Ethnomedicinal composition depends on floristic composition: A case studied in Sal forests of Jharkhand

Abstract

The composition of different medicinal parts of plants for the preparation of ethnomedicine for specific diseases and disorders is gathered by the tribal and forest dwellers in Jharkhand from ambient vegetation of forests or from the floristic diversity. It is very interesting that from a wide range of plant diversity; the selection of plants and preparations of ethnomedicine by making composition over trial on generation to generation is innovation of ethnic people. The floristic composition of Sal forests and association of ethnomedicinal plants with Sal tree (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) in different study sites in tribal tracts and their utilization among various ethnic groups like Santhal, Paharia, Oraon, Munda, Kol, Kharwa, Ho  etc. have been observed. The tribal people inhabit in the forest areas of Santhal Pargana and Chhotanagpur region of Jharkhand and they collect potential and effective medicinal plants, utilized by them for meeting their primary health care. The species are arranged disease wise giving information with botanical names, tribal   names and part used. The medicinal uses of plants species have been   recorded from the tribal medicine men Jangurus, Ojhas, Manjhis etc. during the survey and field studies among them. The data will serve as useful tools to understand the dependence of ethnomedicinal composition on floristic composition and importance of natural association of Sal forests. It has been observed in the present study that the floristic composition or the plants as natural available in nearby forests has been utilized for the preparations of ethnomedicine by the tribal people which is an evident about dependency of floristic composition for ethnomedicinal  composition. The study has also a great relevance to understand the efficacy of specific medicinal plants collected from natural Sal forests and the same plants from cultivated or gathered from other than Sal forests. There are need of scientific evaluation and validation of the belief and practices of tribal people about the effectiveness of plants collected from Sal forests