Folk medicinal plants used in gynecological disorders in Tinsukia district, Assam, India

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of gynecological disorders was carried out among the rural people in Tinsukia district, Assam, India.     

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Didayi tribe of Malkangiri district of Orissa, India

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the ethnic community (Didayi) in Malkangiri district, Orissa. A total of 53 medicinal plant species belonging to 34 families and 52 different species are described under this study.     

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by ethnic people in West and South district of Tripura,India

An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the different uses of plants used in their primary health care system. Tripura is a small north-eastern state of India and also a part of both Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity region. It is a goldmine of medicinal plants and use of different plants in tribal traditional heath care systems has long history. Nineteen different tribes in Tripura, depend on natural resources at a great extent. This paper documented 113 medicinal plant species from 56 families along with their botanical name, local name, family name, habit, medicinal parts used, and traditional usage of application. The dominant families are Euphorbiaceae (7 species), Apocynaceae (6 species), Fabaceae and Rubiaceae (5 species each), Caesalpiniaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae and Verbenaceae (4 species each), Combretaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae (3 species each). Tribes of Tripura have rich traditional knowledge on plant based medicine. Different parts of the plants in crude form/plant extracts/decoctions/infusion or pastes are employed in diverse veterinary and human diseases by the tribe’s of Tripura in daily life.     

Ethnobotanical inventory of medicinal plants used in the Bustillo Province of the Potosi Department,Bolivia

A survey of medicinal plants used by rural communities in the Bustillo Province of the Potosi Department in Bolivia is reported in this article. Fifty-six plant species belonging to 24 families and 46 different genera were included. Their botanical and vernacular names, plant part used, popular medicinal use, forms of preparation and applications of the herbal remedies are given.     

Traditional medicinal plants in Mizoram, India

In rural societies of Mizoram, India, traditional methods of treatment are followed in the majority of the populace. Information on 135 plant species from 122 genera and 65 families is presented here.     

Folklore medicinal plants of Nagaland,India

Traditional methods of treatment using plants and animals are predominant in rural societies of Nagaland, a state of North East India. As a result of an ethnobotanical survey conducted in 1993–1997, information on 36 such plant species from 35 genera and 28 families is presented.     

Multipurpose trees and shrubs on farmlands in Tamil Nadu State (India)

Farmers in Tamil Nadu State integrate numerous species of multipurpose trees and shrubs on their farmlands in close association with agricultural crops and/or livestock. The dominant among them areBorassus flabellifer, Tamarindus indica, Ceiba pentandra, Acacia leucophloea andA. nilotica.These woody perennials are better able to cope with poor growing conditions. Their increasing integration on farmlands represents a strategy to minimise risk of crop failure. Some species (e.g.Prosopis juliflora andDelonix elata) are deliberately used to ameliorate infertile or saline soils in order to permit the growing of annual crops. In addition to producing fuelwood, charcoal, fruit and fodder and providing many service functions, these species require only fewer inputs and give the farmer a choice of management options in the event of poor crop growth. The productivity of these traditionally managed and little-studied agroforestry systems can considerably be improved by scientific interventions.     

Folklore medicinal plants of North Andaman Islands, India

The rural folk of North Andaman, India use the traditional medicine for their primary health care. Folklore medicinal uses of 72 interesting medicinal plant species along with botanical name, local name, family, habit, part used, disease for which the drug is administrated, mode of administration are presented. These 72 plant species which provide the crude drugs pertain to 67 genera and 43 families of Magnoliophyta from tropical rainforests. These plants used to cure 40 ailments. Most remedies were taken orally, accounting for 76% of medicinal use. Most of the remedies were reported to have been from trees (55.6%) and herb (22.2%) species. The most widely sought after plant parts in the preparation of remedies in the areas are the stem bark (33.8%) and root (23.9%).     

Ethno-medicinal plants used by Bengali communities in Tripura,northeast India

Northeastern India has high medicinal plant diversity due to variance in topography and physiognomy. We documented the uses of various medicinal plants by the Bengali people of West district and South district of Tripura state for their own health care as well as for domesti-cated animals. Based on semi structured interviews, group discussions and information from local informants, a total of 93 species of medicinal plants of 52 families and 83 genera were documented. These plants were used to treat more than 55 different human diseases and 6 diseases of livestock. Sixty-eight plant species were used singly and the rest were used in combination with other species for therapeutic formulations of various diseases. Leaves of plants were most often used for most of the ethnobotanical preparations. Maximum consensus value of 96% was recorded for Chromolaena odorata （L.） King ＆amp;H. Rob., and the mini-mum was 15%for Bambusa balcooa Robx. Of the 93 plant species, 75 species showed pharmacological properties. Prospects for augmenting existing knowledge and enhancing the use of traditional medicinal plants are discussed.     

