Indigenous Knowledge on Health Care in Tribes of Jharkhand and Odisha

Abstract

Health is multidimensional and influenced by plethora of factors such as habitat, religious attitude, political ideology, worldview, educational attainment, natural resource, food production, socio-cultural practices, hygiene and sanitation, environmental hazards, population structure, etc. in tribal societies of India. Indigenous people have the right to their traditional medicines and to maintain their health practices, including conservation of their vital medicinal plants, animals and minerals. Tribal areas in general are marked by poor coverage in health care, specific patterning of bio-genetic diseases, high concentration of infectious diseases, lack of health education and cultural practices with adverse effects. They use indigenous medicines from plant roots, seeds, stems, etc. for various diseases like irregular menstruation, to induce lactation, to break the sterility of females, etc. Precisely for this reason the present paper is an endeavour to highlight not only the prevalence of under nutrition and malnutrition among the Indian tribes, but, also tries to implicate the association of age, sex and Body Mass Index (BMI) with the different metabolic health risk factors. Nestling in the nature's bountiful art treasures, the tribes of Jharkhand and Odisha are sustaining in an impoverished, malnourished and unhygienic state. Their lack of awareness and poor economy are still a hindrance in improving their health status. Therefore, to make amen of such situation, it is high time to ameliorate, explore and preserve the indigenous knowledge practised by the indigenous communities.

Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, Health, Diseases, Medicinal plants, Tribes, Lack of awareness

Cite this Article
Barik Madhushree. Indigenous Knowledge on Health Care in Tribes of Jharkhand and Odisha Research & Reviews: Journal of Herbal Science. 2020; 9(1): 29–35p.