Chandra Prakash Kala

The Valley of Flowers (VOF), a most spectacular flowering bonanza from the depths of the earth to the top of the Himalayas, is included in the list of eight World Heritage Sites by UNESCO on the recommendations of the Government of India and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) with effect from 14 July 2005.

The problem of soil degradation has made the farmers to devise some indigenous practices and systems of land use since antiquity in order to maintain and restore the quality of land, which remains operational even today to maintain sustainable crop production. The present study, therefore, deals with the traditional ecological knowledge on soil characteristics and fertility along with the conservation and management of soil by the tribal communities in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR) of India. Traditionally, the farmers in the study villages of PBR have classified the soil types mainly on the basis of soil texture, soil colour and its water retaining capacity. The study documented a total of 16 soil types, as classified by the villagers such as Bhurbhuria, Chikti, Kadialtori, Kamkaltori, Potini, Chikni, Kasai, Dadra and Barrimitti. Besides crop production, the soil was used for construction of house and pots, whitewashing and painting purposes. For conservation and management of soil, the farmers have adopted various traditional practices, which include crop rotation, burning of residues, planting forestry species, applying farmyard manure, and making land boundary. The study reflects that the traditional soil conservation and management practices in PBR are well knitted and interwoven with the cultures, belief systems and available resources.

The medicinal properties of plant species have made an outstanding contribution in the origin and evolution of many traditional herbal therapies. These traditional knowledge systems have started to disappear with the passage of time due to scarcity of written documents and relatively low income in these traditions. Over the past few years, however, the medicinal plants have regained a wide recognition due to an escalating faith in herbal medicine in view of its lesser side effects compared to allopathic medicine in addition the necessity of meeting the requirements of medicine for an increasing human population. Through the realization of the continuous erosion of traditional knowledge of plants used for medicine in the past and the renewed interest at the present time, a need existed to review this valuable knowledge of medicinal plants with the purpose of developing medicinal plants sectors across the different states in India. Our major objectives therefore were to explore the potential in medicinal plants resources, to understand the challenges and opportunities with the medicinal plants sector, and also to suggest recommendations based upon the present state of knowledge for the establishment and smooth functioning of the medicinal plants sector along with improving the living standards of the underprivileged communities. The review reveals that northern India harbors a rich diversity of valuable medicinal plants, and attempts are being made at different levels for sustainable utilization of this resource in order to develop the medicinal plants sector.

The current status of medicinal plants used by traditional Vaidyas was studied in Uttaranchal state of India. Information was gathered using semi-structured questionnaires among 60 traditional Vaidyas. They were questioned about the types of ailments treated with plants and the preparation of herbal medical formulations. A total of 243 herbal medical formulations prepared by Vaidyas treating 73 different ailments were documented. Plants were the major ingredients in these medical formulations. 156 medicinal plant species were documented during the survey. Of these 55% were cultivated and 45% were wild species. Of the cultivated species 80% were found growing in the kitchen gardens and 20% in the agricultural fields. The frequency of use of kitchen garden species was highest in preparing the medical formulations as in 243 formulations the relative frequency of use of such species was 87%. The relative frequency of use of the medicinal plants growing in the wild was 55% in preparing herbal medical formulations. There was a sharp decline in the number of traditional Vaidyas through generations. The loss of knowledge on preparing medicine was due to several reasons including the number of Vaidyas coming forward to adopt this traditional healing practice professionally.

A study on the native uses of ethnobotanical species was carried out in the south Surguja district of Chhattisgarh state in India with the major objective of identifying different food and medicinal plant species and also to understand their ongoing management and conservation. Through questionnaire and personal interviews, a total of 73 ethnobotanical species used by tribal and nontribal communities were documented, of these 36 species were used in curing different types of
diseases and 22 were used as edible food plants. This rich traditional knowledge of local people has an immense potential for pharmacological studies. The outside forces, at present, were mainly
blamed to change the traditional system of harvesting and management of ethnobotanical species. The destructive harvesting practices have damaged the existing populations of many ethnobotanical species viz., Asparagus racemosus, Dioscorea bulbifera, Boswellia serrata, Buchnania lanzan, Sterculia urens and Anogeissus latifolia. The sustainable harvesting and management issues of ethnobotanical species are discussed in view of their conservation and management.

We studied the patterns in distribution, population density and uses of medicinal plant species in Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal Pradesh in Indian Himalayas. The study area was stratified into three
zones on the basis of forest types and altitudes. In each zone, quadrats were laid down for sampling of plant species, and the local people were interviewed for gathering information on medicinal uses of plants. A total of 184 plant species were encountered in the sampling plots, of which 86% had medicinal uses. Among woody plant species, the use of bark was highest, whereas in herbaceous species the use of leaf and
root was highest for treatment of over 32 groups of diseases. In terms of density, Pinus roxburghii was the most dominant tree species in subtropical forests, which declined in temperate regions and was absent in subalpine forests. Rhododendron arboreum was the most dominant tree species in temperate region whereas in subalpine forests it was replaced by Abies pindrow, in terms of density. Berberis asiatica and
Vitex negundo were the most dominant shrubs in subtropical forests besides Lantana camera, whereas Berberis lycium dominated the temperate and Juniperus indica dominated the subalpine forests. The heavy infestation of Lantana camera in sub-tropical forests has degraded the habitats of native medicinal plant species. Spearman’s correlation indicates positive correlation between local uses and density of respective medicinal plant species (P < 0.05). The results are further
discussed in light of medicinal plants conservation in this part of the Indian Himalayas.

