Inherited folk pharmaceutical knowledge of tribal people in the Chittagong Hill tracts, Bangladesh

77-89A questionnaire survey on the use of plants among the local tribal herbalists in the Chakma, Marma and Tripura community of Chitagong Hill tracts was carried out. Cross interviews of healers were made to verify the information. The indigenous people possess the knowledge of traditional healing system using plants. Till now, it is the only way to treat different ailments in tribal people in some remote hilly areas. Due to human interference the wild populations of medicinal plants are declining rapidly. Many of them have become rare and some are facing extinction. In the communication, 190 medicinal plant species belonging to 147 genera and 57 families addressed with their traditional medicinal uses are recorded. Among the families, Fabaceae contained the highest number of plant species with medicinal properties. Of 190 plants found in use to treat 60 different diseases, fever was noted as the most common disease being treated by 35 plant species. There is need for documentation of indigenous healing procedure and for the preservation of valuable medicinal plant species