Background:The aim of the present study is to report the cultural importance and utilization of ethnomedicinal plant species among the communities of Tehri district in Garhwal Himalaya, India.
Methods:The ethnomedicinal uses of plants were collected from participants of the villages based on randomly selected inhabitants through semi structured interviews. A total of 93 respondents provided information.
Results:The documentation recorded a total of 92 ethnobotanical plant species including trees (52), shrubs (19), herbs (18) and climbers (3). Out of 92 species, only 35 species were used for ethnomedicinal purposes to cure 30 different ailments prevailing in the area. The maximum number of species (9) was used for stomach disorders followed by diabetes and wounds (4 each), and fractures and tooth problems (3 each). The informant consensus factor (Fic) for joint pain was 0.0 whereas Fic value for other species ranged from 0.600 to 1.0. The fidelity level (FL) was highest (100%) for 14 species and the lowest value of FL (20%) was recorded for Eupatorium adenophorum. The Cultural Importance Index (CI) was highest for Barleria cristata (0.15) and lowest (0.01) for Azadirachta indica and Boehmeria rugulosa each.
Conclusion:The study revealed that the large number of ethnobotanical plant species exists in the area. Increased awareness on conservation and developmental strategies is needed to utilize resources through sustainable development.
In recent times, the use of traditional herbal medicines in healthcare has declined, particularly amongst the rural population. This implies a risk of losing vital information from previous generations regarding plants and their use in traditional medicine. The objective of this study is to catalog the ways employed by inhabitants of the Garhwal Himalayas as part of their traditional approaches to healthcare. Information was gathered through snowball sampling using a questionnaire combined with informal interviews. This was supplemented by discussions with peers and practitioners prominent in this healing technique. The homogeneity within ethnomedicinal knowledge of these rural residents was tested using the informant consensus factor (Fic). The calculation of the fidelity value (FL) and the cultural importance index (CI) were made regarding the population’s dependency on plants. A total of 88 plant species from 44 families and 80 genera were identified as medicines for various complaints. Leaves were the most frequently used plant part followed by fruits, seeds, roots, bark, and flowers/buds. The largest number of taxa (15 species) were used for treatment of skin ailments (with Fic score of 0.85) followed by wounds, coughs, and digestive problems. There was a significant relationship observed between the medicinal plants used and distance (time of access) and family income. The present study will provide baseline information to be established for future research. The available information could help to discover new drugs for the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, the study revealed that the plants that have high scores of FL and CI can be used to discover new drug extraction in the future for further studies.
Conservation faces the challenge of reconciling human activities with the simultaneous presence of wildlife in cultivated landscapes. In attempt to estimate biomass and associated carbon loss due to the removal of agroforestry trees species the present study was carried out in two villages of Pauri Garhwal. The results revealed that due to human-animal interaction caused substantial biomass loss (7.365 and 2.453 t ha-1) and carbon loss (3.386 and 15.133 t ha-1) in the two studied villages Manjgaon and Mald Bada, respectively. The estimates of the present study demands protecting existing forests and planting trees through reforestation and afforestation as a measure to enhance carbon sequestration capacity. The success of these management practices will depend on the potential to minimise human-animal interactions especially in the fringes of the village community and agricultural landscapes.
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