Documentation of ethnobotany: a source for conservation plan of Medicinal plant species in alpine region of Madhmaheshwar, Uttarakhand, India

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Research Articles | Published:

Print ISSN : 0970-4078.
Online ISSN : 2229-4473.
Website:www.vegetosindia.org
Pub Email: contact@vegetosindia.org
Doi: 10.1007/s42535-022-00470-8
First Page: 989
Last Page: 998
Views: 396


Keywords: Madhmaheshwar valley, Alpine area, Ethnobotany, Traditional, Himalayan plants


Abstract


Madhmaheshwar is a floristically diverse valley in Uttrakhand, India where local people particularly tribals are dependent on wild plants and have a vast ethnobotanical knowledge. The ethnobotanical knowledge among the tribals and local people gets transmitted through oral dialogue, therefore needs to be documented. During the study, questionnaire has been used to document the ethnobotanical information and statistically analyzed using ethnobotanical indices. The present work documented 59 plant species which were distributed in 50 genera under 29 families from 43 informants. Maximum number of species are used to cure gastro-intestinal and dermatological disorders. Paste and decoction are the most popular recipes among the documented species and Asteraceae (13.55%) and Ranunculaceae (8.47%) are the dominant families in ethnobotanical usage. Picrorhiza kurroa, Arnebia benthamii, Rheum webbianum and Podophyllum hexandrum with high Use Value are the most dominant species to be used by the inhabitants of the study area. High degree of factor informant consensus values indicates significant homogeneity and transmittance of knowledge among the people of study area.


Madhmaheshwar valley, Alpine area, Ethnobotany, Traditional, Himalayan plants


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Acknowledgements


The authors are thankful to herbal healers and inhabitants of study area for their cooperation. Thanks are also due to Head, Department of Botany & Microbiology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal) for his help during the herbarium (GUH) consultation. Authors are also thankful to the Co-ordinator SAP (DRS II), and Head, Department of Botany, University of Jammu for providing the facilities for identification of the plants. Authors are also thankful to the JKSTIC for funding in the form of a project.


Author Information


Singh Sunit
Department of Botany and Microbiology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), India
sunitsingh964@gmail.com
Thakur Sajan
Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, India


Mehta J. P.
Department of Botany and Microbiology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal), India


Dutt Harish Chander
Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, India

harishchander@jammuuniversity.