Seedling indices of four tree species in nursery and their correlations with field growth in Tamil Nadu, India

Selection of quality seedlings in nursery is important for raising fast-growing trees for production of fuelwood and other products. In order to identify the morphophysiological variables that can be used in nursery for selection purpose, a study on growth, drymatter production, and rate of photosynthesis was undertaken with seedlings of four tree species, viz, Acacia nilotica, Albizzia lebbeck, Dalbergia sissoo and Eucalyptus camaldulensis. The species varied significantly in growth, drymatter production and photosynthetic rate in nursery. E. camaldulensis was the fastest in growth and A. nilotica had maximum number of leaves. Total drymatter production was maximum in D. sissoo followed by A. lebbeck. The rate of photosynthesis was maximum in D. sissoo followed by A. nilotica and lowest in A. lebbeck. Among the various seedling attributes, height, number of leaves per plant, rootweight and photosynthetic rate exhibited significant correlations with seedling drymatter. Seedling diameter showed weak positive correlations with drymatter of both seedlings as well as two-year old field trees. However, number of leaves per plant, rootweight, shootweight and leafweight showed significant correlations with two-year field tree drymatter, the strongest correlation (r = 0.96, P = 0.001) was found between number of leaves per plant and field tree drymatter. Although plant height and leaf photosynthetic rate showed a positive correlation with two-year field growth, the relationship was statistically non-significant. The study reveals that maximum value for leaf number and dryweight of seedling components such as root, shoot and leaf can be used as criteria for selecting nursery stocks for field planting in semiarid conditions.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants from India

The results of a preliminary antimicrobial screening of the methanol extracts of Zingiber officinale, Asteracantha longifolia, Citrus acida, Salacia microsperma and Tinospora cordifolia are reported.     

Medicinal plants used for liver diseases in some parts of Kamrup district of Assam, a North Eastern State of India

An ethno-botanical survey was conducted in some tribal dominated pockets of Kamrup district of ASSAM, a North Eastern State of India. This report deals with 24 plant species used as herbal remedies for the treatment of liver ailments. Each entry includes the botanical and prevalent local name(s), other medicinal use(s), part(s) used, method of preparation and mode of administration.     

Ethnomedical knowledge of plants used by Kunabi Tribe of Karnataka in India

Therapeutic effects and medicinal efficacy of the wild herbs were identified and administered by the tribal people to cure various ailments. Recently, the practice of herbal medicine has been diminishing, which may lead to the loss of valuable information about healing herbs. The Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka in India is one of the rich biodiversity centers of Western Ghats. Many tribes like Gowlis, Siddis, Halakki Okkaligas and Kunabis inhabit the semi-evergreen forests of the District. The mixed marathi speaking Kunabis have migrated from Goa and settled here a long time back and are even today without modern facilities. Thus, in the way of revitalization of traditional herbal medicines, it is an effort to record the valuable ethnomedical knowledge of the tribe Kunabis of Uttara Kannada District in Karnataka. A total of 45 species of plants used by Kunabi community people are described here based on an ethnomedical field survey. These plants belong to 26 families and are used to treat a wide range of discomforts like fever, cough, skin diseases, rheumatism, snakebite, jaundice, dysentery, etc.     

Folk medicinal plants of riverside forests of the Southern Blue Nile district,Sudan

The therapeutic uses of 34 species of the most commonly prescribed medicinal plants in the riverside forests of Southern Blue Nile, central eastern Sudan are described.     

Ethnobotany of medicinal plants from Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve of Northeast India

A survey of medicinal plants used by the ethnic communities of Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve in Northeast India has been reported. Fifty-five plant species belonging to 34 families and 52 different genera were included. For each plant species, botanical name, vernacular name, part(s) used, popular medicinal use, forms of preparation and applications of the herbal remedies are provided.     

