Ethnobotanical Study of Herbaceous Flora along an Altitudinal Gradient in Bharmour Forest Division, District Chamba of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

The present ethnobotanical study was carried out in Holi (Deol, Kut, Dal, and Lahaud Dhar) forest range and in Bharmor (Seri, Bharmour, Malkauta, Bharmani, Harsar, Dhancho, Sundrasi, Gorikund, and Manimahesh) forest range to obtain information on the plants used by the local inhabitants for several purposes. A total of 54 plants were recorded in this study. The plants are employed to treat simple diseases (cough, cold, fever, and burns) and some serious diseases (typhoid, jaundice, and kidney disease). Some of the plants are also used as incense for religious ceremonies and several other daily needs. But due to absence of scientific monitoring of plants, their cultivation, harvesting, and management techniques as well as sustainable use and lack of awareness of social factors, the availability of valuable plant resources is decreasing at an alarming rate. In addition, the indigenous knowledge regarding the use of lesser-known plants of this region is also rapidly declining. Therefore, the documentation of plant resources is a necessary step towards the goal of raising awareness in local communities about the importance of these plants and their further conservation.

Ethnobotanical knowledge among the semi-pastoral Gujjar tribe in the high altitude (Adhwari’s) of Churah subdivision, district Chamba, Western Himalaya

“…The common medicinal plants harvested by them include Aconitum heterophyllum , Dactylorhiza hatagirea , Morchella esculenta , and Picrorhiza kurrooa (Table 4). Such indiscriminate exploitation of plant materials from nature can stress the natural population of these medicinal plants [59, 60]. Many of the plant species are categorised as threatened in the state that includes Aconitum heterophyllum , Angelica glauca , Berberis aristata , Betula utilis , Dactylorhiza hatagirea , Jurinea macrocephala , Sinopodophyllum hexandrum , and Taxus wallichiana (Table 5).…”

“…Swingle SimaroubaceaeFodderFodder, reduce body swelling, bark juice mixed with milk to cure dysentery and diarrhoea [75–77] Ajuga integrifolia Buch.-Ham.LamiaceaeMedicinalRoots are used to treat snakebite, malaria, jaundice, mouth ulcers [22, 78] Alnus nitida (Spach) Endl.BetulaceaeFodderMedicinal, construction, furniture, fencing, roofing, fuel wood, fodder, utensils [78] Amaranthus paniculatus L.AmaranthaceaeEdibleEaten as a vegetable, the seed is edible [79, 55] Angelica glauca Edgew . #ApiaceaeMedicinal, householdSnake repellent, root powder used to cure flatulence, dyspepsia, oedema, arthritis [80, 60, 23] Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) SchottAraceaeEdibleTubers are boiled and eaten, aerial parts are eaten as vegetable [80, 60, 23]* Asparagus adscendens Roxb.AsparagaceaeMedicinalCarminative and demulcent [64] Bauhinia variegata L.FabaceaeEdibleYoung shoots, leaves, and flowers are eaten as vegetable, used to make pickle [36, 55] Berberis aristata DC.…”

“…#ApiaceaeMedicinal, householdSnake repellent, root powder used to cure flatulence, dyspepsia, oedema, arthritis [80, 60, 23] Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) SchottAraceaeEdibleTubers are boiled and eaten, aerial parts are eaten as vegetable [80, 60, 23]* Asparagus adscendens Roxb.AsparagaceaeMedicinalCarminative and demulcent [64] Bauhinia variegata L.FabaceaeEdibleYoung shoots, leaves, and flowers are eaten as vegetable, used to make pickle [36, 55] Berberis aristata DC. #BerberidaceaeMedicinalPiles, eye infections, fruits edible [81, 23, 82, 55, 66] Berberis lycium RoyleBerberidaceaeEdibleWhole plant part used to cure eye infections and diabetes, gum problems, kidney problems, fruits edible [23, 53, 66, 83] Bergenia stracheyi (Hook.f.…”

Utilization of Valuable Higher Altitude Plants as a Source of Income Generation and Traditional Medicine in Bharmour Forest Division, Himachal Pradesh, India

“…The climate of the study area is temperate. The mean annual rainfall is 1500 mm, and the mean annual temperature lies between 3°C and 30°C [14].…”

Origanum majorana L. Origanum vulgare L. Lamiaceae

“…It is often part of herbal mixtures (Bussmann et al 2010c). In India, it is used for bronchitis, colds, cough, tooth problems, and swellings (Bhat et al 2013;Thakur et al 2014).…”