View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OpenSIUC Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 1240-56 , 2009. An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants used by the Locals in Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir, India Mahesh Kumar, Yash Paul and V. K. Anand Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu.-180006 e-mail.
[email protected] Issued October 01, 2009 Abstract This study represents a systematic attempt to explore the knowledge of the native people about plants, which they use to cure diseases. And it is an attempt towards conserving the local knowledge of people to plants. This paper presents a list and uses of some medicinal plants distributed in the high altitude district Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir. The list was prepared during an ethno-botanical survey of the region from December 2007 to January, 2009. This paper provides information about 71 ethno-medicinally useful plants grown in this region. In this paper, family, botanical name, local name, ethnomedicinal uses are given for each plant. Introduction It is documented that 80% of the world population has faith in traditional medicines, particularly plant drugs for their primary healthcare (Kala et al., 2006). The use of plants for medicinal purposes and human sustenance has been in practice in India since the Vedic age. The earliest mention of the medicinal use of the plants is found in the Rigveda, 1500-400 BC, Athurveda 1500 BC, Upnishada 1000-600 BC (Chauhan, 1999). In India about 17000 species of higher plants out of which 7500 are known for medicinal uses (Shiva, 1996).