Vol. 8(47), pp. 1362-1373, 17 December, 2014 DOI: 10.5897/JMPR2014.5649 Article Number: 50CA1FB49356 ISSN 1996-0875 Journal of Medicinal Plant Research Copyright © 2014 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/JMPR Full Length Research Paper Ethnobotanical survey of some threatened medicinal plants of Kashmir Himalaya, India Parvaiz Ahmad Lone*, Ajay Kumar Bhardwaj, Kunwar Wajahat Shah and Suraya Tabasum Department of Botany, Government Narmada Post Graduate College Hoshangabad- 461001 Madhya Pradesh, India. Received 16 October, 2014; Accepted 1 December, 2014 An ethnobotanical study was conducted from March, 2011 to October, 2012 to enumerate the diversity of traditionally used threatened medicinal plants in biodiversity rich temperate Himalayan ranges of Bandipora district, Kashmir, India. Ethnomedicinal data was gathered using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and walk-in-the-woods with local knowledgeable elders, tribals (Gujjars and Bakkerwals) and Bhoeris (traditional practitioners). Results revealed that 23 threatened plant species belonging to 22 genera and 15 different families were traditionally used for curing various health disorders. Taxus wallichiana was a lone gymnosperm while all others were angiosperms. Majority of the species were perennial herbs but reports of biennial herbs and perennial trees were not uncommon. The highest number of medicinal plants were recorded in two families viz. Asteraceae (4 species, 17.39%) and Liliaceae (3 species, 13.04%). The shrinking population of these plants on account of very high demand for medicinal purposes is a matter of great concern as these plants are the backbone of our traditional medicinal system with a large population still depending on traditional medicine. Therefore, the need to conserve these plants is of utmost importance because if necessary conservation measures are not taken at the earliest, the day will not be far away when these God gifted resources will completely deplete from their natural habitats. Key words: Threatened plants, ethnobotany, Bandipora, tribals, Kashmir Himalaya. INTRODUCTION Plants have been used in traditional medicine for culture. It is interesting to know that the ancient Indians thousands of years (Abu-Rabia, 2005). Throughout the were acquainted with larger number of plants than the world the tribal people and ethnic races have developed natives of any other country of the world. This is clearly their own customs, religious rites, folklore and songs. evident by the ancient Indian treatises such as Materia Numerous wild and cultivated plants play a very Medica, Nighantus and Koshas. According to Ayurvedic important role in these cultures and this relationship has Materia Medica there is no plant on earth which does not evolved over generations of experience and practice. have medicinal value. The tribal societies are closely Tribal primitive societies occupy a large part of Indian linked to the forest ecosystem with which they *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +91-9797103346. Author(s) agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License Lone et al. 1363 traditionally live in harmony. Tribal populations have good mainly focused on the enumeration of medicinal plants knowledge about the use of many plants and believe that and were conducted on scattered basis on different all afflictions are caused by supernatural forces. ethnic groups. So far, no such study is carried out on Traditional healers use their eyes, ear, nose and hands to ethnomedicinal utilization of threatened plants. Therefore diagnose the diseases. This way of diagnosis is the aim of present study was to document the threatened interesting because they live in interior areas and lack the medicinal plants of the region and suggest possible use of modern scientific equipments for treatment. They conservation measures so as to check the extinction of however treat diseases using medicinal plants (Santhya these God gifted resources from their natural habitats. et al., 2006). Some 80% of the world's population still relies upon MATERIALS AND METHODS plants for primary health care; even today in Western medicine, and despite progress in synthetic chemistry, Study area some 25% of prescription medicines are still derived either directly or indirectly from plants (Fowler, 2006). Bandipora, with Bandipore town as its administrative headquarter, Knowledge of the medicinal plants used in the drugs of is one of the 10 districts of Kashmir in northern India. The hilly and traditional systems of medicine has been of great mountainous areas of Bandipora constitute an important northern part of Kashmir Himalaya. These areas remain cut off from the rest