A quantitative ethno-botanical study of traditional medicinal plant use among the Bodo community of Bajali district, Assam, India

Abstract

Background: People of Bodo community, the early settlers of Assam have been using traditional knowledge as basic primary healthcare source since the time immemorial. Such knowledge not only guides rational investigations into herbal remedies but also supports conservation of important bio-resources. This study records ethnomedicinal plants use of the Bodo people.

Methods: Primary data were collected through semi-structured and open-ended discussions with local healers in seven Bodo dominated villages of the district. Information on botanical names, families, vernacular names, applications, plant parts used, method of preparation and routes of administration was recorded. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices including Informant Agreement Ratio (IAR), Informant Consensus Factor (F_ic), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Value (UV), were applied. Informants were also categorized by gender, age group and education qualification.

Results: Altogether, 131 plant species belonging to 116 genera and 63 families were recorded for ethnomedicinal utilization in 18ailment categories. The Asteraceae family was the most extensively utilized and the top used plant parts were leaves (46.34%). Among recorded species Musa balbisiana showed the highest UV (0.43) and RFC (0.37). Analysis of F_ic revealed that urological disorder had the highest consensus value (1.0).

Conclusions: Present study highlights the rich ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Bodo community and its relevance in modern healthcare research. In this context, the scope of ethnobotanical studies is vast, and if traditional knowledge is properly documented, it could pave the way for noble drug discovery, thereby serving as a major contributor to the betterment of mankind.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, Traditional knowledge, Bajali district, Bodo community, Quantitative analysis