Ethnobotany in India.
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany in India began to take shape when the British botanists started studies of Indian flora. While studying the flora of a region, Britishers also noted the native or vernacular names and economic uses of plants. Sir George Wall (1103), published the 'Dictionary of Economic Products of India' in which he gave Sanskrit, Arabian, Persian, Hindi, Bengali, and tribal names of more than 3.000 plants along with their uses. Some of these plants had no economic value and were used in religious ceremonies or were considered sacred. Watt's contribution can be taken. as the first preliminary work on Indian ethnobotany.
Later several individuals and university and college departments took up this work and studied the ethnobotany of different regions and tribes of Cent' al India, Bihar, Orissa, North-Eastern States," "Assam, Kumaon, and Garhwal. Ethnobotany in India can be discussed under the following heading.
[I] Food plants
Sorghum (war), Pennisetum (bajra), and finger millet (ragi) were perhaps known to the earliest Indian tribes. After the discovery of the new world by Columbus, maize and amaranth were introduced in India. At present India. Nepal and Bhutan produce more amaranth than America, its homeland. Indians consider amaranth sacred and; use it in fast.
Buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum. F. esculemum). commonly known as Kotu, is cultivated in the Himalayan region and Nilgiri hills at 1,500 to 3,000 meters. The flour of buckwheat (sold in the market as kottu-ka-atta) is used by Hindus on fast days. It is known to keep the body warm. Bhotia tribals use buckwheat in several religious ceremonies and also in making local drinks.
Many tribes in different parts of the globe eat underground and aerial parts of Dioscorea.
Medicinal plants
In almost all parts of the world, tribes use native plants to treat common ailments. Several of these (e.g., cinchona, digitalis, rauvolfia, opecac, etc.) have been brought into the modern system of medicine. Almost all tribes of India have been using only local plants for treating common diseases. One of the objectives of ethnobotany is to collect detailed information about such plants. Realizing the importance of knowledge of tribal people. UNESCO published a book 'Herbal Plants Keeping Traditional Wisdom Alive' in 1998. The objective of this book is to tribal people to distant areas so that all can be benefited. It has a description of plans useful in the treatment of common ailments in Asia and the Pacific region. For example, in this hook Cantuma retusa (forest tea) has been recommended for diarrhea, Zingiber officiates (ginger) for cough Vitex negundo for the common cold, Quisqualis indica (Rangoon creeper) for worm infection, Psidium guajava (guava) for cuts and wounds and Cassia tora for skin infections.
[III] Incense
In Egyptian, Roman, and Indian cultures it has been a practice to burn incense to purify the air and to make the environment pleasing. Aquillaria malaccensis (agar) and Santalum album (sandalwood) are the most costly incense in the world. Highly aromatic agarwood is found in Assam. The name of the Agartala district of Assam and Aggarbatti (a common Indian name for incense sticks) is after Agar. Sandalwood trees are found in South India, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam.
Ethnomedicinal plants of Rajasthan.
Ashwagandha
Botanical Name: Withania somnifera
Family: Solanaceae
Useful part: Roots or leaves
Origin: Indian in Rajasthan is found in the north-west desert areas as in Nagor and Barmer
Botanical Character: Flowers borne in clusters, perennial hubs, with alternate, exstipulate, simple leaves, leaves simple ovate.
Uses
Roots are the source of the drug Ashwagandha, Prescribed for hiscup, cough, dropsy, rheumatism, and female disorders, and as a sedative in cases of senile debility, Externally, it is useful in inflammatory conditions, and ulcers, and carries leaves are useful as a febrifuge and applied to lessions, painful swellings, and some eyes.
Ephedra
Botanical name: E. intermedia, E. Major
Family: Gnetaceae
Vernacular names: Asmania (Pun.), Tse (Ladakh), Khanda phag (Bushahr).
The therapeutical action of the plant was known to the Chinese more than 5000 years ago under the name 'Ma Huang' Even in the Vedic period some of the species of Ephedra are believed to have been used as divine plants Five species of Ephedra viz E distachya, E equzetina, E gerardiana, E major and E. Sinica are the chief source of the wonder drug, ephedrine.
Ephedra is grown on a large scale m India, China, Spain, Kenya, Australia, and the USA. In India, most of the species are confined to the northwest Himalayan region, whereas E.foliata occurs in the plains of Rajasthan and Punjab.
The plants of Ephedra are low-growing woody trailing or climbing shrubs. The stem is green, profusely branched, and jointed whereas the leaves are inconspicuous, very minute, scaly, and sessile and are arranged in pairs or whorls at the nodes.
The potent alkaloid 'ephedrine' is extracted from the dried or fresh branches of the Stem. The alkaloidal concentration increases with the age of the plant and reaches its peak when plants are nearly four years old. E major is the richest source of ephedrine (1.63%). which constitutes 63.6% of total alkaloids (2.56%). The next richest source of ephedrine (0.6 8%) is E. gerardia ria which contains over 1.22% of total alkaloids.
It is used to relieve nasal and sinus congestion and also for the treatment of bronchial coughs, colds, asthma, and hay fever. It is also used to control night wetting. Besides, the alkaloid has a stimulating effect. on the sympathetic nervous system causing an immediate elevation in blood pressure. Over dosages of ephedrine, however, cause headaches, sweating, insomnia, and vomiting. E. antihilitca is used in the treatment of syphilis. An aromatic beverage, known as Mormon tea, is also brewed from the species of Ephedra in the southwestern United States.