significance, especially as a lead for the discovery of new of the district at least for 2 to 3 months every year due to harsh single-molecule medicines for modern system of climatic conditions such as heavy snowfall and low temperature medicine (Ramawat et al., 2009). It is interesting to note (sometimes below minus 10°C) during winter. Bandipora, with a that the ethnomedicinal uses of plants is one of the most geographical area of 398 Sq km, is located on the northern bank of the Wular Lake- the largest fresh water lake in Asia. The district lies successful criteria used by the pharmaceutical industry in finding new therapeutic agents for the various fields of at 34° 64’ N latitude and 74° 96’ E longitude and is situated at an average height of 1701 m (AMSL). The district is endowed with biomedicine (Williams, 2006). For example some breathtaking scenic beauty in the form of snow-capped mountains, outstanding medicinal drugs which have been developed sparkling streams and rivers, picturesque Wular lake and lush from the ethnomedicinal uses of plants include: green forests and meadows. The district is bounded in the west by Vinblastine and Vincristine from Catharanthus roseus G. district Kupwara, in the south-east by district Ganderbal and in the Don (Periwinkle) used for treating acute lymphoma, acute east by district Kargil, Baramulla in the south and on north side it is leukaemias etc., Reserpine from the roots of bounded by line of control (Figure 1). The district has three tehsils (smallest administrative units) namely Gurez, Sonawari and Rauvolfia serpentina Benth. ex Kurz (Indian Sarpgandha) Bandipore. Bandipora is one of the backward districts of Kashmir used for treating hypertension, Aspirin from where usually single crop is grown and most of the cultivable land is Salix purpurea L. (Willow) used for treating inflammation, under orchards. The total cultivable land in the district is 27,028 pain and thrombosis and Quinine from hectares while as the area under forest is about 199,396 hectares Cinchona pubescens Vahl (Cinchona) used for treating (Source: Evaluation & Statistics, Ganderbal District & District Credit Plan, Lead Bank Office Bandipora). The district has deciduous malaria (Lone et al., 2013). Thus, medicinal plants are vegetation and due to its varied altitude and topography, it is the used in crude or purified form in the preparation of drugs site of diverse flora. Plants like Plantinus orientalis (locally called in different systems. ‘Boin’- State tree), Crataegus songarica, Populus caspica, Salix Ethnobotanical information on medicinal plants and acmophylla, Ailanthus altissima, Cedrus deodra, Ulmus wallichiana, their uses by indigenous cultures is useful not only in the Celtis australis, Robinia pseudoacacia, Abies pindrow, Pinus conservation of traditional cultures and biodiversity, but wallichiana, Morus nigra, Juglans regia, Zizyphus jujuba and other fruit trees (temperate Rosaceae fruit trees- apple, pear, cherry, also for community health care and drug development almond, peach, plum and apricot) grow throughout the district. The (Farooq et al., 2014). It is a well-known fact that, climate of the district has its own peculiarities and is usually worldwide, thousands of plant species are endangered moderate. The seasons are marked with sudden change and the and facing extinction with the current trend of their climate can be divided into six seasons of two months each. These exploitation and destruction. Indiscriminate resource include, spring (16 March to 15 May), summer (16 May to 15 July), utilization, increasing population and urbanization is rainy season (16 July to 15 September), autumn (16 September to 15 November), winter (16 November to 15 January) and ice cold leading to rapid depletion of the plant resources day-by- (16 January to 15 March). All these seasons are locally called Sont, day. Kashmir Himalaya is known for its economically Retkol, Waharat, Harud, Wandh and Shishur, respectively. valued plants and their products, such as medicine, food, fodder, fibre etc. Owing to its rich and unique floristic METHODOLOGY diversity, a good proportion of plants are used as medicine in one or other form. The ethnic use of these Many regions of the district were surveyed from March, 2011 to herbs as medicine has been probably the only means of October, 2012. Representative informants including local curing and/or protecting the human population from knowledgeable elders and tribals (Gujjars and Bakkerwals) were various diseases. Although a number of ethnobotanical sampled during random visits made to houses in the study area. Besides, efforts were made to approach as many as traditional studies have been carried out on the uses of