Use of Jasminum Sambac and Eleusine Indica in a Novel Method for Treatment of Snakebite

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to document a novel treatment method using Jasminum sambac and Eleusine indica to treat snakebite in Bagshayesta village of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. Methods: The whole process of treatment was photographed in presence of a few onlookers (including another FMP) with the consent of the patient and the folk medicinal practitioner (FMP) who treated the patient. Plant specimens were photographed, collected and identified at the Bangladesh National Herbarium at Dhaka. Results: The FMP (belonging to the Libra zodiac sign) first used a rectangular ring of Eleusine indica leaves and stems to determine the extent to which venom has entered the body of the patient (who was bitten on the right toe by a cobra species snake). Leaf juice obtained from seven leaves of Jasminum sambac was then orally administered to the patient every 5-10 minutes till the venom has come out of the bitten area. Conclusion: The whole treatment process, strange as it seems, was witnessed by onlookers as well as the authors (all of whom can be judged to be without bias one way or another). That the patient survived without administration of any anti-venom or other medication(s) testify to the success of the treatment, at least for cobra bites.