Ethnic Plants of Tharu Community of Eastern Nepal

Abstract

Ethnobotany is the study of ethnic plants of particular people living in particular place. It accommodates list, details and description of all those studied plants regarding with their various uses. Tharu people belong to one of the indigenous communities especially in Terai region of Nepal. Tharu people have been using these plant resources since 18th century. This study aims to identify ethnic plants of Tharu community of eastern Nepal and their uses in their daily lives. Enumeration of useful plants from Tharu ethnic community was conducted in four villages of Ramdhuni municipality of Sunsari district. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and household sampling technique were used for data collection. Plant specimens were collected and information regarding it was obtained from local Dhamis, Jhankris, farmers and old age people. This study reported thirty-seven useful plant species under 25 families. In total 37 species, 25 were recorded as medicinal plant, used to treat pneumonia, menstrual disorder, stones, piles, skin disease etc. Other plant species were used for food, fodder, timber, fiber and ceremonial/ religious activities. Most plant species (78.3%) were having multiple use value, and kept under more than one use category and few species (21.7%) with single use category. Trees (27.02%) and herbs (27.02%), both were dominant over grass, shrubs, climbers and creepers. This study has revealed that many plants species are being used by Tharu community of Eastern Nepal as their ethnic plants for medicine, food, fodder, ornament, material etc which needs to be more explored.
 Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 8(2): 223-230

Ethnomedicinal Exploration of Plants Utilized by The People of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur District, Nepal

“…This might be due to the easy availability of the leaves and as a major part of nutrients synthesis and thus higher biochemical activity. The dominance of leaf as a plant part in the present study has been supported by Chaudhary et al [5], Acharya and Acharya [22], Singh [23]. The documented 107 species plants are used in the treatment of 39 different diseases and 46 distinct health benefits activities.…”

“…This might be due to the modernization and easy availability of chemically synthetic drugs in medical shops. Chaudhary et al [5] have also reported a similar difference in age groups of the respondent while studying the ethnobotanical plant of Tharu community of eastern…”

“…Altogether 126 castes / ethnic groups reported in Nepal speaking 123 languages as mother tongue [3]. Nepal is a multilingual, multireligious, and multicultural country, where each ethnic group has its own culture, tradition, and folk practices for the utilization of wild plants [4,5]. Different groups of people in Nepal utilizes different plant resources as a source for food, fodder, timber, fiber, dye, housing material, ornament, religious activities, etc.…”

“…Different groups of people in Nepal utilizes different plant resources as a source for food, fodder, timber, fiber, dye, housing material, ornament, religious activities, etc. According to Chaudhary et al [5], Tharu people of eastern Nepal has been using several plant species for food, fodder, medicine, ornament, religious, and other household purposes. Many other researchers have reported the use of plants by several ethnic groups of Nepal as a source of their daily needs.…”

“…Singh et al [13] have identified 70 medicinal plant species used for the management of healthcare problems among the Magar tribal community of Palpa district, Nepal. Chaudhary et al [5] have documented the use of 37 plant species by Tharu community of eastern Nepal for various purposes like medicine, food, fodder, ornament, etc. The ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical studies of plants have been performed in many parts of Nepal.…”