Traditional use of medicinal plants in district Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India

This research was initiated to document indigenous knowledge associated with traditional medicinal plants; specifically to identify the plant parts used for medicinal purposes and investigate plant species that are used as medicines for the treatment of human health problems. Twelve traditional healers in the study area were interviewed to gather information on the knowledge and use of medicinal plants used as a remedy for human ailments. The study reported that 16 plant species were commonly used to treat various human ailments. Most of these species (68.75%) were wild and harvested mainly for their leaves and the remedies were administered through oral and dermal. The indigenous knowledge transfer was found to be different. Some traditional healers transfer their indigenous knowledge while others kept the knowledge with them for the sake of secrecy. Most of the traditional healers were found to have poor knowledge on the dosage and antidote while prescribing remedies to their patients. More than one medicinal plant species were used more frequently than the use of a single species for remedy preparations. Key words: Ethno-botany, indigenous knowledge, knowledge transfer, medicinal plants.

An ethnobotanical study was conducted from March, 2011 to October, 2012 to enumerate the diversity of traditionally used threatened medicinal plants in biodiversity rich temperate Himalayan ranges of Bandipora district, Kashmir, India. Ethnomedicinal data was gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and walk-in-the-woods with local knowledgeable elders, tribals (Gujjars and Bakkerwals) and Bhoeris (traditional practitioners). Results revealed that 23 threatened plant species belonging to 22 genera and 15 different families were traditionally used for curing various health disorders. Taxus wallichiana was a lone gymnosperm while all others were angiosperms. Majority of the species were perennial herbs but reports of biennial herbs and perennial trees were not uncommon. The highest number of medicinal plants were recorded in two families viz. Asteraceae (4 species, 17.39%) and Liliaceae (3 species, 13.04%). The shrinking population of these plants on account of very high demand for medicinal purposes is a matter of great concern as these plants are the backbone of our traditional medicinal system with a large population still depending on traditional medicine. Therefore, the need to conserve these plants is of utmost importance because if necessary conservation measures are not taken at the earliest, the day will not be far away when these God gifted resources will completely deplete from their natural habitats. Key words: Threatened plants, ethnobotany, Bandipora, tribals, Kashmir Himalaya.

SUSTAINING THE HARVEST: CHALLENGES IN MAP PRODUCTION AND MARKETS

Introduction: Prostatitis is an inflammatory condition of the prostate gland caused by bacterial infections or non-infectious factors. This condition is typically characterized by symptoms such as pelvic pain, urinary frequency, and burning during urination. If left untreated, prostatitis may result in complications, including sexual dysfunction, infertility, and chronic urinary infections. This ethnobotanical study aims to identify and document medicinal plants traditionally used in Dehloran County, Ilam Province, based on the local inhabitants’ traditional knowledge. Methodology: A mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques, was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 25 herbalists and traditional healers in Dehloran. The collected information was analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of the traditional uses of medicinal plants in the region. Results: The study identified eight species of medicinal plants traditionally recognized in the Dehloran region as effective remedies for prostate-related issues. These plants include borage, pumpkin, licorice, yarrow, camel’s thorn, ginger, nettle, and chicory. Among these, borage and pumpkin exhibited the highest usage rates, with a Use Report (UR) of 9, Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) of 0.36, and Percentage of Familiarity and Use (PFU) of 34.6%, making them the most commonly utilized plants for managing prostate conditions in the area. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the traditional use of several indigenous medicinal plants in Dehloran for alleviating prostatitis symptoms. These results can aid in the preservation of traditional knowledge and support the development of complementary therapies for prostatitis.

