An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Jhajjar district of Haryana

Neetu Kataria

Outline

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussions

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

References

Volume 2, June 2017, pages 7-12 12/1/2018 10:13:04 AM

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Jhajjar district of Haryana

Neetu Kataria

Department of Botany, Chaudhary Dheerpal Government College, Badli, Jhajjar, Haryana, India
^* Corresponding Author Email: neetu15207@gmail.com | Tel: +919953433651

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Abstract

The present study deals with the ethnobotanical survey of plants by the local people of Jhajjar district of Haryana. Ethnobotany has gained much importance in the recent past all over the world. In India, a lot of work has been done, both at national and regional level. The survey focuses on identifying plant species used and manipulated by local communities for curing diseases. Field survey of Jhajjar district, Haryana has been conducted for the documentation of ethnobotanical data and exploration of floristic diversity. A total of 61 species belonging to 36 families have been surveyed during 2014-15 for exploration of ethnobotanical plants. Major plant part used are leaves, fruits, seeds, barks, and roots. Measures are needed to conserve plants that are reported to be scarce in the study area, but still, they are only harvested from the wild. Therefore, it is important to create awareness on the sustainable use of the natural vegetation.

Keywords

Ethnobotany, Medicinal Plants, Floristic Diversity, Jhajjar, Haryana

Introduction

The use of plants to alleviate human sufferings is perhaps as old as the origin of man itself on this planet. Plants with medicinal properties enjoyed the highest reputation in the indigenous system of medicines all over the world. Ethnobotany is 'the study of the utilitarian relationship between human beings and vegetation in their environment, including medicinal uses. Ethnobotany can also be defined as ‘the study of the interaction between plants and people with a particular emphasis on traditional tribal cultures’. Ethnobotany studies the complex relationships between uses of plants and cultures. The focus of ethnobotany is on how plants have been or are used, managed and perceived in human societies and include plants used for food, medicine, divination, cosmetics, dyeing, textiles, for building, tools, currency, clothing, rituals, social life and music. Plants represent an enormous pool of natural resources that can produce various products and chemicals for the advantage of all other life forms and ethnobotany reveals historical and present plant use to fulfill a wide variety of human needs, so the documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge is important for species conservation and sustainable use of resources. Furthermore, such studies are often significant in revealing locally important plant species, sometimes leading to the discovery of crude drugs (Yadav et al. 2010; Bhushan and Kumar 2013).

India with its glorious past of traditional medical system and use pattern of different plants is one of eight major centers of origin and diversification of domesticated taxa, having rich biodiversity and is one of the world's twelve megadiversity countries. Of the 17500 species of flowering plants found in India, about 17% are considered to be of medicinal value(Jain 1994; Singh et al. 2005, Khongsai et al. 2011). In India, villages comprise 15% of the total geographical area of Indian landmasses, representing one of the greatest emporia of ethnobotanical wealth (Sajem and Gosai 2006). Local communities in different parts of the country have developed a deep knowledge of various uses of plants during their old history. Traditional medicine and medicinal plants usage have been investigated in some parts of the country (Khongsai et al. 2011).

The Jhajjar district of the state of Haryana was established on July 15th, 1997. Formerly a part of Rohtak district, the district headquarter is situated in Jhajjar town. One of the most developing districts of the state, Jhajjar is located very close to Delhi. The district lies between 28° 33’ N and 28° 42’ S latitude and 76° 28’ 45” W and 76° 84’ 15” E longitude. The Jhajjar district has a total area of 1983.90 square kilometers. The altitude of the district is about 715 above mean sea level (MSL) and a slope from South to North from Rewari towards Jhajjar is around 40 feet. In the eastern part of the district, the area is considerably even. Some area is uneven and also suffers from inundation and water logging during Monsoon season. The district falls within the classified arid and semi-arid zones. Broadly four types of soil are available in the District viz. clay, loamy clay, loamy and sandy. However, the soil is deficient in Nitrogen. Hot summer, cold winter and meager rainfall are the main climatic characteristics of Jhajjar District. Kharif and Ravi are the main crops under which bajra, jowar, barley, wheat, and sugarcane are grown. The district is divided into two subdivisions, Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh. Jhajjar has a great historical background with connections to various periods of the Indian history. The district's economy is equally balanced with industrialization and agriculture. The basic industries of the district are ceramics, chemicals, glass, electrical engineering, and electronics. Not much information is available about the ethnobotanical data of Jhajjar district, Haryana. With the increasing rate of deforestation and the concurrent loss of floristic diversity, there is a need for accurate documentation of the knowledge and experience of the traditional herbalists. In order to gather knowledge of natural resources for their scientific and economic exploitation for various uses, the botanical information at micro level need special attention and thus requires afresh survey to be conducted to know the floristic richness and ethnobotanical practices prevalent in various parts of India. Keeping in view this, the survey of Jhajjar district, Haryana has been conducted to record the plant of medicinal importance used by the local populations.

