Traditional knowledge and practices on utilizing medicinal plants by endangered Kisan ethnic group of eastern Nepal

Rajbanshi, Neeta; Thapa, Lal B

doi:10.32859/era.18.23.1-9

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Similar findings have been reported by independent studies from other parts of the world [73,[82][83][84][85]. The species harvested from the wild include native species, invasive alien plant species (IAPs) and four naturalized species.…”

Section: Diversity Of Medicinal Plant Species and Their Usessupporting

confidence: 85%

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Bhandari

Gurung

Subedi

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Chyangthapu-Phalaicha located in the northeastern Panchthar District, is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalaya. The area is dominated by the Kirat indigenous community. The present study was conducted to document the knowledge of the ethnomedicinal uses and practices that exist in the area before the associated socio-cultural knowledge on biological diversity is lost. Methods: Ethnomedicinal data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires. Stakeholders meetings were organized for assessing the conservation issues in the sub-corridor. The importance of medicinal plant species was assessed using quantitative indices such as informant consensus factor, relative frequency of citation, relative importance, fidelity level and Rahman’s similarity index. Results: Altogether, 140 medicinal plant species from 68 families and 127 genera were reported, which were used to treat 12 health disorders categories. The dominant families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae which contributed eight species each. Fifty-five percent of the total medicinal plant species comprised of herbs. The most frequently used plant parts were underground parts (33%) and leaf (15%). The most common remedies preparation method was extract. Oral administration was the most common therapeutic mode (60%). Maximum informant consensus factor (0.96) was calculated for gastrointestinal disorders. The highest relative frequency of citation and fidelity level was observed for Swertia chirayita (0.83 and 100% respectively). Artemisia dubia depicted the highest relative importance (91.67). A thorough review of previous literature and analysis of field data revealed new therapeutic use reports for 41 ailments associated with 52 plant species. The Rahman similarity index was high with the studies in neighbouring areas, while it was low with the geographically distant studies. Conclusions: The ethnomedicinal study of the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor in the Kangchenjunga Landscape indicates that the area supports significant medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge. The varied use of reported medicinal plants in the area indicates the need for their domestication, processing and phytochemical investigation, especially for those with high ethnobotanical indices.

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Section: Diversity Of Medicinal Plant Species and Their Usessupporting

confidence: 85%

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Bhandari

Gurung

Subedi

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…A total of 83% (116 species) of medicinal plants were harvested by the local communities from the wild, while the remaining 17% (24 species) were cultivated in home gardens. Similar ndings have been reported by independent studies from other parts of the world [58,[67][68][69][70]. The species harvested from the wild include 110 native species, 2 invasive alien plant species (IAPs) and four naturalized species.…”

Section: Relative Frequency Of Citation (Rfc)supporting

confidence: 85%

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Bhandari

Gurung

Subedi

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Chyangthapu-Phalaicha located in the northeastern Panchthar District, is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalaya. The area is dominated by the Kirat indigenous community. The present study was conducted to document the knowledge of the ethnomedicinal uses and practices that exist in the area before the associated socio-cultural knowledge on biological diversity is lost. Methods: Ethnomedicinal data were collected through three focus group discussions and 47 key informant interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. The importance of medicinal plant species was assessed using quantitative indices such as informant consensus factor, relative frequency of citation, relative importance, fidelity level and Rahman’s similarity index. Results: Altogether, 140 medicinal plant species from 68 families and 127 genera were reported, which were used to treat 12 diseases categories. The dominant families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae which contributed eight species each. Fifty-five percent of the total medicinal plant species comprised of herbs. The most frequently used plant parts were underground parts (33%) and leaf (15%). The most common remedies preparation method was extract. Oral administration was the most common therapeutic mode (60%). Maximum informant consensus factor (0.96) was calculated for gastrointestinal diseases. The highest relative frequency of citation and fidelity level was observed for Swertia chirayita (0.83 and 100% respectively). Artemisia dubia depicted the highest relative importance (91.67). A thorough review of previous literature and analysis of field data revealed 90 new therapeutic use reports for 42 ailments belonging to 64 plant species.Conclusions: The ethnomedicinal study of the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor in the Kangchenjunga Landscape indicates that the area supports significant medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge. The varied use of reported medicinal plants in the area indicates the need for their cultivation, processing and phytochemical investigation, especially for those with high ethnobotanical indices.

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“…People adopting agriculture reported a higher number of medicinal plants, which may be because they have easier access to medicinal plants. In Nepal, people with agricultural occupations and living in rural areas used more traditional methods to stay healthy [ 95 ]. The job holders also reported comparatively more number of plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Khadka

Dhamala

et al. 2021

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

101

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Background Medicinal plants are the fundamental unit of traditional medicine system in Nepal. Nepalese people are rich in traditional medicine especially in folk medicine (ethnomedicine), and this system is gaining much attention after 1995. The use of medicinal plants has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a private behavior (not under the control of government). A lot of misinterpretations of the use of medicinal plants to treat or prevent COVID-19 have been spreading throughout Nepal which need to be managed proactively. In this context, a research was needed to document medicinal plants used, their priority of use in society, their cultivation status, and the source of information people follow to use them. This study aimed to document the present status of medicinal plant use and make important suggestion to the concerned authorities. Methods This study used a web-based survey to collect primary data related to medicinal plants used during COVID-19. A total of 774 respondents took part in the survey. The study calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for the recorded medicinal plants. The relationship between plants recorded and different covariates (age, gender education, occupation, living place, and treatment methods) was assessed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon test. The relationship between the information sources people follow and the respondent characteristics was assessed using chi-square test. Results The study found that the use of medicinal plants has increased during COVID-19 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This study recorded a total of 60 plants belonging to 36 families. The leaves of the plants were the most frequently used. The Zingiber officinale was the most cited species with the frequency of citation 0.398. Most of the people (45.61%) were getting medicinal plants from their home garden. The medicinal plants recorded were significantly associated with the education level, location of home, primary treatment mode, gender, and age class. The information source of plants was significantly associated with the education, gender, method of treatment, occupation, living with family, and location of home during the lockdown caused by COVID-19. Conclusions People were using more medicinal plants during COVID-19 claiming that they can prevent or cure COVID-19. This should be taken seriously by concerned authorities. The authorities should test the validity of these medicinal plants and control the flow of false information spread through research and awareness programs.

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Traditional knowledge and practices on utilizing medicinal plants by endangered Kisan ethnic group of eastern Nepal

Cited by 18 publications

References 20 publications

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

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