Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Usage of Wild Plants in Theog Forest Division, Himachal Pradesh, North Western Himalaya (original) (raw)
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Indigenous uses of medicinal plants in Tarikhet block of Kumaun Himalaya, India.
Academic Journal of Medicinal Plants, 2021
Over 80% of the world population relies on vegetation for health care; more than 30% of the entire plant species used for medicinal purposes. India displays large topography and various climatic conditions which accommodates more than 45,000 species. Uttarakhand state known as the ‘natural reservoir of India’ is in north-western Himalaya; it has 8000 vascular plants species, over 1748 of these are known for their therapeutic properties. In hilly areas of Uttarakhand, local communities still use the ethno-medicinal plants to cure various diseases and ailments. Although several researchers have conducted surveys across different areas of the Himalayan region, and to our knowledge, ethno-medicinal plants’ studies have not been conducted in Tarikhet block of Almora district, Uttarakhand. In this study, a total of 155 individuals of different age groups (20–93 years) with different socio-economic status (farmer, service man, ex-service man, businessman, housewives, students) participated. A total of 72 medicinal plant species were reported from which 31 were herbs, 20 trees, 15 shrubs, and 6 were climbers belonging to 44 families used in the treatment of various ailments. Furthermore, we recorded that local people used various plant parts i.e., leaves (35), fruit (15), root (10), whole plant (5), seed (6), bark (6) stem (4), rhizome (3) and others (4), to treat a wide range of health conditions. Thus, documenting the ethno-medicinal plants and for conservation is of the upmost important not only for cultural traditions and for biodiversity conservation. The study shows that locals have extensive ethnobotanical knowledge and are highly dependent on the forest for their livelihood. The valuable knowledge is anchored in cultural practices and orally transmitted from one generation to another; however, the loss is imminent as the new generation lacks the interest and the traditional ethnobotanical knowledge is unprotected.
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The biodiversity of Indian Himalayan Region has always provided the local mountain community with various goods and services, shaping their traditional food and healthcare system. For years, this forest-based resource subsistence has accumulated a great deal of traditional knowledge and practices, but is declining through younger generations. The present study aims to document the indigenous knowledge of the mountain community, regarding medicinal and aromatic plants, wild fruits and vegetables, in the villages around Govind Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park in the Western Himalayas. For the study, participatory rural appraisal tools (household survey, key informant interview, focus group discussion, field visit) were used to collect primary information from the local people. A total of 55 species were documented along with the uses for traditionally curing the diseases. The dependency of the community on medicinal plants was analyzed through Relative Frequency Citation (RFC), Re...
In the hilly areas of Indian Himalaya, the inhabitants largely depend on plants for curing various diseases. The indigenous knowledge and traditional practices of medicinal plants are vanishing fast. Therefore, we aimed to document indigenous uses of some important medicinal plants of Kullu district; analyze distribution pattern, nativity and endemism of these medicinal plants; and suggest conservation strategies. We recorded information on 75 species of medicinal plants. The recorded species represent trees (12 spp.), shrubs (15), herbs (47), and fungi (1). Of these, 29 medicinal plants were native, 1 endemic, 11 near-endemic, and 46 non-native. Of all species, various plant parts such as leaves (32 spp.), roots (29), tubers (2), seeds (8), fruits (10), flowers (8), fruiting body (1), bark (8), stem (3), and wood (2) were used in curing various diseases. We recommend further studies on habitat ecology of the species, mass multiplication of commercially viable species through conventional and in vitro methods, and their establishment in the in situ and ex situ conditions. Furthermore, it is important to develop farming techniques of commercially viable species and disseminate knowledge among stakeholders through education and awareness raising.
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The study was performed in the mid hills of the Dharampur region in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, India. At the study site, a total of 115 medicinal plants were documented (38 trees, 37 herbs, 34 shrubs, 5 climbers, 1 fern, and 1 grass). In the study region, extensive field surveys were performed between March 2020 and August 2021. Indigenous knowledge of wild medicinal plants was collected through questionnaires, discussions, and personal interviews during field trips. Plants with their correct nomenclature were arranged by botanical name, family, common name, habitat, parts used, routes used, and diseases treated. In the present study, the predominant family was Rosaceae, which represented the maximum number of plant species, 10, followed by Asteraceae and Lamiaceae, which represented 8 plant species. The rural inhabitants of the Dharampur region in the Solan district have been using local plants for primary health care and the treatment of various diseases for a longer time...
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In Himachal Pradesh native people of high hills have rich traditional knowledge about ethnomedicinal plants and its uses, in this respect an ethnobotanical survey was carried out in high hills of Dhami in district Shimla of Himachal Pradesh, India. The required information on ethnomedicines used by local peoples was collected through personal field visits, interview methods and by using a pretested questionnaire. The area has a high number of medicinal plants. It was observed that in high hills of Dhami 23 commonly used wild medicinal plants were Asparagus racemosus, Berberis lycium, Bergenia ciliata, Buddleja crispa, Cannabis sativa, Carissa spinarum, Cuscuta reflexa, Diplazium esculentum, Emblica officinalis, Ficus auriculata, Fragaria indica, Justicia adhatoda, Mentha spicata, Myrica esculenta, Nicotiana tabacum, Opuntia stricta, Oxalis latifolia, Ricinus communis, Roylea cinerea, Rubus niveus, Rumex hastatus, Solanum nigrum and Viola canescens and they are useful for different t...
