Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
A study on ethnomedicinal plants used by Karbi tribes in West Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Kalita Chhan Kumar, Das Pragati, Mech Bidisha, Das Surabhi, Mili Chiranjib
Research Articles | Published: 26 May, 2025
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Keywords: Karbi tribes, West Karbi Anglong, Ethnomedicinal plants, Disease category, Correlation analysis
Abstract
To achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), indigenous people and traditional ethnobotanical knowledge (TEK) have received considerable attention in recent times. In this regard, Karbi tribes possess a rich repository of traditional medical knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Documenting and studying these practices help to preserve this intangible cultural heritage, which is at risk of being lost due to modernization and cultural assimilation. Therefore, present study aims to record the medicinal plants used by the Karbis in the West Karbi Anglong (WKA) district of Assam (India). The information was gathered through semi-structured interviews and conversations with a total number of 85 respondents between the ages of 55–65. In this study, altogether 54 valuable medicinal plants belonging to 35 families and 44 genera were recorded from eight villages. Five families such as Zingiberaceae, Meliaceae, Rutaceae, Caricaceae, and Phyllanthaceae exhibited higher family use value (FUV), while Citrus medica L. exhibited highest use value (UV), followed by Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Clitoria ternatea L., Ocimum tenuiflorum L., Ocimum basilicum L., and Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels. These plants were used to treat 13 categories of diseases among which musculoskeletal and ear disease categories exhibited highest informant census factor (Fic), followed by cardiovascular, digestive, and urological disorders. Most of the used medicinal plants were herbs and remedies were mainly prepared from leaves. The present findings could serve as a reference for researchers who are dealing with new drug discovery in future.
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Institutional Biotech Hub, B.P. Chaliha College, Kamrup, India