Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary of Himachal Pradesh, India Radha1*, Janjua Salena2, Srivastava Supriya3, Negi Vinay3 1School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan-173229, Himachal Pradesh, India 2School of Agriculture, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan-173229, Himachal Pradesh, India 3Faculty of Management Sciences and Liberal Arts, Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan-173229, Himachal Pradesh, India *Corresponding author e-mail: radhuchauhan7002@gmail.com
Online published on 18 January, 2021. Abstract An ethnobotanical study was performed to collect the data on the usage of ethnomedicinal plants in Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Sanctuary area has a high number of endemic species and the social status of the ethnomedicinal plants is important for public health and the preservation of traditional wealth information. This study documented the ethnomedicinal plants presently used with recorded traditional information treated diseases. A total of 40 ethnomedicinal plants belonging to 25 families (herbs 21, shrubs 8, ferns 5, trees 4 and climbers 2) were reported by 67 local informants of the sanctuary area. Asteraceae family was recorded as highest (15%) in all the reported medicinal plant species. The interview with local people confirmed the utilization of medicinal plants in the treatment of several diseases, including snake bites, cough, cold, fever, infectious diseases and other health disorders. Informants reported that the most common plant part used was the leaves. This study provides documentation of medicinal plants used in Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh. Local people still relied on use of ethnomedicinal plants, and want to preserve the natural traditional wealth of medicinal plants in the area. The indigenous knowledge regarding the use of plants of this region is also rapidly declining in new generation. Therefore, the proper documentation of these medicinal plants in study area world be a necessary step in conservation of our traditional knowledge. Top Keywords Ethnobotany, Traditional uses, Medicinal plants, Sanctuary. Top |