29 research outputs found

    Ethnomedicine in Himalaya: a case study from Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang districts of Nepal

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    Traditional plant use in Nepal has been documented for millennia. The importance of plants as medicine has not diminished in any way in recent times, and traditional medicines are still the most important health care source for the vast majority of the population. This paper examines the ethnobotany and traditional use of plants extracted from the vulnerable alpine zone in the Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang districts of Nepal. The results of this ethnobotanical study indicate that a very large number of plant species is used as traditional medicines. There were 107, 59, 44 and 166 species of ethnomedicinal importance in surveyed areas of Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang district respectively. Of these, 84 common species, used at least in two districts, were selected to enumerate their ethnomedicinal properties. The 84 species belonged to 75 genera and 39 families. The commonest species in this pharmacopoeia were: Allium wallichii, Cordyceps sinensis, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, and Rheum australe. A total of 21 species were most common in three districts and 59 in two districts. The genera Aconitum, Allium, Arisaema, Berberis, Corydalis, Gentiana, Hippophae, Juniperus and Rhododendron each possessed two species with ethnomedicinal use. Labiatae was the most medicinally important family with five species used, followed by Araceae, Compositae, Liliaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Umbelliferae, each contributing four species

    Ethnobotany in the Nepal Himalaya

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indigenous knowledge has become recognized worldwide not only because of its intrinsic value but also because it has a potential instrumental value to science and conservation. In Nepal, the indigenous knowledge of useful and medicinal plants has roots in the remote past.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present study reviews the indigenous knowledge and use of plant resources of the Nepal Himalayas along the altitudinal and longitudinal gradient. A total of 264 studies focusing on ethnobotany, ethnomedicine and diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, carried out between 1979 and 2006 were consulted for the present analysis. In order to cross check and verify the data, seven districts of west Nepal were visited in four field campaigns.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In contrast to an average of 21–28% ethnobotanically/ethnomedicinally important plants reported for Nepal, the present study found that up to about 55% of the flora of the study region had medicinal value. This indicates a vast amount of undocumented knowledge about important plant species that needs to be explored and documented. The richness of medicinal plants decreased with increasing altitude but the percentage of plants used as medicine steadily increased with increasing altitude. This was due to preferences given to herbal remedies in high altitude areas and a combination of having no alternative choices, poverty and trust in the effectiveness of folklore herbal remedies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Indigenous knowledge systems are culturally valued and scientifically important. Strengthening the wise use and conservation of indigenous knowledge of useful plants may benefit and improve the living standard of poor people.</p

    BioMed Central Review Ethnobotany in the Nepal Himalaya

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    This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

    Indigenous Use and Ethnopharmacology of Medicinal Plants in Far-west Nepal

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    researchEthnopharmacological knowledge is common and import among tribal populations but much of the information is empirical at best lacking scientific validation. Despite widespread use of plant resources in traditional medicines, bioassay analysis of very few plant species have been conducted to investigate their medicinal properties, and to ascertain safety and efficacy of traditional remedies. The present study analyses indigenous uses of medicinal plants of far-west Nepal and compares with earlier ayurveda studies, phytochemical assessments and pharmacological actions. A field study was carried out in Baitadi and Darchula districts of far-west Nepal. Group discussions, informal meetings, questionnaire surveys and field observations were employed for primary data collection. Voucher specimens were collected with field notes and codes and deposited at Tribhuvan University Central Herbarium (TUCH), Kathmandu. Only 50% of species surveyed shared common uses with ayurvedic medicine. This implies that these herbal remedies are part of an independent health care system in the Nepal Himalaya, which is indigenous and influenced by ayurveda. The folk uses of some of the species were contradicting to those of ayurveda and phytochemical bioassays. A detailed phytochemical study on those species would be an important line of research

    Medicinal Plants and Ethnomedicine in Peril: A Case Study from Nepal Himalaya

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    The impacts of climate change were severe on indigenous medicinal plant species and their dependent communities. The harvesting calendar and picking sites of these species were no longer coinciding and the changes were affecting harvesters’ and cultivators’ abilities to collect and use those species. Secondary sites: road-heads, wastelands, regenerated forests, and so forth, were being prioritized for collection and the nonindigenous medicinal plant species were being increasingly introduced into the medical repertoire as a substitution and to diversify the local medicinal stock. Acceptance and application of nonindigenous species and sites for livelihood and ethnopharmacopoeias with caution were considered as an important adaptation strategy. Findings on species and site specific accounts urged further researches on medicinal plants, ethnomedicine, and their interrelationship with impacts of climate change