This paper investigates the wealth of medicinal plants used by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. Apatani have traditionally settled in seven villages in the Ziro valley of Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. The present study has
resulted in the documentation of 158 medicinal plant species used by the Apatani group of villages. These medicinal plant species were distributed across 73 families and 124 genera. Asteraceae was the most dominant family (19 species, 11 genera) of medicinal plants, followed by Zingiberaceae, Solanaceae, Lamiaceae and Araceae. For curing ailments, the use of aboveground plant parts was higher (80%) than the belowground plant parts in the Apatani group of villages. Of the aboveground plant parts, leaf was used in the majority of cases (56 species), followed by fruit. Different belowground plant forms such as root, tuber, rhizome, bulb and pseudo-bulb were used by Apatani as a medicine. About 52 types of ailments were cured by using these 158 medicinal plant species. The results of this study are further discussed in the changing socio-economic contexts.

I have studied the indigenous knowledge of making natural dye from native plant species, by the Bhotiya tribal community of high-altitude Garhwal Himalaya, Uttaranchal, India. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the Bhotiya-dominated villages for identification and exploration of indigenous methods of wool dyeing using natural plant biomass. Information was also gathered through participatory field research methods. A total of eight plant species which are used as raw
material in preparing various natural dyes were documented during the survey. Among them, two are vulnerable and one is endangered according to the new IUCN criteria. The indigenous practice has declined manifold due to invasion of market forces and use of synthetic dyes. The present article deals with documenting the plant species and a method of natural dye preparation developed by the Bhotiya tribal community. It also highlights the economic factors involved in the marginalization of this indigenous practice.

The preferences of local communities on the importance of various groups of ethnobotanical species were examined in the Indian Himalayan State of Uttarakhand in order to select key species for development of the society and environmental conservation. The results
indicated that the preferences of local people varied across different ethnobotanical groups of species. A total 32 medicinal, 16 horticultural, 22 fodder and 20 timber-yielding plant species were selected as the most preferred by the local people of Uttarakhand. Twelve species of medicinal plants preferred by the local people were rare and endangered, and one was nearthreatened. There were regional variations in the selection of preferred ethnobotanical species by the local people due to the availability of different and diverse floristic compositions around their settlements.

The agro-forestry system is one of the best known indigenous practices for livelihood. In view of instant decline in the rainfed hill agro-forestry system the present study was undertaken in the hilly villages of Uttarakhand state of India with the major objective to assess the status and effects of various factors on this centuries old indigenous
agro-forestry system. The survey documented a total of 26 herbaceous food crop species and 21 woody species that were raised by farmers in the selected villages of Uttarakhand. A total of 37 plant species available in the agro-forestry system and used for curing various ailments by traditional healers were also documented during the survey. The major
cereals produced by farmers were Oryza sativa L., Echinochloa frumentoacea Link., Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertner and Triticum aestivum L. The indigenous system of cropping was locally called as Baranaja that revolved around the production of > 12 varieties of crops. Besides food, the species grown in the agro-forestry system were used for multiple purposes. Water scarcity, migration of youth in search of employment and changing socio-economic and climatic conditions were some of the major reasons for declining agro-forestry system and abandoning the agricultural land.

Historically, for curing ailments, the inhabitants of Tibet, Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti had practiced shamanism that was prevalent in northern Asia under the name Ban. During the pre-Buddhist era, several forms of medical practice had existed in the trans-Himalayan region such as Ihaba (shaman) and Onpo (astrologer) and the prominent system of indigenous therapy developed in this desolate area was known as the Tibetan medical system, which has evolved on the basis of available bioresources, minerals and beliefs. Amchis being the practitioners of this ethno-medical system, have enjoyed high respect and social status among the trans-Himalayan Buddhist communities. With the spread of Buddhism in the trans-Himalayan region, Ayurveda began to influence the Tibetan medical
system. There is ample indigenous medical knowledge with many traditional amchis, which has been inherited from one generation to the next by word of mouth, and not yet documented. The present study deals with the Tibetan Medical System and the ingredients used in preparing various ethnomedicines to cure several ailments by amchis inhabiting Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti region of Indian trans-Himalaya. A total of 337 plant species, 38 species of animals and 6 minerals were documented during the survey period. Among 83 amchis interviewed, 36% had disciples or students, primarily their own sons and daughters. The study reflects that the Tibetan system of medicine is declining in the study area due to shift in socio-economic patterns and unwillingness of the younger generation to adopt amchi as a profession.