The moist temperate Himalayas, as one of the major ecological zone of Pakistan, deserve specific attention to the conservation of environment and the sustainable development of natural resources. During the last hundred years, the area has been subjected to major structural changes leading to a decrease of about fifty per cent of the potential forest area. The decrease in forest cover, combined with major changes in community structure has been responsible for the decline of indigenous medicinal plants resources and their traditional knowledge also. Ayubia National Park has been identified as one of the priority area to be focused for medicinal plant conservation. The study was aimed to analyze traditional knowledge including local names, general distribution, flowering period, part used, medicinal and other uses, market values and taxonomic diversity of the medicinal plant of the area The field surveys were conducted by adopting predefined questionnaires through guided and transect walks. The market oriented indigenous species have been subjected through IUCN criterion for evaluation of their conservation status. Traditional knowledge about 117 indigenous medicinal plants (including 8 cultivated ones) have been collected from 140 informants. Women followed by children have been identified as the principle gatherers of medicinal plants. About 44 species were found to be market oriented. According to this criterion, eleven species including two trees (Juglans regia, Taxus wallichiana), one shrub (Berberis lycium) and eight herbaceous species (Asparagus adscendens, Atropa acuminata, Colchicum luteum, Dioscorea deltoidea, Podophyllum hexandrum, Rheum australe, Saussurea costus and Valeriana jatamansi) have been found as endangered. It has been concluded that Traditional knowledge in Moist Temperate Himalayas of Pakistan is under threat of being lost. Availability of cultivated land is quite less, the establishment of botanical gardens, home gardens or kitchen gardens may be the best ex situ conservation strategy, which can be adopted for sustainable utilization of medicinal plants. While clearly defined land tenure system and community participation in park management will be the best in situ conservation measure for adoptation.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic, metabolic disease which may result in further complications. Traditional herbal medicines are used all over the world by diabetic patients. It is estimated that more than 1000 plant species are used against diabetes as folk medicine. Medical authorities such as World Health Organization encourage research on herbal medicines to come up with alternatives for treatment of diabetes, since oral antidiabetic agents have side effects in the long term. To date, a vast number of plants have been evaluated for their antidiabetic activity. Although, Northern Cyprus has a rich flora and anapproximately 11% incidence of diabetes mellitus, few ethnobotanical studies were carried out against diabetes. The aim of this study was to provide a list of plants that are used as folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Northern Cyprus. A survey wasconducted between November and December of 2011 with 100 diabetic patients who consented to participate in the study. The use of 18 plants by 32 diabetic patients was documented. These patients used a variety of plants along with their conventional antidiabetic medicines to control their blood glucose levels. Ethnobotanical studies are crucial in terms of revealing the traditional use of medicinal plants and guiding research on new drugs. However, further investigations are needed. Key words: Diabetes, patients, herbal medicine, Cyprus, hypoglycemic plants.

The study was conducted from October 2012 to June 2013. A total of 184 voluntary households were randomly selected for questionnairebased field survey from stratified sampled ten kebeles (lowest administration unit). Informants between the ages of 20 to 84 were used to collect information on medicinal plant use. Twenty-four key informants (19 males and 5 females) were purposively selected for Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and preference ranking. A total of 104 medicinal plant species from 91 genera and 56 families were identified. From these, 73 (70.2%) of the medicinal plants were used for human treatment, 25 for livestock and 6 for both. Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Euphorbiaceae were the plant families most represented with 9, 7, and 4 species, respectively. The most frequently used plant part was roots (43.86%). Remedies were mainly prepared as a concoction (27%) and homogenization (24%). Most of the species were native to Ethiopia with a limited number of introduced species. There was high informant consensus for popular medicinal plants. It is possible to conclude that the Lay Gayint inhabitants have a uniquely roots-based herbal medicine that remains closed to be accessed only through cultural and social pathways. Therefore, documentation is very important in order to transfer the knowledge to the coming generation as well as for development and incorporation into modern drugs.Keywords/phrases: Afroalpine, Gonder, Medicinal plants, Phototherapy

Objective: An ethnobotanical survey on the medicinal plant species in Losho, Narok County, Kenya was conducted in order to document traditional medicinal knowledge and application of medicinal plants. Materials and Methods: This study was undertaken between 2012. Information was gathered from traditional practitioners who lived and practised in Losho, Narok County, Kenya using semi-structured questionnaires and personal interviews during field trips. Ethnobotanical data was arranged alphabetically by family name followed by botanical name, vernacular name, part used, folk use, and recipe. Correct identification was made with the help of taxonomist and voucher specimens deposited at the University of Nairobi Herbarium. Results: Twenty six (26) herbalists between the ages 20-69 years (10 men and 16 women) were purposively selected and interviewed. The present investigation reported medicinal information for 33 species, belonging to 21 plant families. The most represented plant family was Asteraceae followed by Oleaceae and Rhamnaceae. 36 % of the species were used to manage stomach ache and stomach related ailments while 30% of the plant species were used to treat malaria. Conclusion: This survey showed that although people in study area have access to modern medical facility Losho Dispensary but a lot of them still continue to depend on medicinal plants for the treatment of healthcare problems. The present paper represents significant ethnobotanical information on medical plants which provides baseline data for future pharmacological and phytochemical studies.

An ethnobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on the uses of medicinal plant species was conducted from December 2017 to March 2018 in Gasera district of Bale Zone, Oromia Regional State. The objective of the study was to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments, threats and conservation status of medicinal plants before it is lost. Different ethnobotanical techniques such as semi-structured interviews, group discussion, field observations and guided field walk were used for gathering data and a total of 97 informants from 6 kebeles were involved in the study. A total of 121 medicinal plant species belonging to 113 genera and 60 families were documented. Among plant families, Lamiaceae was the most dominant plant family represented by 10 species, followed by Solanaceae represented by 8 species and Asteraceae represented by 7 species. Most of the species (78 species) were collected from the wild while (43 species) were collected from home-gardens. A total of 59 (48.76%) species were used for the treatment of human ailments, 34 species (28.1%) were used to treat both human and livestock ailments and 28 species (23.14%) were used to treat livestock ailments only. Herbs were the most used plants, accounting for 52.89% followed by shrubs (23.14%), trees (19.01%), climbers (3.31%) and epiphytes (1.65%). Human interference through habitat destruction for agricultural expansion, construction, firewood and other purposes were the major threats to medicinal plants in the study area. Awareness raising and community based participatory forest management program should be encouraged.

Wild medicinal plants gathering for the treatment of various human ailments is an ancient tradition that has endured in mountainous areas of Pakistan. In order to understand the pattern and uses of plants, a study on the Ethnopharmaceutically important medicinal plants of Shawar valley, District Swat was conducted during summer 2008. Information’s about these plant resources were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observation and group discussion. In order to documents the preset use of medicinal plants growing in and around the study area an elderly person up to age group 60 was mostly interviewed. The study revealed that 87 plants species of 58 families of having ethnomedicinal importance. There were 50 Dicotyledonous families, 3 Monocotyledons families (Aliaceae, Iridacea and Poaceae), 2 Gymnosperms families (Pinaceae and Taxaceae) 2 Pteridophytes families (Polypodiaceae and Pteridaceae) and family Halvelaceae of fungi. These species were used for the curing of various human ailments in indigenous system of medicines. Some plants are used singly while many others are used in combination with other plants or edible items. Similarly, few plants species are considered for the treatment of only one specific disease while several other have multiple such medicinal uses. These are mostly used for the curing of gastro-intestinal problems, emmenagogue and antispasmodic and also for general body tonic. The detail local uses, local method of recipe preparation and application along with their local name and disease treated were reported for each species. The study also observed that the availability of pharmaceutically and therapeutically important MAP species is declining and the number of rare and threatened species among the MAPs is increasing in the area. Further study is, therefore, required to quantify the availability of species and to suggest suitable method for their production and conservation. Recommendations are, therefore, given in the spheres of training in identification, sustainable collection, value addition, trade monitoring and cooperative system of marketing of medicinal plants.

BackgroundThe boreal forest of Canada is home to several hundred thousands Aboriginal people who have been using medicinal plants in traditional health care systems for thousands of years. This knowledge, transmitted by oral tradition from generation to generation, has been eroding in recent decades due to rapid cultural change. Until now, published reviews about traditional uses of medicinal plants in boreal Canada have focused either on particular Aboriginal groups or on restricted regions. Here, we present a review of traditional uses of medicinal plants by the Aboriginal people of the entire Canadian boreal forest in order to provide comprehensive documentation, identify research gaps, and suggest perspectives for future research.MethodsA review of the literature published in scientific journals, books, theses and reports.ResultsA total of 546 medicinal plant taxa used by the Aboriginal people of the Canadian boreal forest were reported in the reviewed literature. These plants were used to treat 28 disease and disorder categories, with the highest number of species being used for gastro-intestinal disorders, followed by musculoskeletal disorders. Herbs were the primary source of medicinal plants, followed by shrubs. The medicinal knowledge of Aboriginal peoples of the western Canadian boreal forest has been given considerably less attention by researchers. Canada is lacking comprehensive policy on harvesting, conservation and use of medicinal plants. This could be explained by the illusion of an infinite boreal forest, or by the fact that many boreal medicinal plant species are widely distributed.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this review is the most comprehensive to date to reveal the rich traditional medicinal knowledge of Aboriginal peoples of the Canadian boreal forest. Future ethnobotanical research endeavours should focus on documenting the knowledge held by Aboriginal groups that have so far received less attention, particularly those of the western boreal forest. In addition, several critical issues need to be addressed regarding the legal, ethical and cultural aspects of the conservation of medicinal plant species and the protection of the associated traditional knowledge.