    Traditional herbal medicine in Far-west Nepal: a pharmacological appraisal

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Plant species have long been used as principal ingredients of traditional medicine in far-west Nepal. The medicinal plants with ethnomedicinal values are currently being screened for their therapeutic potential but their data and information are inadequately compared and analyzed with the <it>Ayurveda </it>and the phytochemical findings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present study evaluated ethnomedicinal plants and their uses following literature review, comparison, field observations, and analysis. Comparison was made against earlier standard literature of medicinal plants and ethnomedicine of the same area, the common uses of the <it>Ayurveda </it>and the latest common phytochemical findings. The field study for primary data collection was carried out from 2006-2008.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The herbal medicine in far-west Nepal is the basis of treatment of most illness through traditional knowledge. The medicine is made available via ancient, natural health care practices such as tribal lore, home herbal remedy, and the <it>Baidhya</it>, <it>Ayurveda </it>and <it>Amchi </it>systems. The traditional herbal medicine has not only survived but also thrived in the trans-cultural environment with its intermixture of ethnic traditions and beliefs. The present assessment showed that traditional herbal medicine has flourished in rural areas where modern medicine is parsimoniously accessed because of the high cost and long travel time to health center. Of the 48 Nepalese medicinal plants assessed in the present communication, about half of the species showed affinity with the common uses of the <it>Ayurveda</it>, earlier studies and the latest phytochemical findings. The folk uses of <it>Acacia catechu </it>for cold and cough, <it>Aconitum spicatum </it>as an analgesic, <it>Aesculus indica </it>for joint pain, <it>Andrographis paniculata </it>for fever, <it>Anisomeles indica </it>for urinary affections, <it>Azadirachta indica </it>for fever, <it>Euphorbia hirta </it>for asthma, <it>Taxus wallichiana </it>for tumor control, and <it>Tinospora sinensis </it>for diabetes are consistent with the latest pharmacological findings, common Ayurvedic and earlier uses.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although traditional herbal medicine is only a primary means of health care in far-west Nepal, the medicine has been pursued indigenously with complementing pharmacology and the <it>Ayurveda</it>. Therefore, further pharmacological evaluation of traditional herbal medicine deserves more attention.</p

    Ecology, economic botany and conservation of Diploknema butyracea in Nepal

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    Diploknema butyracea (Roxb.) H. J. Lam, butter tree, locally known as Chiuri, is a medium to large-sized deciduous tree widely distributed on the south-facing slopes in the sub-Himalayan region from 200 m to 1500 m. This is an economically valuable, nutritionally important, ecologically slow-growing, and culturally integrated multipurpose tree species. The tree is culturally connected with an ethnic minority group, Chepang, in central Nepal. We systematically reviewed over 102 primary research studies, review papers, and grey literature, along with nine field visits, three each in western, central, and eastern Nepal to collect the population and ethnobotanical data of Chiuri. Additionally, government forest officials, forest user groups, and local communities of 62 districts were consulted to collect and verify the information on distribution, use, and conservation. The interrelationship of ecology and ethnobotany of Chiuri was found to be positively associated. This tree was reported to be grown in 58 districts, abundant in central and western Siwalik and mid-hills. The ethnobotanical use reports of Chiuri used by 26 ethnic groups were recorded from 22 districts. Among the groups, Chepang has intensive use reports and conserved this multipurpose tree since time immemorial. Ethnotaxonomically, four types of Diploknema species were reported by Chepang communities, whereas the national botanical records and molecular analyses have yet to confirm the types. As the species complements the livelihood, traditions, history, socio-culture, folklore, and household economy of Chepang people, we supported the argument that the D. butyracea is a cultural keystone tree species (CKTS) in Nepal for Chepang people. Further research on socio-cultural, ethno-ecological, and morpho-molecular attributes is urged for cultural integrity, biodiversity, and bioprospecting
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