Jharkhand's Horopathy: Traditional Tribal Herbal Healing Practices for Rural Healthcare

Ranchi: In many rural parts of Jharkhand, traditional tribal herbal healing practices known as horopathy continue to play an important role in everyday healthcare. In several interior villages, horopathy practitioners are often the first point of contact for treatment, especially for families who cannot afford private medical care or travel long distances to see a doctor.

Horopathy, similar to Ayurveda, relies on medicinal plants found in forests and fields. However, practitioners say the range of plants and the variety of remedies used in horopathy are far more extensive, rooted in tribal knowledge that has been passed down through generations.

Osker Hembrom, a practitioner of horopathy, said the tradition largely survives through family learning. “In many homes where this practice exists, children grow up watching their elders prepare herbal medicines and eventually learn the methods themselves,” he said.

He added, “There are many medicinal plants in Jharkhand, but very few people are aware of their benefits.”

Practitioners claim that these remedies are used to treat a wide range of illnesses. “Conditions like arthritis can be treated from the root using herbal medicines. Even malaria has traditional remedies prepared from local roots,” Hembrom said.

Dr Narayan Oraon, an MBBS doctor, said that while many remedies have been practised for generations, systematic scientific research on them remains limited. “Many tribal herbal medicines are made from natural ingredients that communities have used for centuries,” he said.

He said that several traditional food in tribal diets also have medicinal properties. “Phutkal saag, which people have eaten since childhood, is known to help treat diarrhoea and has high zinc content,” he said. Plants like chaakor saag are used for oral ulcers and gum infections, while saag is known in ayurveda for multiple health benefits.

Baijyanti Oraon, assistant teacher at Utkramit Uccha Vidyalaya, Sugda in Itki, who has conducted extensive research on tribal flora, said it is important to pass this knowledge to younger generations.

“We teach our students about these medicinal plants, their benefits and how they are used in traditional remedies. If more people become aware of the value of local flora, they can include these plants in their daily diet and potentially prevent or manage several ailments,” she said.

Experts say that despite the expansion of modern healthcare services in Jharkhand, traditional knowledge systems such as horopathy continue to remain relevant in remote rural areas where access to medical facilities is still limited. Practitioners have called for government support to document this knowledge, promote the cultivation of medicinal plants and introduce training programmes to preserve the traditional healing system for future generations.