BackgroundEthiopian plants have shown remarkably effective medicinal values for many human and livestock ailments. Some research results are found on medicinal plants of the south, south west, central, north and north western parts of Ethiopia. However, there is lack of data that quantitatively assesses the resource potential and the indigenous knowledge on use and management of medicinal plants in eastern Ethiopia. The main thrust of the present ethnobotanical study centres around the potential and use of traditional medicinal plants by pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in Babile Wereda (district) of eastern Ethiopia. The results can be used for setting up of conservation priorities, preservation of local biocultural knowledge with sustainable use and development of the resource.Materials and methodsFifty systematically selected informants including fifteen traditional herbalists (as key informants) participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews, discussions and guided field walk constituted the main data collection methods. Techniques of preference ranking, factor of informant consensus and Spearman rank correlation test were employed in data analysis. Medicinal plant specimens were collected, identified and kept at the National Herbarium (ETH) of Addis Ababa University and Haramaya University Herbarium.ResultsFifty-one traditional medicinal plant species in 39 genera and 28 families were recorded, constituting 37% shrubs, 29% trees, 26% herbs, 6% climbers and 2% root parasites. Leaves contributed to 35.3% of the preparations, roots (18.8%) and lower proportions for other parts. Formulations recorded added to 133 remedies for 54 human ailments, in addition to some used in vector control. The majority of remedies were the juice of single species, mixtures being generally infrequent. Aloe pirottae, Azadirachta indica and Hydnora johannis were the most cited and preferred species. Aloe pirottae, a species endemic to Ethiopia, is valued as a remedy for malaria, tropical ulcer, gastro-intestinal parasites, gallstone, eye diseases and snake bite. The jel extracted from dried and ground plant material, called SIBRI (Oromo language), was acclaimed as a cleaner of the human colon. Concoction made from leaf, seed and flower of Azadirachta indica was given for treatment of malaria, fungal infections and intestinal worms. Root preparations from Hydnora johannis were prescribed as remedy for diarrhoea, haemorrhage, wound and painful body swelling, locally called GOFLA (Oromo language).ConclusionsThe study documented many well known and effective medicinal species of relevance for human healthcare, including for the treatment of malaria which is rampant in the area as it is in many parts of Ethiopia. This underscores the importance of the traditional medicinal plants for the people living in the area and the potential of the resource for development. Consequently, the study area deserves urgent conservation priority coupled with mechanisms for the protection of the associated indigenous medical lore as well as development and effective use of the medicinal plant resource.

Using the plants of Brazilian Cerrado for wound healing: From traditional use to scientific approach

The study conducted in Malga district in 2019 aimed at documenting indigenous medicinal plants use among the Kebeles community, and the factors threatening local knowledge on medicinal plants before suggesting ways to overcome such threats. A total of 100 informants were selected and snowball sampling techniques were used. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, field observations, guided field walk, and group discussion with traditional medicine practitioners. The ethnobotanical study reveals that 60 medicinal plant species are inventoried and are distributed across 55 genera and 37 families while they are used as a cure for 40 ailments. Of these, 36 medicinal plants were reported for human ailments treatment, 7 for livestock, and 17 for both human and livestock ailment treatment. Leave were reported as most frequently utilized plant part with 45.78%. Intestinal parasite ailments were reported as one of the common problems along with oral administration. Informant consensus analysis showed that ailments like rabies, poisoning, and snakebite scored the highest value (0.98), while and pneumonia and jaundice scored the lowest values (0.63). Agricultural expansion, firewood, deforestation, and cash crop expansions were reported as driving factors for the loss of medicinal plants. Here the Wereda administration, as well as concerned governmental and non-governmental bodies should interven to minimize the loss of medicinal plant and associated knowledge. Key words: Malga Wereda, medicinal plant, Indigenous knowledge, Informant, consensus.

Since thousands years back approximately around 900 BC, medicinal plants are considered as a source of many biomolecules with therapeutic potential. Herbal medicines are considered as safer, better, physiologically compatible and costeffective. The oldest evidence of medicinal and aromatic plants depicts that with the emergence of human civilization, plants have been considered as the main source to heal and cure various serious ailments. It has been proven that the secondary metabolites e.g. alkaloid, glycosides, flavonoides, steroids etc present in the medicinal plants possesses ability to prevent occurrence of some of the diseases, means medicinal plants acts as a “preventive medicine”. Medicinal plants have a paramount importance and a great interest due to its pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutritional values. Some plants are also considered as an important source of nutrition and are known to have a variety of compounds with potential therapeutic properties. India is the principal repository of large number of medicinal and aromatic plants or we can say India is one of the rich mega-biodiversity countries of the world. Medicinal plants are “backbone” of traditional medicinal system (TMS). Crude drugs are usually dried parts of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) such as roots, stems, wood, bark, seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, rhizomes, whole plant etc. that form the essential raw material for the production of medicines in various systems of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Tibatian, Tribal and Homeopathy. According to the survey of the World Health Organization (WHO), about 80% of the world population are using herbs and other traditional medicines for their primary healthcare and have established three kinds of herbal medicines: raw plant material, processed plant material, and herbal products. Now days, variety of available herbs are used throughout the world and they continue to promote good health. As the benefits from medicinal and aromatic plants are recognized, these plants will have a special role for humans in the future. The present review on medicinal and aromatic plants revealed similar combination of studies.