ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Socio cultural Practices, Gendered Knowledge Transmission and Ethnomedicinal Plant Use for Women’s Health in the Tribal Communities of Badamalhera and Bijawar Blocks, Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh

This paper examines the native knowledge and practice of the ethnomedicinal plants of native tribal groups who use the plants to treat the health of their women in the Badamalhera and Bijawar Blocks of Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh. Particular interest is in (a) the socio cultural contextualisation of the use of plants (menstruation, fertility, childbirth, postpartum recovery), (b) the passing of gendered knowledge (women healers, matrilineal/cross gender transfer, generational change), and (c) the catalogue of medicinal plants used in female reproductive health by the local ethnic/tribal groups. Interviews in the field, participant observation and plant surveys were held. Results show a vast plant cure repertoire, powerful women centred knowledge networks, and indications of loss of transmission across younger generations. The paper indicates the implications on conservation of knowledge, empowering women as health custodians and incorporation of ethnomedicine into modern health systems.