Academia Journal of Medicinal Plants 6(2): 016-022, February 2018 DOI: 10.15413/ajmp.2018.0100 ISSN 2315-7720 ©2018 Academia Publishing Research Paper Common cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants and their traditional uses in Tarai Region of Uttarakhand, India Accepted 26th February, 2018 ABSTRACT Cultivated flora is equally important on account of our dependency on it for food, shelter, medicine, ecosystem services, aesthetic enjoyment and cultural identity. Exotic plants may be introduced to a new place by human activity either deliberately or accidentally, where they do not naturally occur. A survey of such plants was conducted in Pantnagar area of Uttarakhand State. The present paper deals with the study of 87 cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants of Tarai belt of Pantnagar region of Uttarakhand. Currently, medicinal plants are of great interest due to pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutritional applications. In the present study, Sumita Rana1* and Smriti Raj Verma2 a comprehensive list of such plants was made with the information on common names, scientific name, family, utility and habit etc based on exploration of exotic 1Department of Biological Sciences, cultivated medicinal plants in the entire area of Pantnagar in different seasons. College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, G. B. Pant, India. The results indicate that leaf is predominantly a used plant part followed by roots, 2University of Agriculture and tubers and rhizomes. The indigenous community prefers these plants as home Technology, Pantnagar - 263145, remedy against fever, skin problems, leucorrhoea, rheumatism, headache and Uttarakhand, India. indigestion, etc. *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Keywords: Exotic flora, medicinal plants, cultivated, Pantnagar. INTRODUCTION Exotic plants are plants introduced to new areas by human more than 3.3 billion people in the less developed countries activity either deliberately or accidentally. These plants are utilize medicinal plants in their daily life for the treatment considered as non-native, non-indigenous, aliens or exotic of various diseases. Therefore, these medicinal plants are where they do not naturally occur. Medicinal plants are the backbone of the traditional medicine system (Davidson- those plants which are used in various traditional and Hunt, 2000). Exotic medicinal and aromatic plants are the official systems of medicine (Maiti and Geetha, 2008). Due rich resources of drugs development and their synthesis to their pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutritional value, (Singh, 2015). Besides their drug preparation property, large numbers of plants are grouped into medicinal plant these plants play a key role in the development of human (Anselem, 2004). Exotic medicinal and aromatic plants play culture worldwide. Along with medicinal property these very significant roles in daily life needs by fulfilling various plants have special aroma and flavor and make them a needs in innumerable forms. Besides providing medicines, special class of plants as aromatic plants (Maiti and Geetha, these exotic medicinal and aromatic plants are treated as 2008). Most of these exotic medicinal and aromatic plants alternatives to traditional crops with species in high are exclusively used for medicinal preparations in demand in the international market. aromatherapy and also produce some important essential Medicinal and aromatic plants play important roles in oils which are used in perfumery. contributing to WHO goal of ensuring sustainable socio- Cultivated exotic plant species have risen through human economic productive life to all the people of the world actions such as selection or breeding and depend on (Hoareau and DaSilva, 1999). It has been observed that management for their existence, Aloe barbadensis being one Academia Journal of Medicinal Plants; Rana and Verma. 017 example (Cowley, 2002). Exotic medicinal and aromatic University Herbarium Pantnagar (GBPUH) and various sites plants are the real wealth of nation and serve as raw like eflorapantnagar (Rawat and Rao, 2015) were accessed. materials for many medicine preparation industries (Shakya, 2016). Dixit and Huma (2010) mentioned that medicinal and aromatic plants also have antioxidant Study area potential. This property makes them a rich resource of drug making and developing ingredients. The study area is the campus of G. B. Pant University of Medicinal plants have several characteristics when used Agriculture and Technology having a perimeter of 28.52 km as a drug, some of which are: and 10,000 acres of land area. It is the first Agriculture University of India established on 17th November, 1960 by Synergic medicine: All the possible negative effects get the first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. The