Page 3 - Oct-Dec 2013

VOl. 10 No. 4

Medicines from the North East

The tribal people and ethnic races throughout the world have developed their own cultures, customs, cults, religious
rites, taboos, legends and myths, folktales, medicinal plants etc. Numerous wild and cultivated plants play a very
important and vital role among these cultures.

MIShING MedICINe NAGA fOlk MedICINe

The Mishing community of assam and arunachal Nagaland is known for its rich
Pradesh have a unique medicinal system of their own. biodiversity. it is also blessed
The Mishings use different herbs in the form of fresh with numerous herbal trees and
drug, crushed juice derived from the herb, and powdered plants that are used for medicinal
medicine. These herbs are locally available. purposes. generally, the traditional
knowledge of herbal medicine is
confined to local medicine men. The lotha-Naga tribes
inhabited the hilly tracts of Nagaland are known for
MIzO TrAdITIONAl heAlING curing many ailments using locally grown herbs.

SySTeM The lekok plant found in Nagaland is known for its
astringent and digestive properties. it is used to treat
The traditional healing systems of the Mizos are based bronchitis, skin diseases, leprosy and asthma.
on intense observation and belief. The use of medicinal
plants for curing ailments has been an age-old custom Sungjemkala, VIII, John Douglas School, Kohima
among the Mizo tribes. a traditional herb used by the ao-Naga tribe is Repjee. it
is found all over the state cultivated in Jhum fields and
kitchen gardens. its leaves and roots have medicinal
lepChA ANd BhUTIA heAlING value.
Maonglemla, VIII, John Douglas School, Kohima
SySTeMS

The lepchas believe in the MySTIfyING MeGhAlAyA
existence of certain semi-divine
beings or guardian spirits, which all the tribes of Meghalaya use traditional methods of
are respected in the form of a treatment. These medicines are widely accepted by the
huge tree or sacred groves. it is local people.
believed that if they are disrespected, people may suffer Cassandra Odami Rynjah, IX, B.K. Bajoria School, Shillong
from serious illness and death. The Totola tree is highly
respected in lepcha culture. There is an age-old belief among the Khasis of Meghalaya
that a particular germ infects the infants and newborns.
The bhutias have trained specialists known as Pau who This is called Niangsohpet-niang meaning germ and
practice Phuphi, a ritual wherein they go into a trance sohpet meaning navel in Khasi dialect. The Khasis make
and communicate with the spirits to discover the root a herbal concoction called Ka Dawai Niangsohpet to
cause of an illness. eliminate the germs from the body.

MIrACle Of MANIpUr
TANTrA ANd MANTrA IN SIkkIM
The Chameleon plant, also known
The Tantric form of religion and medicine was introduced as Toningkhok in Manipuri, is known
in sikkim by guru Pamasambhava, commonly known for its medicinal properties. The leaf
as guru rimpoche. in this tantric form of healing, lord extract of this plant is used for treating dysentery.
buddha is evoked as Ugyen Menla.
V.M. Subhasri, VI , Revoor Padmanabha Chetty’s Matric Hr. Sec.
School, Chennai

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