Ethnobotanical exploration of medicinal plants for the treat- ment of migraine in Dakshina Kannada district of Western Ghats, Karnataka, India

Migraine is a recurrent neurological disorder of humans affecting approxi-mately 15% of the population globally. It frequently appears in childhood, particularly around puberty and affects women more than men. Traditional medicine has a key role in primary health care system of people residing in remote and rural regions. This study has been carried out in Western Ghats of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state, India during 2018 -2021 to document ethno-medicinal plants used by traditional practitioners to treat migraine. Most people prefer herbal folk therapies against this chronic dis-order. Ethnobotanical study was carried out by repeated field visits. Infor-mation pertaining to the migraine was gathered by open-ended discussions with local traditional healers through a semi -structured questionnaire. All together 67 key informants shared their unique method of treatment against migraine. A total of 53 plant species belonging to 29 families are being used by local folk practitioners. Data was analyzed by quantitative tools like Relative frequency of citation (RFC) and Family importance value (FIV) to compare the importance of reported plants. Leaves are the mostly used plant parts in the preparation of herbal formulation. Internal mode of application was more prevalent to treat migraine. Documentation of tradi-tional knowledge of using plants in primary health care systems will be nec-essary in order to face new challenges by the modern medical world.

Automated summary

Migraine is a neurological disorder that affects approximately 15% of the global population, with a higher prevalence among women during childhood and puberty. This study documents the use of ethno-medicinal plants by traditional practitioners in the Western Ghats of India to treat migraine. Herbal folk therapies are preferred by most individuals in treating this chronic disorder.