Documenting Grandmas’ prescriptions for skin ailments in Valsad district, Gujarat

Abstract

The four years survey of 207 persons of Valsad district yielded about 2,177 remedies for different ailments from tribes and the rural populace of the district. The information was classified in to 23 disease groups based on their utility. The paper emphasizes information gathered for one of such groups, skin ailments. There were about 54 recipes. The detailed analysis of the data includes recipes, dosages and diet restrictions. Since the information collected was the inherent, age old knowledge, it was named as grandmas’ prescription. A prior informed consent was obtained from the knowledge providers.