Abstract

“SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS OF NEELKANTH HILL REGION W.S.R TO NIGHANTUS AND ETHNOMEDICINE”

Pooja*, Dr. Suresh Chaubey, Dr. Ramesh Chandra Tiwari and Dr. Gajendra Singh

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Abstract

An ethnomedicinal plants survey under the title of “SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS OF NEELKANTH HILL REGION W.S.R TO NIGHANTUS AND ETHNOMEDICINE” Performed in Pauri district at Neelkanth Uttarakhand India. Extensive fields survey was performed in Neelkanth forest area and surrounding villages in during between January 2021 to March 2022. during the fields survey ethnomedicinal knowledge were recorded through the interaction, discussion and close ended questionnaires. The total 55 plants species were collected and arranged in their botanical name, family, Sanskrit name, local name and their habit pattern. Local healers of Neelkanth region using the ethnomedicinal plants for the treatment of different kind of diseases such as fever, cough, cold, asthma, jaundice, piles, menorrhagia and skin disease. In out of 55 plants species 35 species have used by the local people in this region find their mention in ancient literature of Ayurvedic Lexicons while 20 plants species have not been described in classical texts or their classical names could not be established. This needs further thorough investigations of classical texts and extensive efforts towards identification of unidentified/controversial classical drugs. The traditional knowledge of medicinal plants gathered form local healers at Neelkanth region transmitted orally one generation to another generation but not documented. Now new generation is not interested in traditional knowledge of medicinal plants due to modernization, so there is an urgent need to document ethnomedicinal plants before the knowledge become extinct.

Keywords: Survey, Ethnomedicine, Pauri district, Neelkanth, Diseases, Ayurvedic Lexicons.