Public Health

Wild medicinal plants in Indian Folk Life-A Historical Perspective Plants of over 3500 wild species are used to cure ailments in man and his domesticated animals : Plants in folk medicine of the Himalaya The Himalayan ranges are inhabited by a large tribal population, often with their distinct way of life, traditions, dialects and cultural heritage. The Himalaya have bestowed them with vast, varied and even endemic plants. The tribals have learnt to utilize local herbs for different ailments after centuries of trials, often at the risk of loss of human life. Many tribal beliefs forbid them…

Recently, checklists of Ayurvedic and Yunani treatises have been published (Anonymous, 1963 and Tripathi et al., 1978). A list of some of the important Indian treatises is presented in Table 1. References to the trees and flowers are found profusely in folk song, particularly in songs of worship of plants. Folk songs in praise of Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schard. ex. J.C.Wendl), Basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn.), and Amaltas (Cassia fistula Linn.) are sung, believing these plants are the abode of several Gods and Goddess (Agarwal, 1997). Religious songs have references to offering of flowers and…

Scientific Name Sida cordifolia Linn. Family Malvaceae Used Part Seeds Distribution Area Common Uses .Considered useful in sexual debility and spermatorrhoea. Used in drugs for sexual strength. Roots, leaves and seeds are slightly bitter in taste and are used in medicine. The juice of the plant is mixed with the juice of Borassus flabellifer for local use in elephantiasis. The mucilaginous leaves are used as a demulcent and their infusion is given in fever as a refrigerant. They are reported to be used against dysentery and for poulticing ulcers. A decoction of the leaves…

Natural drugs obtained from plants and animals are called drugs of biological origin and are produced in the living cells of plants or animals. Pharmacognosy is the study of crude drugs obtained from plants, animals and mineral kingdom. Even though the science of pharmacognosy is practised since a very early period, the term pharmacognosy was first used by Seydler, a German scientist, in 1815 in his book Analecta Pharmacognostica. It is derived from two Latin words pharmaka (a drug) and gignosco (to acquire a knowledge of). It means a knowledge or science of drugs. Crude drugs are plants or…

Rajasthan : Hadoti Plateau Ethnobotanical studies in Rajasthan were conducted by Singh and Pandey (1980), Joshi (1982, 1995), Katewa and Arora (1997), Singh and Pandey (1998) and Sharma and Dadhich (2002). Plants: 1. Acacia nilotica (L). Willd. (Mimosaceae) Babool or Barodi kikar. A moderate – sized tree, pinnae 4-9 pairs, stipular thorns long, heads yellow, pods stalked. Loc. Jhirniya Flowering and Fruiting : October – February. Medicinal Use : Comparatively younger and softer twigs of the tree are used for massage of gums and cleansing of teeth. Paste of stem bark is applied locally for…

The intimate relationship between the human and plant world has evolved over generations of experience an practices. The tribal people and ethnic races throughout the world have developed their own culture, customs, cults, religious rites, taboos, totems, legends and myths, folk-fores and song, foods, medicinal practices, etc. The term "Ethnobotany” denotes the total relationship between man and vegetation. It is also considered as 'branch of economic botany, which deals with the role of plants in life and culture of aborigines and tribal people. The accumulated traditional knowledge of…

Traditional medicines are used in all civilizations and cultures in health care systems worldwide. Since the beginning of civilization, people have used plants as medicine. Ethnobotany is the study of use of indigenous plants by particular culture and region. Ethnobotanists explore how plants are used for food, shelter, medicine, clothing, hunting, and religious ceremonies. Perhaps as early as Neanderthal man, plants were believed to have healing powers. The earliest recorded uses are found in Babylon circa 1770 BC in the Code of Hammurabi and in ancient Egypt circa 1550 B.C. In fact,…

Tribals of Jaipur district worship all the God and Goddesses of Hindu religion along with number of local deities. These deities are associated with a number of plant species. During the present survey 16 plant species have been recorded to be scared and auspicious, important one being of genus Ficus and Acacia. Ocimum sanctum and Aegle marmelos being sacred. Similar informations about herbal medicinal plants were provided by number of workers from various parts of country (Kirtikar and Basu, 1935; Nadkarni, 1954; Chopra et al., 1958; Sharma, 1982, Mishra and Kumar, 2001; Kumar and Roy,…

Family Mimosaceae: The members of sub family Mimosaceae are trees or shrubs, very rarely herbs. They are found in the tropical zone and are especially numerous in Africa and Australia. They are rare in the sub-tropical region of the northern hemisphere. The member exhibit tonic and astringent, emetic, antiperiodic and anthelmintic properties. Many yield demulcent gums. The sub family of Mimosaceae includes 23 genera with about 550 species. Some of the important genera are Acacia sp., Albizzia sp., Entada sp., Leucaena sp., Neptunia sp., Prosopis sp., Parkia sp., Mimosa sp., Pithecolobium…

Family: Caesalpiniaceae The members of sub family Caesalpiniaceae are trees, shrubs or rarely herbs numerous in the Tropics. They scarcely extend beyond the tropical belt in the old world and they are rather few in North America. The sub family includes 56 genera with about 650 species. The members exhibit mostly tonic, astringent and mucilaginous properties, some have a pectoral and laxative or cathartic action; others are anthelmintic antiseptic , antipyretic, styptic. Some of the important genera are Bauhinia sp., Cassia sp., Cynometra sp. 16. Bauhinia purpurea Linn. ‘Khairwal’ (…