Ethnomedicine in Himalaya: a case study from Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang districts of Nepal

Traditional plant use in Nepal has been documented for millennia. The importance of plants as medicine has not diminished in any way in recent times, and traditional medicines are still the most important health care source for the vast majority of the population.This paper examines the ethnobotany and traditional use of plants extracted from the vulnerable alpine zone in the Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang districts of Nepal.The results of this ethnobotanical study indicate that a very large number of plant species is used as traditional medicines. There were 107, 59, 44 and 166 species of ethnomedicinal importance in surveyed areas of Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mustang district respectively. Of these, 84 common species, used at least in two districts, were selected to enumerate their ethnomedicinal properties. The 84 species belonged to 75 genera and 39 families.The commonest species in this pharmacopoeia were: Allium wallichii, Cordyceps sinensis, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, and Rheum australe. A total of 21 species were most common in three districts and 59 in two districts. The genera Aconitum, Allium, Arisaema, Berberis, Corydalis, Gentiana, Hippophae, Juniperus and Rhododendron each possessed two species with ethnomedicinal use. Labiatae was the most medicinally important family with five species used, followed by Araceae, Compositae, Liliaceae, Polygonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Scrophulariaceae and Umbelliferae, each contributing four species.

[1]  B. Gemmill,et al.  Utilisation Of Weed Species As Sources Of Traditional Medicines In Central Kenya , 2004 .

[2]  F. Helles,et al.  MEDICINAL PLANTS, MARKETS, AND MARGINS IN THE NEPAL HIMALAYA: TROUBLE IN PARADISE , 1997 .

[3]  R. P. Chaudhary,et al.  Biodiversity in Nepal : status and conservation : a most recent, profusely illustrated pioneer book with up-to-date information and pertinent references , 1998 .

[4]  D. McKey,et al.  Conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: Harvesting patterns and ecology of two threatened species, Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong , 2005 .

[5]  Nepal. Vanaspati Vibhāga.  Medicinal plants of Nepal , 1970 .

[6]  C. S. Olsen,et al.  Alpine medicinal plant trade and Himalayan mountain livelihood strategies , 2003 .

[7]  S. Dhillion,et al.  Medicinal plant diversity and use in the highlands of Dolakha district, Nepal. , 2003, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[8]  R. Kunwar,et al.  Quantitative analysis of tree species in two community forests of Dolpa district, mid-west Nepal , 2006 .

[9]  J. Reynolds.  Martindale: the Extra Pharmacopoeia. 29th edition. , 1989 .

[10]  D. McKey,et al.  Heterogeneity in Ethnoecological Knowledge and Management of Medicinal Plants in the Himalayas of Nepal: Implications for Conservation , 2004 .

[11]  P. Moore.  Trials in bad taste , 1994, Nature.

[12]  J. Dobremez.  Le Népal : écologie et biogéographie , 1976 .

[13]  S. Laird.  Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge: Equitable Partnerships in Practice , 2002 .

[14]  R. Schmid,et al.  Flowers of the Himalaya , 1985 .

[15]  A. Greller,et al.  Flowers of the Himalaya : a supplement , 1990 .

[16]  People,et al.  Medicinal plants of Dolpo : Amchis' knowledge and conservation , 2001 .

[17]  S. D. Joshi,et al.  Genetic heritage of medicinal and aromatic plants of Nepal Himalayas. , 2001 .

[18]  R. Bussmann.  Ethnobotany and Biodiversity Conservation , 2002 .

[19]  K. R. Rajbhandari.  Ethnobotany of Nepal , 2001 .

[20]  R. S. Ambasht,et al.  Modern Trends in Applied Terrestrial Ecology , 2002, Springer US.

[21]  J. Fisher.  Trans-Himalayan Traders: Economy, Society and Culture in Northwest Nepal , 1986, The Journal of Asian Studies.

[22]  C. Silori,et al.  Indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants and their use in Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Kachchh. , 2000 .

[23]  An Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal , 1979 .

[24]  R. Kunwar.  Ethnobotanical notes on flora of Khaptad National Park (KNP), far-western Nepal , 2006 .

[25]  R. Melville,et al.  Medicinal Plants of Nepal , 1974 .

[26]  Sagendra Tiwari.  National register of medicinal and aromatic plants , 2004 .

[27]  H. Ohba.  The alpine flora of the Nepal Himalayas: an introductory note , 1988 .

[28]  Medicinal Plant Cultivation , 1940, Nature.

[29]  Carl Folke,et al.  Indigenous Knowledge for Biodiversity Conservation , 1993 .

[30]  J. Reynolds.  Martindale : the extra pharmacopoeia , 1972 .