Ethnobotany/Ethnopharmacology

Natural products once served humankind as the source of all drugs, and higher plants provided most of
these therapeutic agents. Today, natural products (and their derivatives and analogs) still represent over 50% of
all drugs in clinical use, with higher plant-derived natural products representing. 25% of the total . The World
Health Organization estimates that 80% of the people in developing countries of the world rely on traditional
medicine for their primary health care, and about 85% of traditional medicine involves the use of plant extracts.
This means that about 3.5 to 4 billion people in the world rely on plants as sources of drugs . More than 80 % of
the worlds populations depend on traditional plant-derived medicines for their health needs. The use of plants
for medicinal purposes represents the largest use of biodiversity in the world. Many more species of plants are
used as medicines, for example, than are used for food. Focusing on medicinal plants, therefore, has the
potential for involving people more widely in conservation issues.

Conservative estimates suggest that there are more than 250,000 species of higher plants existing on this
planet, and only a very small percentage of plants have been exhaustively studied for their potential value as a
source of drugs. Obviously natural products will continue to be extremely important as sources of medicinal
agents. Discovery of new drugs from plants requires the screening of many thousands of plant extracts, and thus
requires continued access to the vast plant biodiversity of the Earth, much of which is located in tropical rain
forests. Tropical forests cover only 7% of Earth surface, but they are thought to contain at least one half of all
plant species. In these forests, deforestation is proceeding at a rate of 20 million hector/year, resulting in the loss
of species at rates estimated to be 100 to 1000 times greater than background extinction. This suggests the
importance of Ethnobotanical studies.

Ethnobotany is defined as the investigation and evaluation of the knowledge of all phases of life amongst the
primitive societies and plant environment with respect to life, customs, beliefs and history of the tribal
people.Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary subject, bridging the natural and social sciences. Ethnobotany is the
study of the relationship and interactions between plants and people. This field of study analyzes the results of
indigenous manipulations of plant material together with the cultural context in which plants are used. It
includes collaboration with disciplines such as ecology, chemistry, anthropology, economics, and linguistics.
Ethnomedicine, as defined by Foster and Anderson (1978), is the totality of health, knowledge, values, beliefs,
skills and practices of members of a society including all the clinical and nonclinical activities that relate to their
health needs. Therefore, traditional/folk medicines have inextricable link with human society.

Ethnobotanists aim to document, describe and explain complex relationships between cultures and (uses of)
plants: focusing, primarily, on how plants are used, managed and perceived across human societies (e.g. as
foods; as medicines; in divination; in cosmetics; in dyeing; as textiles; in construction; as tools; as currency; as
clothing; in literature; in rituals; and in social life).

Nepal occupies one third of Himalayas lying at 80 04' to 88 12' E and 26 22' to 30 27' N in meeting point of
Central Himalayas and Eastern Himalayas .Nepal has rich floral diversity due to high altitudinal,
topographic,climatic and edaphic variations, so that various types of forest are found. The different ethnic
groups are traditionally linked to resources available in the forest so is a land of great altitudinal and ethnic
diversity. The altitudinal limit varies from less than 150m to more than 8000m above sea level. Due to this
altitudinal variation tropical to alpine vegetation and more than 6000 species of vascular plants as well as many
ethnic groups with different customs and languages are found in Nepal providing for a great opportunity for
ethnobotanical study. In Nepal, the concept of ethnomedicine has been developed since the late 19th century
(1885-1901 A.D). The first book "Chandra-Nighantu regarding medical plants was published by the Royal
Nepal Academy in 1969 (2025 B.S.).

Nepal is one of the leading countries in Asia in terms of the wealth of traditional knowledge systems related to
the use of plant species and blessed with rich and diverse heritage of cultural traditions. The diverse natural
habitats from Terai to the Himalayan region are rich repositories of plant diversity that are used for a variety of
 purposes i.e., food, fiber, fodder, medicine, spices, dyes, making agriculture implements etc. A large number of
plants from the wild/cultivated are widely used in traditional systems of medicine and a few of them having
trade values. In rural areas traditional medicines, mainly based on plants, enjoy a respectable position where
modern health service is limited. Safe, effective and inexpensive indigenous remedies are gaining popularity
among the people of both urban and rural society .The use of medicinal plants is still a tradition continued by
local people or ethnic communities.

Ethnomedicinal plants(you may take from the 30 medicinal plant list in your syllabus)
Scientific name Common Family Part Used Mode of Utilization/Uses
name
Aloe vera gheu Liliaceae Dried juice Purgative,in treatment of
kumari of leaves pains,inflammation, burns and itching
Acorus calamus bojho Acaceae Dried carminative,bitter
rhizome stimulant,vermifuge,in epilepsy and
depression,have sedative and
tranquilizing property

Azadiracta indica neem Meliaceae Entire aerial Repellant,insecticide,antifeedant,nemati

parts cide,antimicrobial and spermicidal
Asparagus kurilo Liliaceae Dried roots Galactogogue,tonic and diuretic,also in
racemosus and leaves rheumatism and nervine disorders.

Bauhinea variegate koiralo Fabaceae Flowers and dysentery, diarrhoea, piles, leprosy,
stem bark intestinal worms, tumours,
wounds, ulcers, inflammations, scrofula,
protoptosis, haemorrhoids
Centella asiatica ghod tapre Umbelliferae Entire aerial Nervine tonic,sedative,spasmolytic,anti-
parts anxiety,antistress,memory enhancer.

Justice adhatoda asuro Acanthaceae Fresh and Bronchodilator,CNS stimulant,Oxytocic

dried leaves