Folkloric use of plants for treatment of epilepsy in India

Abstract

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder prevalent world wide. It requires long term treatment with available antiepileptic agents but the associated side effects and incomplete success rates in treatment are some challenges in front of mankind. Traditional treatment of epilepsy through various plants is also very popular in rural and tribal belts of India. An attempt was made to gather information about antiepileptic plants being used by different indigenous communities all over the country. It has revealed use of total 159 plants for treatment of epilepsy and its related symptoms in India. Out of these, 55 plants have been evaluated for their anticonvulsant potential in various biological studies. There is an urgent need for scientific evaluation of rest of the 104 plants for their antiepileptic potential to obtain a safe, efficient and cost-effective treatment for this serious brain disorder.