Ethnomedicinal and Ethnobotanical Investigations and Documentation of Plants Used by Traditional Healers of Eastern India

Abstract

Introduction: This study is an effort to document extensively and systematically the ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal knowledge in the four districts (Puri, Cuttack, Bhadrak, and Mayurbhanj) of Odisha in Eastern India. It provides new insights into the rich ethnomedicinal knowledge and plants biodiversity in these four districts. Methods: The method of convenience sampling was conducted to get the ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal knowledge of the healers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the information got was quantified and documented with the aid of various databases. Eleven traditional healers endowed information on their traditional medicinal knowledge. 74 plant species belonging to 44 botanical families are documented and among these 44 botanical families, five (Rutaceae, Malvaceae, Astaraceae, Annonaceae, and Euphorbiaceae) are mostly used by the healers. The healers mainly use leaves and roots in the medicine's preparation. Results: Twenty-five ailments are treated by these traditional healers, which are majorly dominated by dermatological treatments. The pharmacological mining of these 74 plants revealed that a few pharmacological and biological activities of each medicinal plant have been studied. Our study revealed that these four districts of Odisha have a rich biodiversity of medicinal plants. Conclusion: Promoting the plantation of some of these species can enhance the income of the traditional healers of these districts and simultaneously make the exploitation of these plant species sustainable. We also found that the pharmacological and biological activities of many plant species are yet to be explored.