Materials and Methods

2.1. Methods of data collection

The present work was carried out in Jhajjar district of Haryana. The extensive studies were conducted during the period 2015-16 with the help of local people and village medicine men of the area. In order to document the utilization of medicinal plants, a total of four field surveys were carried out in the area. The surveys were spread across seasons so as to get maximum information and also to cross check the information provided by the local informants during the earlier visits. The investigation was carried out where the population was dense. During the trips, the village heads, herbal practitioners as well as elderly men and women of the different villages were interviewed. To know the uses of plants, different categories of people like family heads, healers, old experienced and knowledgeable informants were repeatedly interviewed. The interviews were developed as informal conversations without a strict questionnaire, though with guidelines of the items to talk about holding in mind, in order to let people speak spontaneously and not feel pressured. Intensive ethnobotanical exploration was undertaken. Standard methods were followed with regard for the collection of plant material, drying, mounting, preparation and preservation of plant specimen. The medicinal uses of plant species were cross-checked from the available literature. For future referencing, Herbarium has been deposited in the Department of Botany, Govt. College, Badli.

2.2. Ethnobotanical Uses of Collected Plant Species

S.No	Botanical name	Vernacular name	Family name	Plant Type	Uses
1.	Acacia Arabica(Lam.)	Kikar	Fabaceae	Tree	Cough, jaundice, male fertility disorder
2.	Acyranthes aspera	Ola Kanta	Amaranthaceae	Herb	Tooth ache, Snakebite
3.	Acacia catechu	Kher	Fabaceae	Tree	Mouth ulcers
4.	Aegle marmelos(Linn.)Correa	Bael patra	Rutaceae	Tree	Diabetes, Mouth disorders

5.	Allium cepa L.	Piyaz	Liliaceae	Herb	Fever ,Snakebite
6.	Albezzia lebbeck(L.)Benth	Sirus	Fabaceae	Tree	Eye disease, male fertility disorder
7.	Allium sativum L.	Lason	Liliaceae	Herb	Microbial contamination
8.	Aloe vera(L.)Burm.f.	Gaurka patta	Liliaceae	Herb	Abdomen Disorders, piles
9.	Argemone mexicana L.	Kateli	Papaveraceae	Herb	Eye disease, female sex disorders, skin diseases
10.	Asparagus racemosus Wild.	Arra kanta	Liliaceae	Climber	Fever
11.	Azadirachta indica A.Juss	Neem	Meliaceae	Tree	Allergy, skin disorders, snake bite
12.	Brassica compestris L.	Kali sarson	Brassicaceae	Herb	Allergy, abdomen disorders
13.	Barleria cristata L.	Kalabansa	Acanthaceae	Shrub	Cough
14.	Butea monosperma (Lam.)Taub	Dhak	Fabaceae	Tree	Snakebite
15.	Bryophyllum calycimum Salisb.	Pattharchat	Crassulaceae	Shrub	Wound healing
16.	Cassia fistula L.	Amaltas	Fabaceae	Tree	Skin diseases ,snake bite
17	Calotropis procera(Ait)R.Br	Aak	Asclepiadaceae	Shrub	Abdomen disorder, allergy, cough, fever, skin disease, eye disease, wound healing
18.	Cannabis sativa L.	Bhang	Cannabinaceae	Herb	Mental disorder
19.	Chenopodium album Linn.	Bathua	Chenopodiaceae	Herb	Dysentery, piles, cough and fever
20.	Cassia occidentalis	Kasaundi	Fabaceae	Shrub	Snakebite
21.	Citrullus colocynthis	Gadumba	Cucurbitaceae	Climber	Snakebite
22.	Citrus	Neebu	Rutaceae	Shrub	Liver disease, cough, throat disorder, fever
23.	Cordia dichotoma	Lesua	Boraginaceae	Tree	Mouth ulcers
24.	Coriander	Dhania	Umbelliferae	Herb	Gastric problems
25.	Curcuma longa L.	Haldi	Zingiberaceae	Herb	Eye disease, wound healing, skin disease
26.	Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.	Amerbael	Convolvulaceae	Climber	Fever
27.	Cyanadon dactylon L.Persoon	Doob	Poaceae	Herb	Diarrhoea, dysentery, skin disease, blood purifier
28.	Cyperus rotundus L.	Motha	Cyperaceae	Herb	Microbial contamination

