Abstract
BackgroundBy revealing historical and present plant use, ethnobotany contributes to drug discovery and socioeconomic development. Nepal is a natural storehouse of medicinal plants. Although several ethnobotanical studies were conducted in the country, many areas remain unexplored. Furthermore, few studies have compared indigenous plant use with reported phytochemical and pharmacological properties.MethodsEthnopharmacological data was collected in the Rasuwa district of Central Nepal by conducting interviews and focus group discussions with local people. The informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculated in order to estimate use variability of medicinal plants. Bio-efficacy was assessed by comparing indigenous plant use with phytochemical and pharmacological properties determined from a review of the available literature. Criteria were used to identify high priority medicinal plant species.ResultsA total of 60 medicinal formulations from 56 plant species were documented. Medicinal plants were used to treat various diseases and disorders, with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal problems, followed by fever and headache. Herbs were the primary source of medicinal plants (57% of the species), followed by trees (23%). The average FIC value for all ailment categories was 0.82, indicating a high level of informant agreement compared to similar studies conducted elsewhere. High FIC values were obtained for ophthalmological problems, tooth ache, kidney problems, and menstrual disorders, indicating that the species traditionally used to treat these ailments are worth searching for bioactive compounds: Astilbe rivularis, Berberis asiatica, Hippophae salicifolia, Juniperus recurva, and Swertia multicaulis. A 90% correspondence was found between local plant use and reported plant chemical composition and pharmacological properties for the 30 species for which information was available. Sixteen medicinal plants were ranked as priority species, 13 of which having also been prioritized in a country-wide governmental classification.ConclusionsThe Tamang people possess rich ethnopharmacological knowledge. This study allowed to identify many high value and high priority medicinal plant species, indicating high potential for economic development through sustainable collection and trade.
Highlights
By revealing historical and present plant use, ethnobotany contributes to drug discovery and socioeconomic development
The interest in phytomedicine has been renewed over the last decade and several medicinal plant species are being screened for pharmacological potential
High FIC values were obtained for ophthalmological problems, tooth ache, kidney problems, and menstrual disorders (Table 3), indicating that the species that are traditionally used to treat these ailments are worth searching for bioactive compounds: Berberis asiatica, Astilbe rivularis, Juniperus recurva, Swertia multicaulis, and Hippophae salicifolia
Summary
By revealing historical and present plant use, ethnobotany contributes to drug discovery and socioeconomic development. Few studies have compared indigenous plant use with reported phytochemical and pharmacological properties. Documenting indigenous knowledge through the ethnobiological approach is important for species conservation and sustainable resource use [3]. Such studies are often significant in revealing locally important plant species, sometimes leading to the discovery of crude drugs [4,5], or contributing to economic development. Millions of people in the developing world rely on medicinal plants for primary health care, income generation and livelihood improvement [6]. The global demand for medicinal plants is increasing and, in India alone, the market is expanding at an annual rate of 20%
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