Quantitative ethnobotanical assessment of medicinal plants used in traditional healthcare practices of Dibrugarh and Majuli Districts, Assam

Abstract

Background: Northeastern Indian indigenous communities possess diverse ethnobotanical knowledge, as the Northeast Indian states are extremely rich in biodiversity and plant-based medicine is predominant here. The various communities have ancient herbal medicinal systems. The present study aimed to document the ethnobotanical knowledge of local communities in Dibrugarh district and Majuli district of Assam, Northeast India, by recording medicinal plant species and their therapeutic uses, and to evaluate patterns of plant use using quantitative ethnobotanical indices.

Methods: The study sites were the Majuli district and Dibrugarh district of Assam. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were used to collect field data, and medicinal plant usage was documented through use reports categorised by disease conditions and plant species FL, FUV. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between UV and RFC.

Results: A total of 129 plant species were documented as medicinal in the present study. The traditional use of Zanthoxylum nitidum, Stixis suaveolens, Piper betle, Caesalpinia bonduc, and Rubus alceifolia was reported for Thyroid-related ailments. Leucas aspera, Caesalpinia bonduc, and Rubus alceifolia were also reported for use in relation to Bone cancer and Nerve-related problems, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, these medicinal applications have not been previously documented in the literature reviewed.

Conclusions: The highest number of medicinal plant species belonged to the family Fabaceae.  Given that several of the documented medicinal plant species are threatened, prioritising their conservation is important for promoting their sustainable use and long-term conservation.

Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Indigenous, Traditional knowledge, Dibrugarh, Majuli, Herbal healers.