Traditional knowledge and conservation status of some selected medicinal herbs from Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, Western Himalayas

Traditional knowledge and conservation status of some selected medicinal herbs from Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, Western Himalayas

Traditional knowledge has been used throughout the world including India as a practice of using local herbal drugs. Majority of the locals living in the district Uttarkashi of Uttarakhand state have poor connectivity and socio-economic status. These people are known to have indigenous experience about the medicinal plants of the area and use their age-old experiences and perceptions in the treatment and prevention of various ailments. Present paper documents the ethnobotanical information and conservation status of 82 medicinal herbs from the hilly district of Uttarakhand. Information gathered include, local name, plant parts used, mode of preparations, medium of administration, ailments cured along with distribution and conservation status. Majority of these plants were used for their roots and leaves. Most of them are herbs while trees and climbers were less frequently used. People living in remote areas have a vast treasure of knowledge, but they do not disclose it easily to outsiders. During surveys and interactions, it has been noticed that due to over exploitation, some medicinal herbs are at the verge of extinction which need to be conserved at the earliest.