Topical anti-inflammatory activity of some Asian medicinal plants used in dermatological disorders

The topical anti-inflammatory activity of extracts from Cassia angustifolia, Rheum palmatum, Coptis chinensis, Phellodendron amurense and Scutellaria baicalensis, plants used in traditional East Asian medicine against different skin disorders, was studied. Though in different degree, all the extracts significantly inhibited the edema induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), in both single or multiple application, oxazolone, and arachidonic acid (AA). None of the extracts inhibited in vitro the activity of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) from Naja naja.     

Ethnobotanical, pharmacological and chemical studies of plants used in the treatment of ‘Mwandza’ dermatites

An ethnobotanical investigation in the Bokouélé country, in the Cuvette region of Congo, was undertaken in order to record some of the plants used by local traditional therapists for the treatment of a disease locally known as ‘Mwandza’. Out of 60 plants recorded, a statistical study of those used in the presumably most efficient protocols, narrowed down the number to 20. Subsequent pharmacological tests have shown that some of these plants exhibit antibacterial and/or antitumoral activities.     

Distribution pattern and conservation of threatened medicinal and aromatic plants of Central Himalaya,India

A study was conducted to examine the distribution pattern of four rhizomatous medicinal and aromatic plant species (MAPs) viz., Angelica glauca, Pleurospermum angelicoides, Rheum emodi and Arne- bia benthamii in different forest stands in Central Himalaya. Results show that A. glauca and P. angelicoides had a higher (50%) frequency at Chipkoan, Garpak and Phagati forest, R. emodi had a higher (60%) frequency at Rishikund, Suki and Himtoli, and A. benthamii had a higher (70%) frequency at Suki and Khambdhar The densities of A. glauca (0.6 plants·m -2 ) and P. angelicoides (0.5 plants·m -2 ) were higher at Chipkoan and Garpak sites than at other micro-sites, while densities of R. emodi (0.8 plants·m -2 ) and A. benthamii (1.0 plants·m -2 ) were higher at Suki and Khambdhar sites. A. glauca had highest total basal covers (TBC) (1.2 cm 2 ·m -2 ) at Chipkoan, P. angelicoides had highest TBC (0.92 cm 2 ·m -2) at Lati kharak site, A. benthamii had the highest TBC (6.48 cm 2 ·m -2 ) atKhambdhar, and R. emodi had highest TBC (4.53 cm 2 ·m -2 ) at Rishikund. For the four studied species, A. glauca showed a contagious distribution, P. angelicoides and R. emodi showed the random and A. benthamii showed the regular type of distribution.     

Assessment of tree species diversity and its distribution pattern in Pachamalai Reserve Forest,Tamil Nadu

An increased understanding of the importance of forest diversity for ecosystem services such as medicine, wood, climate control, etc., has lead to greater interest in the study of forests. This study aims to analyze the diversity, composition, and distribution pattern of tree species in Pachamalai Reserve Forest in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu State. Data were collected in the quadrant method, where 10 × 10 m² plots at different altitudes from 230 to 930 m with 50-m regular intervals were plotted. A total of 73 tree species belonging to 35 families with the density of 1,372 individuals were enumerated from 3 ha. Overall, the most dominant tree species family was Fabaceae (21 species). The highest number in terms of density of tree species was observed for Pongamia pinnata and the most dominant on the basis of basal area was Tamarindus indica. The species inventory was calculated by Shannon-Weiner index (3.916), Simpson index (0.0206), and Margalef index (9.9667). With the increasing altitudinal gradient, the maximum species richness was observed in the middle elevation zone from 580 to 780 m. The results from the study could be helpful for monitoring and sustaining the forest resources, and important in preventing the loss of biodiversity and mitigating climate change.     

Biodiversity of endophytic fungi from seven herbaceous medicinal plants of Malnad region,Western Ghats,southern India

A total of 3611 fungal isolates were recovered from 4200 leaf segments incubated from 7 medicinal herbs during monsoon, winter and summer seasons. These fungal isolates belonged to teleomorphic Asco-mycota （23.5%）, anamorphic Ascomycota producing conidiomata （17.4%）, anamorphic Ascomycota without conidiomata （46.9%）, Zygo-mycota （1.42%） and sterile forms （10.6%）. Chaetomium globosum, As-pergillus niger, Aureobasidium pullulans, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium spp., Penicillium spp., Pestalotiopsis spp., Trichoderma viridae, Cladosporium cladosporioides, were frequently isolated from more than one host plant. The number of endophytic isolates was higher in winter than in monsoon and summer seasons.