ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS USED FOR PRIMARY HEALTH CARE BY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY OF DEVPRAYAG BLOCK (TEHRI GARHWAL, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA)

Uttarakhand state, a part of Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), serves as a reservoir of diverse life forms, known for its rich biodiversity and unique climatic conditions. Due to the wide range of medicinal plants naturally available in this region, local communities use them for Primary Health Care (PHC). Indigenous plant species also serve as a source of timber, fuel, food, dye, fibre, fodder, etc. Plants utilization at local level sustains livelihoods in rural and remote hilly regions. Ethnomedicinal plants have received inadequate attention in the selected study area. The valuable plants-based information needs to be systematically documented. The present study aims to explore and document plant species used frequently by the indigenous community of Devprayag block in the treatment of various diseases and also to highlight some plants used in multiple diseases. Periodic field surveys were conducted in the study area and data were collected using semi structured questionnaire, and group discussions. Mainly aged local inhabitants, local female practitioners (Daayi) and traditional herbal healers (Vaidyas) were interviewed during door-to-door surveys in Hindi or local dialect (Garhwali).  A total of 87 plant species belonging to 46 families were documented as local ethnomedicinal resources, where Asteraceae and Moraceae were found most dominating. Among the documented plants, 38% species were herbs, followed by trees (35%), shrubs (24%) and climbers (3%). The study reveals that about 42 kinds of human ailments were cured through ethnomedicine by the indigenous people, where highest number of species (15) were used in the treatment of fever, followed by the cough, dysentery, gum infection, skin burn, toothaches (12 species each); constipation (11 species); diabetes, mouth ulcer, wound healing (10 species each). This study provides valuable information about the plants used by indigenous people of study area for PHC. The study also reveals that local communities still have impressive traditional knowledge and this can be link to advance science for the preparation of drugs. Utilizing this traditional knowledge in day to day life can prevent hazardous chronic diseases.