Abstract
BackgroundThe district of Manang (2000 – 6000 m) is located in the Central Himalayas, Nepal. The majority of local inhabitants of the area are Gurungs, of Tibetan origin. The remoteness of the region has resulted in continued use of plants as medicine in an area where the ethnobotany has sparsely been documented.MethodsInterviews were conducted with amchi (Tibetan medicinal practitioners), local healers (including priests locally known as 'lamas'), plant traders, and knowledgeable villagers (including herders) regarding local plant names and their medicinal uses during several field visits (2002–2005). When convenient to the locals, a jungle or forest walk was done with the healers, allowing for both plant collection and detailed information gathering.ResultsThis present research documented 91 ethnomedicinal plant species, belonging to 40 families under 73 genera, and 45 new ethnomedicinal plant species are added. These 91 locally used medicinal plants are found to treat 93 ailments. This study provides information on 45 plant species previously unknown for their medicinal uses in Manang. The indication for use, mode of preparation, dose and administration of medicine are described in detail for each species.ConclusionThis wealth of ethnobotanical knowledge persists, and is being transferred to the next generation in some areas in upper Manang, in a country where this is often not the case. The senior amchi of the area (Karma Sonam Lama), who has been practicing Tibetan medicine for three generations, feels that it is of utmost importance to conserve the traditional healing system and to pass his knowledge on to the local community about the importance of medicinal plants. He hopes that this will lead to the conservation and sustainable management of medicinal plants in the villages. Over the duration of this research, the prices of several rare medicinal plants of Manang increased dramatically, highlighting both the scarcity and the quick disappearance of the species. This is only one example of a worrying trend of over harvesting of medicinal plants, and highlights the need for conservation and management of medicinal plants of Manang district.
Highlights
The district of Manang (2000 – 6000 m) is located in the Central Himalayas, Nepal
A detailed ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in the Neyshang, Nar and Phoo regions of Manang district. This present research adds to that knowledge base, and this paper will be helpful to document important medicinal plants of the Nepal Himalayas in the trans-Himalayan Zone, which are often used by the Gurung communities for primary healthcare
91 plant species belonging to 40 families and 73 genera are reported from the study area
Summary
The district of Manang (2000 – 6000 m) is located in the Central Himalayas, Nepal. The majority of local inhabitants of the area are Gurungs, of Tibetan origin. Many studies have investigated the uses of medicinal plants in Nepal [4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13], only two studies [8,14], have been done to document the knowledge about the plants in Manang district. A detailed ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in the Neyshang, Nar and Phoo regions of Manang district. This present research adds to that knowledge base, and this paper will be helpful to document important medicinal plants of the Nepal Himalayas in the trans-Himalayan Zone, which are often used by the Gurung communities for primary healthcare
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