Aloe (Ghigvar, Gwarpatha)
Family: Liliaceae
Vernacular names: Ghikanvar, Ghigvar (Hindi) Ghrita tannari (Sans.)
Aloe (Aloe Vera) is a perennial, succulent plant with Stout, thick Cylindrical, and woody stem Roots that are fibrous and fleshy. Leaves are sessile and densely crowded on the short stem with wide dilated bases. The flowers are borne in cylindrical terminal raceme on a scape, arising from the center of the leaf tuft. Perianth members are tubular, rather fleshy, and bright yellow in color. The fruit is an oblong-ovoid capsule and dehiscing loculicidal seeds Seeds are numerous and compressed.
The plant is a native of North Africa, the Canary Islands, and Spain and has spread to the East and West Indies, India, China, and other countries Many of the forms of this species are naturalized in India and are found in a semi-wild state in all parts from the dry westward valleys of the Himalayas up to Cape Comorin.
The plant is readily propagated by suckers and grows well even In the driest situations and poorest soils.
The plant is cooling, anthelmintic, aperient, carminative, depurative, diuretic, stomachic, emmenagogue, and alexeteric. Its application in medicine dates back to the 4th century B.C. The drug was used by Dioscorides Celsus and Pliny, as well as by the later Greek and Arabian physicians. In Indian medicine, aloes are used as stomachic, purgative, and emmenagogue. It is regarded as valuable in the treatment of piles and rectal fractures. The mucilage is cooling and is used as a poultice for application on inflamed parts. It is an effective tive remedy for intestinal worms in children. Fresh juice of leaves is cathartic and refrigerant, used in liver and spleen ailments and for eye troubles. Thickened juice of the leaves is used in haemorrhoidal congestion of the stomach and spleen.
Externally, the juice is rubbed around the navel to open the bowels In young children. The juice of the leaves is applied to painful inflammations of the body and to chronic ulcers, its fresh pulp is soothing in case of a burn. In recent times, it is finding its way into all sorts of cosmetics, emollients, lotions, shampoos, etc. The cooling mucilage is poulticed onto inflammations caused by X-ray and other radiation burns. it is also used as flavor ingredients in various food products including alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, baked goods, and gelatins and puddings. Leaves yield a good fiber. A dye is also obtained from this plant.
Neem Tree (Margosa Tree)
Botanical Name: Azadirachta indica
Family: Meliaceae
Vernacular names: Neem(Hindi), Nimbah ( Sans.), Nim (Beng), Limba (Guj.)
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is one of the most popular auspicious and well-known trees which is cultivated in all parts of the country on account of its medicinal properties. The description of the plant is mentioned in the Ayurveda of Susruta. It is a tradition to eat neem leaves from the first day of the Indian New Year to the 9th day of Chaitra month.
The neem plant is an evergreen tree, 12-15 or higher with a straight trunk and long spreading branches. Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, compound, and imparipinnate on long slender petioles. Flowers are cream or yellowish-white in color in axillary panicles. Fruits are one-seeded drupes, with a very scanty pulp and a hard bony endocarp, greenish-yellow when ripe and known as nimboli.
The plant is native to India and China and is now naturalized in many countries like Pakistan and Malaysia. In India, the plant occurs throughout most' parts of the country.
The plant grows on almost any kind, of soil but ii flourishes well on black cotton soil. The sweet-scented flowers appear in March-May and the fruit is ripe in July and August The tree starts fruiting in 4-5 years and becomes fully productive in 10 years and may live for more than 200 years.
Neem is the most useful plant for maintaining dental hygiene. Fresh tender twigs are used to clean teeth, particularly in pyorrhoea. The leaves are effective in ulcers and in obstinate skin diseases. They are considered antiseptic and applied to boils in the form of poultice. Besides, neem leaves are also used in smallpox, measles, and chicken pox, etc. The leaves are tied on the doors of the house and in infectious conditions leaves can be spread on the bed of the patient in order to eliminate infections from microorganisms and germs. A paste of fresh leaves is used for external application in the treatment of rheumatic pain. The leaf juice is anthelmintic and is given to worms, jaundice, and skin diseases. A decoction of the leaves is also useful in intermittent fevers complicated with congestion of the liver. The bark of the tree acts as prophylactic against malaria and is useful in intermittent and other paroxysmal fevers, general debility, and skin diseases.
Flowers are tonic and stomachic. An infusion of flowers is given in atonic dyspepsia and general debility. The seeds contain a resinous oil known as margosa or neem oil, which is used as a dressing for foul ulcers, as a liniment to rheumatic affections, and in headaches. It is an effective application in tetanus, leprosy, urticaria, eczema, erysipelas, scrofula, and skin diseases like ringworm. scabies, etc. The fruits of the neem tree are used in leprosy, intestinal worms, piles, and urinary diseases.
The fermented sap of the tree is valuable in atonic in dyspepsia, general debility, chronic leprosy, and other skin diseases,
Besides, dried leaves are placed in books to keep away the moths. The odor of burning leaves kills insects. Neem oil may be mixed with other oils and fats for the manufacture of medicated soaps.
No comments:
Post a Comment