Medico-ethnobiology in Rai Community : A Case Study from Baikunthe Village Development Committee , Bhojpur , Eastern Nepal

This paper tried to explore the uses of medicinal animals and plants for the treatment of different diseases in the Rai community of Baikunthe VDC, Bhojpur, Nepal. About 87 plant species belonging to 55 families were used in treating 65 types of diseases while 27 different animal species belonging to 23 families were used in healing 28 ailments. The community is rich in traditional medicinal knowledge and has been using several plants and animal species for healing ailments in their day to day life. Finally, to protect their knowledge, awareness dissemination and further documentation has become vital.


INTRODUCTION
Human beings have strong and intimate linkage with the plants and animals for sustaining life in extreme and critical environment.These connections are seen in every culture across the world, in multiple forms of interaction with local animals as well as plants (Alves 2011).The uses of plants and animals as medicines have passed from generation to generation in the form of traditional and indigenous knowledge.The different ethnic groups have been accumulating such a valuable knowledge generation by generation.The use of animals and plants in traditional medicine is not new but its documentation is limited to some extent.Exploration, evaluation and documentation of indigenous knowledge have become one of the tool to sensitize and aware the ethnic group.
The documentation of indigenous use of plants by Rai community seems to begin with the work of Toba (1975) who documented the names of plants in Khaling (Rai language) in Solukhumbu district.Dahal (2000) have documented the plants used by Aathpahariya Rai of Dhankuta district, Nepal.Fewwork has been undertaken in Rai community regarding the medicinal uses of plant and animal species.The Golmebhir Hill of Baikunthe Village Development Committee (VDC) is considered to be rich source of medicinal plants and animals worth assessed and documented.The objective of this paper is to explore the medico-ethnobiological knowledge in the Rai community of Baikunthe VDC of eastern Nepal.

Study Area
Bhojpur district, lies in Koshi Zone of Eastern Development Region, occupies an area of 1522 sq.km with altitude range from 153 m to 4153 m from mean sea level.The district lies between geographical coordinates of 26˚53' N to 27˚46' N latitude and 86˚53' to 87˚17' E longitude (Fig. 1).The district is rich in biodiversity with 124 species of tree, 122 species of shrubs, 30 species of climber, 13 species of parasite plant, 101 species of herbal plant, 28 species of mammal, 9 species of amphibian, 9 species of reptile, and 136 species of bird (DFO, 2057/2058 BS).Besides, school teachers, community leaders, social workers, other local people and young persons from Rai community were consulted.Group Discussion was conducted involving about 4-7 respondents.Informants were asked to list any treatments and remedies for different common health problems.The collected samples in the field were identified using standard literature (DPR 2001, Polunin & Stainton 1984) and also with the help of botanist and expert from National Herbarium, Godawari.

RESULTS
Table 1 showed that 87 plant-species were used for treating 65 types of diseases in Rai community of Baikunthe VDC.Traditionally, they were utilizing plants as labor pain reliever and as lactation enhancer.About 33 percent were found to be trees, 31 percent herbs, 22 percent shrubs, 9 percent climbers, 2 percent grasses, 1 pecent fern, and 1 percent was parasite.The different ailments treated were categorized on the basis of affected parts.The highest treated category was observed to be gastrointestinal (25%) and the lowest treated category was found to be nervous/vascular (1.67%).About 13 percent treated category was integumentory, 12 percent musculoskeletal, and 10 percent to be respiratory.Likewise, genito-urinary, nervous and otorhino-laryngo each category was observed to be 7 percent and reproductive category to be 5 percent.The ailments categories like cardiovascular, dental and renal/cardiovascular each was observed to be about 3 percent.Out of total ailments, 5 could not be classified in any category.
Table 2 portrayed that 27 animal species belonging to 17 orders and 23 families were found to be used for healing 28 ailments in the Rai community of BaikuntheVDC.Among them, 22 were wild and 5 were domesticated species.Among the 27 zoo-therapeutic animals, share of Mammalia was 9, Arthropoda 8, Aves 5, Amphibia 2 and Mollusca, Pisces and Reptilian each was 1.The result depicted that 8 animal species were used in integumentory ailment, 5 gastrointestinal, 4 musculoskeletal, 3 in each nervous and respiratory; and 1 in each cardiovascular, reproductive, otorhinolaryngo and nervous/integumentory.Disease 'Runche' (crying habit of baby) could not be classified in medical term.
With respect to forms of medication of parts of animal species, the result revealed that most of the species were found to be used in the form of meat (25.93%) followed by whole organism (14.81%), skin (11.11%) and bile (7.41%).Carapace, head, blood, navel, fluid, spine, stomach, belt, bone-marrow and bone, and animal products like milk, honey, and dungwere observed to be used for medicinal purpose.The use of raw form of medication was found to be more prevalent (50%) followed by paste (18.75%), cooked (12.75%), dried (6.25%), powder (3.13%), burnt (3.13%), odor (3.13%), and as liquid (3.13%).The share of internal and external medications was found to be about 68 and 32 percent respectively.About 65 percent were of oral types, 18 percent of application, 9 percent massage, 3 percent in each sticking and inhaling, and 3percent was observed to be used as protective amulet.

CONCLUSION
The Rai community of Baikunthe VDC has traditionally been using 87 plant and 27 animal species for healing various ailments.The species used are mostly collected from "Golmebhir" forest lying nearby.The plant species are used in treating 65 types of ailments.Animal species are used in treating 28 types of diseases.This indicates with the increased access to allopathic medicine, changing life style pattern and modern education the age-old traditional ethno-biological practices and knowledge is at the verge of extinction.The study is limited within some wards of Baikunthe VDC, the findings does not reflect the overall picture of Rai community of eastern Nepal.In order to document the ethno-medicinal knowledge of

Fig. 1 .
Fig. 1.Location of the Baikunthe VDC in Bhojpur districtThe data were collected in Baikunthe VDC of Bhojpur district from March 22 to April 16, 2011 & September 9 -24, 2012.Key informant interview, Group Discussion and interview were carried out where 35 Key informants i.e.Rai local healers and elder persons were interviewed.Besides, school teachers, community leaders, social workers, other local people and young persons from Rai community were consulted.Group Discussion was conducted involving about 4-7 respondents.Informants were asked to list any treatments and remedies for different common health problems.The collected samples in the field were identified using standard literature(DPR  2001, Polunin & Stainton 1984) and also with the help of botanist and expert from National Herbarium, Godawari.

Table 1 . Plants used for medicines by the Rai community
Rai community of eastern Nepal, more extensive study should be carried out covering the Rai communities living in different areas of the eastern Nepal.The local knowledge should also be linked and justified with the scientific investigation.The local awareness should also be increased especially amongst the youngster about the importance and potential of local traditional knowledge for the conservation and better management of the resource.