshi Taka (BDT), while 45.67% reported having no personal income. Overall, 72.0% of respondents expressed belief in natural herbal medicine, and 60.7% reported previous use of medicinal plants available near their homes. Current use of nearby medicinal plants was reported by 64.3%, whereas 35.3% had used medicinal plants for a health problem during the preceding three months. Among the reported medicinal plants, Ocimum tenuiflorum (14.3%) was the most frequently mentioned species, followed by Ocimum basilicum (12.3%) and Azadirachta indica (11.7%). Cough (21.7%) and common cold (11.3%) were the most frequently reported health complaints, followed by skin diseases (9.0%) and leucorrhoea (5.3%). Extract preparation was the most common method of use (28.3%), followed by raw consumption (24.3%) and juice preparation (16.3%). Hakeems (traditional medicine practitioners) were the most frequently reported source of medicinal plant knowledge (21.7%), followed by family members (14.7%) and doctors (8.0%). Regarding perceived outcomes, 59.7% reported relief from the health problem for which they had used medicinal herbs, and 55.7% were willing to recommend medicinal plants to others. However, only 46.0% considered herbal medicine safer than modern medicine, while 31.0% disagreed and 19.3% were uncertain. Modern medicine was the preferred healthcare service for 57.0% of respondents, followed by Unani medicine (27.7%), homeopathy (8.0%), and Ayurveda (7.3%).
Conclusion:Medicinal plants remain an important component of healthcare knowledge and practices among the surveyed population of Bogura, Bangladesh. The findings demonstrate substantial acceptance of herbal medicine, diverse utilization patterns, and the continuing influence of traditional practitioners and family-based knowledge transmission. Nevertheless, modern medicine remained the preferred healthcare system, and perceptions of herbal medicine safety were mixed. Systematic documentation of traditional knowledge, medicinal plant conservation, public education, and scientific evaluation of commonly used species are recommended. Further phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical investigations are necessary to establish their therapeutic efficacy and safety.