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Medical ethnobotany in the Shivalik Range of the Himalayas.

Article Excerpt
ABSTRACT -- This study represents the ethnomedicinal findings of some of the most commonly used plant species by the inhabitants of the remote Shivalik Range of the Himalayas. This treasure trove of medicinal wealth has provided health and relief from disease for centuries to millions of area people. Furthermore, in addition to their cultural connotation, some of these plant species have contributed to several systems of medicine, including allopathy.

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Ethnomedicinal folklore in the Himalayas has richly contributed not only to the indigenous systems of medicine but also to modern medicine. Globally, the estimated number of plant species used in curing different types of ailments is about 70,000. The indigenous systems of medicine in South Asia utilize more than 3,000 species of medicinal plants. The Himalayan arc, extending from Afghanistan to Burma, a distance of 2,500 kilometers, is the major source of these plant species. The harsh environment and mountainous terrain of the region have deterred thorough botanical exploration in these mountains. Notwithstanding this inhospitable topography, some ethnomedicinal studies (Hemsley and Pearson, 1902; Steward, 1916; Abrol and Chopra, 1962; Sharma, 1977, 1989, 1993, 2000; Bhattacharyya, 1991; Sharma and Sharma, 2002) provide valuable data regarding the medicinal wealth of these mountains. This study is an attempt to further document the medicinal flora and the associated folklore in the remote Shivalik Range of the Himalayas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The area under investigation was botanized thrice between 2001 and 2004. Ethnomedicinal data were collected on fresh as well as dried plant species from the area medicine men and women, clergy, farmers, village folks, and religious shrines where the residents have a long tradition of practicing medicine. Daily evening discussions were held concerning ethnomedicinal traditions and cultural connotations associated with medicinal plants of the area. Taxonomic confirmation was made at the regional institutional facilities and the herbarium specimens were prepared and deposited at the herbarium facilities at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Martin, Tennessee. The study area, situated near the Indo-China border, in the Shivalik Range in the Himalayas lies at 30[degrees]12' to 31[degrees]34' N longitudes and 76[degrees]31' to 77[degrees]06' E latitudes at an elevation ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 m.

RESULTS

Medicinal plant species used by the inhabitants of the study area in the Shivalik Range of the Himalayas are listed alphabetically by family, species,...