29.	Dalbergia sisso Roxb.	Sisham	Fabaceae	Tree	Dysentery, diabetes, pneumonia
30.	Datura metel L.	Dhatura	Solanaceae	shrub	Cough, male fertility, mental disorder, respiratory disorder
31.	Embilica officinalis Gaertn.	Amla	Euphorbiaceae	Tree	Diabetes
32.	Eucalyptus	Safeda	Myrtaceae	Tree	Antiseptic, astringent, wound healing
33.	Eugenia jambolana Lam.	Jamun	Myrtaceae	Tree	Diabetes
34.	Ficus benghalensis	Badd	Moraceae	Tree	Diabetes, cough toothache, wound healing, fertility disorder
35.	Launaea nudicaulis	Jangli gobhi	Asteraceae	Herb	Constipation
36.	Nerium indicum	Pili kaner	Apocynaceae	Shrub	Skin disease, leprosy, roots used for snakebite, fever
37.	Magnifera indica L.	Aam	Anacardiaceae	Tree	Skin disease
38.	Melia azardirachta	Bakain	Meliaceae	Tree	Microbial contamination, piles
39.	Mentha arvensis Linn.	Pudina	Lamiaceae	Herb	Appetizer, digestion problems, cough
40	Mimosa pudicaL.	Chui-Mui	Fabaceae	Herb	Diabetes
41.	Momordica balsamia L.	Jangali karela	Cucurbitaceae	Climber	Snakebite
42.	Momordica dioica Roxb.	Banj karela	Cucurbitaceae	Climber	Female sex disorder, male fertility
43.	Moringa oleifera Lam.	Saijna	Moringaceae	Shrub	Liver and spleen disorder, constipation, rheumatic pain
44.	Morus alba Linn.	Shehtoot	Moraceae	Shrub	Dysentery, diabetes
45.	Ocimum basilicum L.	Marua	Lamiaceae	Herb	Fever
46.	Ocimum sanctum L.	Tulsi	Lamiaceae	Herb	Skin disease, male fertility disorder
47.	Opuntia dillenii (ker- Gawl)Haw.	Nagphani	Cactaceae	Shrub	Fistula
48.	Oxalis majus Linn.	Khattibuti	Oxalidaceae	Herb	Fever, stomach disorder
49.	Parthenium hysterophorus Linn.	Gajar ghas	Asteraceae	Herb	Roots decoction used to check dysentery
50.	Peperomia pellucid(L) Kunth.	Panpatta	Piperaceae	Herb	Fistula

51.	Psidium gujava	Amrud	Myrataceae	Shrub	Decoction of leaves used in bleeding gums
52.	Punica granatum L.	Anar	Punicaceae	Shrub	Female sex disorder, rind of fruit for diabetes
53.	Raphanus sativa L.	Muli	Brassicaceae	Herb	Piles
54.	Solanum ferox L.	Laxman	Solanaceae	Herb	Female sex disorder
56.	Solanum nigrum Linn.	Makoi	Solanaceae	Herb	Skin disease, leprosy, liver disease
57.	Tinospora cordifolia	Giloy	Menispermaceae	Climber	Fever, jaundice
58.	Trigonella foenum	Menthi	Fabaceae	Herb	Diabetes ,rheumatism
59.	Tylophora indica(Burma.L.)Merr.	Antamul	Ascelpiadaceae	Climber	Female sex disorder
60.	Withania somnifera(L.)	Aksin	Solanaceae	Shrub	Cough
61.	Zizypus jujube Lam.	Ber	Ramnaceae	Shrub	Boils and pimples

Results and Discussions

A total of 61species were recorded during the survey belonging to 36 families.The most commonly represented families were Fabaceae (9 sp.), Solanaceae (4 sp.) Liliaceae(4 sp.). The plant parts used widely to treat human and livestock health problems included whole plant, root, leaves, seeds, stems, and others. Plants have been arranged alphabetically with their scientific name, local name, family and ethnobotanical uses (Table 1). They are useful in the treatment of various diseases like fever, cough, rheumatism, asthma, indigestion, piles, stomach pain, wounds, kidney stone, skin diseases, snake and scorpion bite, leukemia, impotency, night emission, etc. Plants are also used by local people as a food, fodder, fuel, and wood for making furniture and to cure animal diseases. The natural remedies include powder, decoction, paste and juice of plants to cure diseases. Some of them are used in the powder form such as Argemone mexicana, Chenopodium.Plants used as paste are Ziziphus jujuba, Azadirachta indica, Withania somnifera etc. We have reported that some plants were used in the treatment of more than one disease. For example, different parts (leaves, stem bark, latex, and root bark) of Calotropis procera were found to be useful in the cure of 10 ailing diseases. Argemone mexicana has been found useful in the treatment of female fertility problems, eye diseases, mental disorders, skin diseases, toothache and wound healing. Rapid industrialization and urbanization along with over-exploitation may cause loss of this valuable resource. Hence, efforts must be taken to protect these immensely useful species in the study area and other parts of the country.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from the study that the local people have knowledge of medicinal plants. The medicinal plant resources of the region is diminishing due to over-exploitation of certain species, illegally trading, laying of roads and other developmental works that causes the destruction of their natural habitats. Most of the medicinal plants are getting very rare as confirmed by elders and as observed during the field work too. If the present trend continues unchecked, it will not be too long that some of them will become extinct. It is, therefore, very crucial that awareness should be created so that the community is actively involved in conservation and sustainable utilization of the traditional medicinal plants. Special attention needs to be accorded to the medicinal plants in order to amplify the role that they play in health care, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection. Further, in-depth studies to document and substantiate the indigenous knowledge on medicinal and other useful plants would help to draw serious attention to the valuation of the biological diversity of the study area. More studies like this one are necessary to gather ethnobotanical knowledge, including all kinds of useful plants, in the various parts of the country.

Acknowledgement

Authors are thankful to the Department of Botany, Chaudhary Dheerpal Government College, Badli, Jhajjar, for their support.

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