An overview of some medicinal plant species commonly used as traditional medicine in Bangladesh

Medicinal herbs have been utilized since the Vedic period. Approximately 75% of people in rural areas of Bangladesh utilize traditional medicines in some capacity. Bangladesh is the home to over 10,000 different varieties of medicinal plants. The use of herbal and ayurvedic medicines predates humankind. There is substantial evidence of the historical relationship between man and his hunt for pharmaceuticals in nature, including written records, surviving monuments, and even the first plant medicines. The use of plants as a source of research in the search for active compounds for medicine has been proven to have a significant scientific output. An analysis of the scientific literature indexed in various databases concerning medicinal plants clearly shows that in the last 20 years, progress has been rapid, with a peak in the last century. Although there is a vast list of beneficial plant species for humans, this review article attempted to concentrate on describing the traditional medical applications of a few chosen plant species in Bangladesh.