Background: Currently, the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is posing a serious threat to global health.Although approved COVID-19 vaccines have been claimed to provide a high degree of protection against getting seriously ill and dying from the disease, they are not in the approach of all people especially those from the least developed countries like Nepal. Desperation within people has led to increased use of medicinal plants to cure the miscellaneous symptoms of COVID-19 and to prevent infection without proper knowledge of their phytochemical and pharmacological properties.Methods: Based on the online and interpersonal inquiries with 59 COVID-19 survivors and 111 inhabitants of Buddhabhumi Municipality, Kapilvastu, Nepal, the ethnomedicinal data were collected and summarized using descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage tables, and graphs. For each medicinal plant species, the frequency of citation (FC) and relative frequency of citation (RFC) were calculated along with a radar chart for the top 15 cited species with their phytochemical and pharmacological properties.Results: This study documented 41 species of medicinal plants belonging to 24 different families and 37 genera were used. Herbs were predominant among other life-forms and leaves were highly used among other plant parts.Turmeric (Curcuma longa, with the highest frequency of citation of 0.80) was the most frequently used species. Most of the respondents (44%) obtained medicinal plants from their home gardens. Family, friends, and neighbors were the primary sources of information the respondents followed. Interestingly, all of the 15 most frequently cited medicinal plants were reported to have both antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties and 14 of them were proclaimed to be immunomodulatory.Conclusion: Therefore, we conclude from the survey and available literatures that medicinal plants play a significant role against viral infections.
The regeneration status of a forest is an essential metrics to assess the regeneration potential and population structure of forests. In emerging nations like Nepal, however, human dependency on forests has had a negative influence on forest diversity and sustainability. This paper analyzes the regeneration status and its link with bio-physical aspects and human disturbances. The data were collected using a systematic random sampling method and sample plots were established using the fishnet tool in ArcGIS. An inventory survey of 96 plots was carried out with nested circular sample plots with a main radius of 1261 cm. The overall regeneration condition of the forest was found to be in good condition according to Community Forestry Inventory Guideline, 2004. The majority of the tree species were determined to have a sound quality and medium (II) grades in this study. In terms of the diameter class distribution, lower diameter classes (21-60 cm) comprised more adults than the upper diameter classes (61-120 cm). This study found no significant variations in the effects of biophysical factors, such as slope and aspect, on species regeneration. The study concludes the inadequate silvicultural management interventions in the forest. This information can be useful to devise systematic plans to promote good-quality regeneration and manage the factors that are likely to affect the overall regeneration. Further research focusing on other biophysical factors as well as social factors and their influence on regeneration including its management techniques is recommended.
Fire is used as a management tool to administer a wide range of ecosystems worldwide. Forest fires in Shorea robusta (Sal-dominated) forests take the form of ground fires and mostly affect regeneration. We investigated the effect of forest fire on Sal regeneration in 42 sample plots, of which 21 were subjected to controlled burning. The results showed that species richness decreased from fire-unaffected (19) to fire-affected (10). The total density of Sal seedlings in the fire-affected sites was 3829 seedlings ha-1, while in the fire-unaffected sites were 1779 seedlings ha-1 representing an increased species dominance of Sal species in the post-fire condition. The total density of Sal saplings in the fire-affected sites was 343 seedlings ha-1, while in the fire-unaffected sites was 571 seedlings ha-1. A significant difference with a large effect size (Cohen’s d=0.97) was observed in the seedling regeneration of Sal, while no significant difference was observed in the sapling regeneration of Sal in the post-fire condition. The increment of Sal seedlings may be due to the fire-hardy silvicultural characteristics of Shorea robusta and the decline of Sal saplings may be due to stem mortality in the small diameter classes. We conclude that fire is a beneficial tool for seedling regeneration but not for plant establishment. Future research studies regarding the impact of fire intensities, soil moisture, biological disturbances, temperature, light intensity, etc. on regeneration are recommended.
Sal (Shorea robusta) is one of the most indispensable species in Nepal, both ecologically and economically. This paper aims to provide updated guidance for the management and protection of this species in the future from various pests and pathogens. We reviewed 38 articles from Google Scholar and Research gate with keywords "Shorea robusta”, “Hoplocerambyx spinicornis”, “Polyporus shoreae”, “Heart rot”. S. robusta has the most insect fauna among the forest tree species. Out of the 346 insects reported on S. robusta, around 155 species of insects are associated with living trees. Hoplocerambyx spinicornis is the most destructive insect pest, wreaking havoc on S. robusta. Polyporous shoreae is the main cause of root rot in S. robusta, and spreads through root contact or root grafting. Heart rot in S. robusta is caused by the fungi Hymenochaete rubiginosa, Fomes caryophylli, and F. fastuosus. During the harvesting of S. robusta, the majority of the tree was observed to be faulty, resulting in a large amount of waste wood. The best way to determine the pathogen's "Achilles' heel" is to consider its life cycle. The Nepalese famous saying "prevention is better than cure" may be applicable in the management of S. robusta insect pests and pathogens. The current paper critically addresses these issues and argues the need for an improvised package of activities for insect pests, pathogens, prevention, and their control.
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