Ethnomedicinal Knowledge of Forest-Dependent Communities in the Eastern Coastal Region of Khulna, Bangladesh

Abstract

We aimed to document the ethnomedicinal knowledge of forest-dependent communities through a structured questionnaire-based survey of 150 diverse respondents from the Khulna Forest range in the Sundarbans. The methodology included a field walk as part of the conversation to identify medicinal plants, during which each plant’s local name, treated diseases, used parts, and application methods were recorded. A total of 49 medicinal plants were identified, including three mangrove species. Among these, Andrographis paniculata and Moringa oleifera had the highest use values (UVs) of 2.0. The study documented significant traditional uses of medicinal plants, highlighting several novel applications alongside practices consistent with recent ethnobotanical survey reports.