neutralized, or damaged with the use of different University area is spread in an area of 12,661 acres (51.24 ingredients of plants when simultaneously interacted km2) which makes it the second largest university in the (Singh, 2015). world, in terms of continuous area. This University has been a nucleus of Agriculture research in India and credited Supports of official medicine: The components of plants as “Harbinger of Green Revolution” in India. In Pantnagar are very effective in the treatment of complex diseases like area, natural stands of Tarai forest vegetation are cancer (Singh, 2015). completely removed for cultivation or activities related with urbanization. As such this area presents a good Preventive medicine: These plants have the ability to example of removal of native flora. prevent the occurrence of some diseases by helping in reducing the use of chemicals during treatment of disease. In this way we can say that by reducing the side effects of Plant collection, processing and uses synthetic medicines, these plants act as preventive medicines (Rasool, 2012). Plant collections are primary requirement in a study of medicinal plant flora of any region. These plant specimens WHO has also advocated the use of herbal medicines for were collected from different areas of Pantnagar with primary healthcare (Fabricant and Farnsworth, 2001). flowers and fruits to facilitate easier identification. The About 11% of the 252 drugs are obtained from plants and plant specimens which were collected from different areas WHO recognized herbal medicine as essential component of are being maintained with proper notes like date and time health care (Taylor, 2000). Instead of taking medicines in of collection, location and uses by natives etc. For form of pills, the use of medicinal plants is being reported preparation of herbarium specimens the method suggested worldwide (Ajero and Mbagwu, 2005). by Radford (1986) was followed. The present work aims at identifying the medicinal and The information regarding medicinal uses of the plants aromatic plants and documenting the traditional use of identified was collected by the author in different surveys medicinal and aromatic plant species in the Terai belt of from local residents of the area. The information was also Uttarakhand, India. This will further create serious cross checked from the literature available at Medicinal awareness on a better method of preparing and Plant Research and Development Center of G.B. Pant administering these medicines, the importance of medicinal University of Agriculture and Technology. plants and the need for domestication of medicinal and aromatic plants. UNESCO (1996) observed that medicinal and aromatic plants are used as traditional medicines by RESULTS AND DISSCUSION most of developing countries as their basis for maintenance of better health. In the present study, eighty-seven (87) species of cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants were collected. These eighty- seven (87) species belong to eighty-two (82) genera and MATERIALS AND METHODS forty-one (41) families. These plants are being potentially used by the people in curing different human ailments The present work involves exploration of exotic flora in the (Table 1). Out of the forty-one (41) families, Fabaceae is entire area of Pantnagar in different seasons. The found ethnomedicinally dominant with eighteen (18) information was collected from Medicinal Plant Research species used in various ailments, followed by Apocynaceae and Development Center (MRDC) of the G.B. Pant and Lamiaceae (5 species), Asteraceae and Malvaceae (4 University of Agriculture and Technology. For the species), respecetively, as shown in Table 2. identification and compilation of the information, previous At the present scenario, India has unique place in the floristic literatures and reports of flowering plants of world having very good traditional systems of medicine, Pantnagar, herbarium specimens available in G.B. Pant that is, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy, Yoga and Academia Journal of Medicinal Plants; Rana and Verma. 018 Table 1: List of medicinal and aromatic plants along with their uses. S/No. Common / Sanskrit name Scientific name Family Parts used Uses 1 Lata kasturi Kasturilatika Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. Malvaceae Seed Carminative, tonic, stimulant 2 Ulatkambal, Pishachkarpas Abroma augusta (L.) L.f. Malvaceae Root, bark Uterine tonic, irregular menstruation 3 Kattha, Khair Khadir Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. Fabaceae Bark Skin disease, dental disorder, cough, blood purifier 4 Shikakai Saptala Acacia concinna (Willd.) DC. Fabaceae Leaves, bark, wood Sedative, liver tonic, blood purifier, dysentery, galactogogue 5 Acalypha Muktavarcha Acalypha indica L. Euphorbiaceae Whole plant Skin disease,