DOCUMENTATION AND UTILIZATION PATTERN OF ETHNO- MEDICINAL PLANTS IN DARJEELING HIMALAYAS, INDIA
The Himalayan region of West Bengal, India a part of Indo-Malayan biodiversity hotspot harbours many plants growing wild and traditionally used as medicines. The study was an effort to document the traditionally available medicinal plants and their traditional utilization by the indigenous community. The information on plant parts used, mode of administration, doses and uses in different ailments and disease was gathered from the tribal medicine men including the elders of the community using a well structured questionnaire. A total of 32 plant species representing 33 genera and 26 families with their therapeutic values against different ailments were documented. The plant species were dominated by herbaceous flora (21) followed by trees (6) and least by shrubs (4). The dominant family was Zingiberaceae representing four species. These plants were used to treat common ailments like cough and cold, fever, diarrhoea and dysentery, bone related problems and other common diseases prevailing in the area. This documentation can be helpful in conservation and framing management policies for the available medicinal plants whereas utilization pattern can be helpful in transferring the traditional knowledge to younger generations.
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The main aim of this study is to document important ethnomedicinal plants from the Maraog region, located in the district of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, India. A total of 110 medicinal plant species belonging to 102 genera and 57 families were reported from the study site. All of the species were collected from wild habitats. The rural people of the Maraog region were surveyed through interview methods, group discussions, and participatory observations. In the current study, data were collected from 88 informants through the snowball method. A total of 110 plant species were collected from the study area, including 64 herbs, 24 shrubs, 9 trees, 5 climbers, 3 grasses, and 5 ferns. Most of the plant species, reported from the study area, belong to the Rosaceae and Asteraceae families, each contributing 12 plant species, followed by the Lamiaceae family with 6 plant species. The most used part of the plant in the preparation of herbal medications is the leaves, which have been reported...
Indigenous Knowledge and Application of Ethnomedicinal Plants in Western Himalayas
2020
Background: In the modern era, the practice of herbal medicine for health care practices has been declining and may led to the loss of valuable information about plants used in traditional medicine from ancient times. The present study was aimed to document ethnomedicinal knowledge of plants used by the inhabitants of Garhwal Himalaya for health care management in rural areas and can be base line for the contribution of drug discoveries for Pharmaceutical industries.Methods: A snowball sampling technique was employed to gather information using questionnaires and informal interviews followed by discussions with peer and prominent healer practitioners. Consensus factor (Fic) was used to test the homogeneity in ethnomedicinal knowledge of rural inhabitants. Fidelity level (FL), cultural importance index (CI) were computed for the people depends on plants. Results: A total of 88 medicinal plants species belonging to 45 families with 80 genera were reported for different ailments. The m...
Background: Traditional knowledge on ethnomedicinal plant is slowly eroding. The exploration, identification and documentation on utilization of ethnobotanic resources are essential for restoration and preservation of ethnomedicinal knowledge about the plants and conservation of these species for greater interest of human society. Methods: The study was conducted at fringe areas of Chilapatta Reserve Forest in the foothills of the eastern sub-Himalayan mountain belts of West Bengal, India, from December 2014 to May 2016. Purposive sampling method was used for selection of area. From this area which is inhabited by aboriginal community of Indo-Mongoloid origin, 400 respondents including traditional medicinal practitioners were selected randomly for personal interview schedule through open-ended questionnaire. The questionnaire covered aspects like plant species used as ethnomedicines, plant parts used, procedure for dosage and therapy. Results: A total number of 140 ethnomedicinal species was documented, in which the tree species (55) dominated the lists followed by herbs (39) and shrubs (30). Among these total planted species used for ethnomedicinal purposes, 52 species were planted, 62 species growing wild or collected from the forest for use and 26 species were both wild and planted. The present study documented 61 more planted species as compared to 17 planted species documented in an ethnomedicinal study a decade ago. The documented species were used to treat 58 human diseases/ailments including nine species used to eight diseases/ailments of domestic animals. Stomach-related problems were treated by maximum number of plants (40 species) followed by cuts and wounds with 27 plant species and least with one species each for 17 diseases or ailments. Maximum number of 12 diseases/ailments was cured by Melia azedarach followed by Centella asiatica and Rauvolfia serpentina which were used to cure 11 diseases/ailments each. Conclusions: The list of 140 plant species indicates that the Chilapatta Reserve Forest and its fringe areas are rich in biodiversity of ethnobotanical plant species. Rauvolfia serpentina were the most valuable species in terms of its maximal use with higher use value. The documentation of 78 species maintained in the home gardens indicates the community consciousness on the conservation values of these ethnobotanical species. The communities should be encouraged with improved cultivation techniques of commercially viable ethnobotanical species through capacity building, timely policy intervention along with strong market linkage. This will ensure income generation and livelihood improvement and ultimate conservation of these species.
Ethnomedicinal survey of plants used by tribal in Nrushinghnath forest of Bargarh, Odisha, India
International Journal of Botany Studies, 2020
Therapeutic plants from the significant common assets base of the Indian indigenous medicinal services custom. Roughly 10% of the natural constituents of plants are accounted for to be known and staying 90% are yet to be investigated. Because of worldwide prominence of Ayurveda, there is consistent increment popular of homegrown medications in the most recent couple of decades hence applying enormous weight on regular assets. An ethnomedicinal survey was carried in various backwoods pockets of Nrushinghnath area of Odiaha. In the present paper, attempts have been made to documents the ethnomedicinal plants of the study area. The study reveals that 29 plants belonging to 22 families are identified and documented during the field survey. Out of 29 plant species, 22 are herbs, 1 shrub and 6 climbers. Traditional medicines also have the potential to form the basis of pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of a range of diseases. It can be concluded that ethnobotanical plants can be used to find out natural products that may serve as the lead for the development of new pharmaceuticals addressing the major remedial needs.