Ethnomedicinal potential of the Gohar region of Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

Background: Traditional therapeutic knowledge has been diminishing at an increasingly rapid pace, making its documentation crucial. Keeping this fact in mind, the current study was conducted on the therapeutic plants of the Gohar region in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Methods: Ethno-medicinal information was collected by conducting interviews and group discussions with 145 local informants by using a semi-structured questionnaire between March, 2023 and March, 2025. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests such as ANOVA, Chi square test and post-hoc tests were applied on demographical data to determine the relationship between the number of plant species reported by the participants and age, gender and education level. Quantitative indices like Use Value (UV), Fidelity Level (FL) and Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) were applied on medicinal plants data to show its cultural importance and informant consensus in the indigenous healthcare system.

Results: The uses of 62 plants of medicinal importance were documented in the study area. The older and illiterate people and males had slightly higher scores and possessed majority of the knowledge in this study. Of the total plant species, herbs were frequently used (42%) in preparing the plant-based drugs followed by trees (39%), shrubs (13%) and climbers (6%). The highest number of plants were recorded from the Rosaceae family while leaves were used most frequently among all the plant parts (28%). Of the documented plants, one species (Taxus contorta) was endangered (EN) and one was in the near threatened (NT) (Aegle marmelos) category of IUCN red list, while three species were endangered in H.P. The UV value ranged between 0.10 and 0.43, with 28 plant species exhibiting a FL of 100%. The ICF value varied from 0.96 (fever, ear problems) to 1.00 (eye problems), representing a high level of consensus among the respondents.

Conclusions: The people of the Gohar region have a significant knowledge of usage of plants around them and frequently utilize herbal medicine to treat various diseases irrespective of the availability of modern health care. This study will help in finding herbal cure for diseases, in promoting future research and preservation of valuable ethnomedicinal knowledge.

Keywords: Indigenous healthcare, Herbal medicine, Plant-based drugs, Therapeutic, Traditional knowledge.