Traditional healthcare practices of Manipur, North-East India – Its genesis and sciences

Abstract

In the present cross-cultural ethnopharmacological survey, altogether thirty traditional practitioners in sixteen districts of the Manipur state belonging to nine different ethnic communities were interviewed. A predesigned questionnaire was used for documentation of traditional healthcare knowledge of folklore healers. Their patient care and preparations of traditional medicines were recorded in written and audio-visual formats. The survey data was re-compiled in MySQL 5.1.41(4) as an NEIEM database. The ethnopharmacological information on 274 different formulations used for 57 different human and animal diseases were documented during this survey. The 181 different plants, 30 animals, and 11 different organic/minerals matters were found to be used as components of 274 formulations. In course of this survey, several manuscripts and an ancient therapeutic protocol “Sida Hidak Taret” (Seven Life Saving Medicines) were documented. The present study preserves the indigenous traditional healthcare knowledge of Manipur for future generations.