Ethnomedicinal investigations among the Sigibe clan of the Khumi tribe of Thanchi sub-district in Bandarban district of Bangladesh.

The Khumis are a small tribe mostly inhabiting the Thanchi sub-district of Bandarban district in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. An ethnomedicinal investigation was carried out among the Sigibe clan of the Khumis residing at Hoitong Khumi Para to document their use of medicinal plants and formulations for treatment of various diseases. A total of 36 formulations were obtained from the Khumi healer. The healer was observed to use 41 plants in his formulations, of which 33 could be identified and 8 remained unidentified. The 33 identified plants were distributed into 23 families. The various diseases or symptoms treated by the healer included various types of pain, kidney stones, dizziness induced by high fever, irregular menstruation, ringworm infection, fever with frequent passing of watery stool, gastric problems, severe fever, abscess, tearing of tendons, snake bite, jaundice, cuts and wounds, oral and anal infections, swelling due to injury, scabies and itches, asthma, and severe headache and dizziness because of adverse effects from other medicines. Close observations of indigenous communities have led to discovery of many modern medicines, because indigenous communities through their living in forest or semi-forest habitats have over long periods of time accumulated considerable knowledge of medicinal properties of various plants. It is expected that the medicinal plants and formulations used by the Khumi healer can play a role in the discovery of new medicines from these plants.