Medicinal plants from Sundarbans used for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases: A pragmatic randomized ethnobotanical survey in Khulna division of Bangladesh

Khulna division of Bangladesh has cool and salubrious climate that favor the growth of diversity of medicinal plants. For the reason that in the south-western part of Bangladesh, in the districts of Khulna, Satkhira and Bagerhat lays the Sundarbans, the beautiful forest. About 33 medicinal plants being used by Khulna division as folk medicines have been identified and documented along with their curative properties for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Use of medicinal plants and cultural ethics are closely linked among the Khulna division and they possessed high conservative and descended through generations. They keep outmost secrecy of the curative properties of the plants in the form of oral and traditional ethics which help in the conservative management of rare and endangered medicinal plant species of the Khulna division. Most of the medicinal plants are herbs followed by shrubs and a few trees available at different seasons of the year. Plant specimens as pointed out by the traditional healers were collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium. These plant species (with family name given in parenthesis) included Siegesbeckia orientalis (Asteraceae), Terminalia catappa (Combretaceae), Typhonium giganteum (Araceae), Punica granatum (Lythraceae), Bacopa monnieri (Scrophulariaceae), Nymphaea nouchali (Nymphaeaceae), Adiantum capillus-veneris (Pteridaceae), Carica papaya (Caricaceae), Portulaca oleracea (Portulacaceae), Dipterocarpus turbinatus (Dipterocarpaceae), Terminalia belerica (Combretaceae), Rosa damascene (Rosaceae), Cycas rumphii (Cycadaceae), Polygonum minus (Polygonaceae), Terminalia arjuna (Combretaceae), Enydra fluctuans (Asteraceae), Sida cordifolia (Malvaceae), Euphorbia antiquorum (Euphorbiaceae), Nerium indicum (Apocynaceae), Aegle marmelos (Rutaceae), Heritiera fomes (Sterculiaceae), Passiflora coccinea (Passifloraceae), Lepidagathis hyalina (Acanthaceae), Putranjiva roxburghii (Putranjivaceae), Nigella sativa (Ranunculaceae), Corchorus capsularis (Tiliaceae), Setaria italica (Graminaceae), Citrullus vulgaris (Cucurbitaceae), Cicer arietinum (Leguminosae), Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae), Swertia chirata (Gentianaceae), Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae), and Phyllanthus niruri (Euphorbiaceae). These medicinal plants can be sources of further scientific studies towards discovery of newer and more effective drugs. Project support received in part by the Peoples Integrated Alliance and Biogene Life Care.