BackgroundThe present paper documents the uses of plants in traditional herbal medicine for human and veterinary ailments, and those used for dietary supplements, religious purpose, local beverage, and plants used to poison fish and wild animals. Traditional botanical medicine is the primary mode of healthcare for most of the rural population in Arunachal Pradesh.Materials and methodsField research was conducted between April 2006 and March 2009 with randomly selected 124 key informants using semi-structured questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed through informant consensus factor (FIC) to determine the homogeneity of informant's knowledge on medicinal plants.ResultsWe documented 50 plants species belonging to 29 families used for treating 22 human and 4 veterinary ailments. Of the medicinal plants reported, the most common growth form was herbs (40%) followed by shrubs, trees, and climbers. Leaves were most frequently used plant parts. The consensus analysis revealed that the dermatological ailments have the highest FIC (0.56) and the gastro-intestinal diseases have FIC (0.43). FIC values indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants in dermatological and gastro-intestinal ailments category among the users. Gymnocladus assamicus is a critically rare and endangered species used as disinfectant for cleaning wounds and parasites like leeches and lice on livestocks. Two plant species (Illicium griffithii and Rubia cordifolia) are commonly used for traditional dyeing of clothes and food items. Some of the edible plants recorded in this study were known for their treatment against high blood pressure (Clerodendron colebrookianum), diabetes mellitus (Momordica charantia), and intestinal parasitic worms like round and tape worms (Lindera neesiana, Solanum etiopicum, and Solanum indicum). The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally been using Daphne papyracea for preparing hand-made paper for painting and writing religious scripts in Buddhist monasteries. Three plant species (Derris scandens, Aesculus assamica, and Polygonum hydropiper) were frequently used to poison fish during the month of June-July every year and the underground tuber of Aconitum ferrox is widely used in arrow poisoning to kill ferocious animals like bear, wild pigs, gaur and deer. The most frequently cited plant species; Buddleja asiatica and Hedyotis scandens were used as common growth supplements during the preparation of fermentation starter cultures.ConclusionThe traditional pharmacopoeia of the Monpa ethnic group incorporates a myriad of diverse botanical flora. Traditional knowledge of the remedies is passed down through oral traditions without any written document. This traditional knowledge is however, currently threatened mainly due to acculturation and deforestation due to continuing traditional shifting cultivation. This study reveals that the rural populations in Arunachal Pradesh have a rich knowledge of forest-based natural resources and consumption of wild edible plants is still an integral part of their so...

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Objectives:The present study investigated the protective effect of Wattakaka (W.) volubilis leaf extract against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats.Methods:Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (with six rats in each group) and were fed ad libitum. The rats were fasted for sixteen hours before diabetes was induced by injecting a single dose of 90 mg/kg body weight of STZ in 0.9-percent normal saline through an intraperitoneal route. The five groups were as follows: Group 1: normal control (saline-treated), Group 2: untreated diabetic rats, Groups 3 and 4: diabetic rats treated orally with petroleum ether cold maceration extract (PEME) of W. volubilis(50 and 100 mg/kg body weight), and Group 5: diabetic rats treated orally with metformin (250 mg/kg body weight). All rats received treatment for 21 days. For the STZ-induced diabetic rats, the blood-glucose, α-amylase, total protein and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were measured on days 7,14 and 21 of the treatment with PEME of W. volubilis and the treatment with metformin. Histopathological changes in the liver were examined with hematoxylin-eosin staining. Morphological changes in the liver were also examined with glutaraldehyde fixation.Results:The treatments with PEME of W. volubilis and with metformin in experimental rats by oral injections for 21 days produced reductions in the levels of serum biochemical markers. Histopathology and scanning electron microscopy results showed that the administrations of PEME of W. volubilis and of metformin suppressed the generation of abnormal liver cells in the STZ-treated rats.Conclusion:These results suggest that both PEME of W. volubilis and metformin have a protective effect against STZ-induced diabetes.

The occurrence of endangeed plant, Citrus indica Yu.Tanaka (Rutaceae) was recorded from the Behali Reserve Forest in assam, India. Its distribution pattern, association and status in Northeast India, prospect and possible methods of proper conservation has been discussed in the article.

North-East India represents a unique ecosystem with treasured medicinal plant wealth closely related with Folk medicines. A large number of plants having medicinal properties and their folk uses have remained confined to the natives of this region. The tribal community of Jonai, Assam was explored to expose the indigenous herbal remedy for malaria. Sixteen antimalarial plants belonging to 13 families were reported. The analysis revealed highest fidelity level (FL) value for Ajuga integrifolia (100%) followed by Ricinus communis (94%), Alstonia scholaris (88%), Oroxylum indicum (86%) and Achyranthes aspera (82%). The percentage of respondent’s knowledge (PRK) about anti-malarial plants showed Alstonia scholaris as the most commonly known antimalarial species (53%) within this region. Preference ranking (PR) unveiled eight species to be very effective against malarial parasite, which includes Allium sativum, Artemisia indica, Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Clerodendrum glandulosum, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Oroxylum indicum, Piper longum and Piper nigrum. All medicine preparations are made using water as the medium and are orally administered in the form of crude extract, powder, juice and decoction. Overall analysis suggested Ajuga integrifolia, Achyranthes aspera, Alstonia scholaris, Artemisia indica, Oroxylum indicum and Ricinus communis to be used for the development of novel, economical, effective and ecofriendly herbal formulations for healthcare management.

Background: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are defined as all biological materials other than timber, which are extracted from forests for human use. Uses of various NTFPs have shown significant progress in cultural subsistence, commercial purposes, bioprospecting and sustainable support to forest biodiversity. The present research was conducted in a protected area to document NTFPs of plant origin with their relative importance, to record information for future investigation and discovery of novelty in drug use, and to edify the local communities on sustainable forest management. Methods :The study was aimed to assess the Nontimber forest products of Behali Reserve Forest of Assam. Data was collected from 67 households belonging to two communities, the Karbi and Munda, covering almost 50% of the total households of the studied area using semi-structured questionnaires, personal interviews, group discussions and transect walks from 2017 to 2019.Results: A total of 100 plants falling under 87 genera and 56 families were reported. Urticaceae with 6 species was the most dominant family. Trees with 35% were the most dominant group, followed by shrubs (28%), climbers (22%) and herbs (15%). Out of the reported NTFPs, 51 species (51%) were edibles, 23 species (23%) had ethnomedicinal importance, and 48 species (48%) are treated as having miscellaneous uses. Use value of all the reported species ranged from 0.01 to 0.13. Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum, Hodgsonia macrocarpa, Aristolochia cathcartii and Aristolochia assamica have high UV indicating that these species are most important for the studied population. Informant consensus factor was calculated for the different ailments recorded and a total of seven species were found to have above 70% fidelity level values, showing high reliance of the forest dependent people on these species. Conclusions:The study illustrates a high diversity of NTFPs in the area as well as an intricate relation with the people residing in the fringes of the forest. Anthropogenic activities such as construction of roads, cutting of forests for jhum (shifting) cultivation, natural calamities like landslides etc., were observed to be serious threats to native biodiversity. It is recommended to provide skill development trainings and financial support for the installation of renewable and alternative energy technologies to minimize the use of forest resources in Behali Reserve Forest for better forest sustainability.