Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Tons Watershed in Uttarakhand Himalaya

Abstract

The rich plant diversity of Uttarakhand hills has provided an initial advantage to the local people for scrutinizing various plant species for the purpose of food, medicine, perfumes and spices. Over the years, they have accumulated a great deal of knowledge on the use of plant species. The present study aims to document such information, especially the use of plants for curing diseases and as perfumes. Field surveys carried out in the villages of Tons watershed have resulted in the documentation of 84 medicinal, aromatic and spice plant species. These species were distributed over various life forms, of which 19 were tree species, 12 were shrub and 53 were herbaceous species. For curing various ailments, the use of aboveground plant parts was relatively higher (57%) than the belowground plant parts. Different belowground plant forms such as root, tuber, rhizome and bulb were used for preparing herbal medicine for curing ailments. About 17% of these species, which include Picrorhiza kurrooa Benth, Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don) Soo, Arnebia benthamii (D. Don) Johnston, Podophyllum hexandrum Royle, Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All., Rheum australe D. Don and Angelica glauca Edgew. have become threatened due to several natural and anthropogenic pressures. Sustainable utilization of these valuable plant species is an urgent need of hour.