Forest-Based Medicinal Plants Rendering their Services to the Rural Community of Assam, India.
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Date
2013-10
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Abstract
Forests are the main biological resource areas from where reportedly 80% of the medicinal plants are
collected by the rural communities of the state. Traditional folk medicines, mainly based on plants, occupy a
significant position today, especially in the developing countries, where modern health care service is limited.
Medicinal plants are gaining global importance owing to the fact that herbal drugs are cost-effective, easily
available and most reportedly, with negligible side effects. Safe, effective and inexpensive indigenous remedies had
been practiced by the people of both tribal and rural society of Assam from time immemorial. Therefore, the need of
the hour is to harness this natural resource sustainably for the socio-economic development of the indigenous
communities. Hence, a strategy for sustainable harvesting practice needs to be developed that would ensure
preservation of the valuable medicinal plants in situ while addressing the needs of the rural communities. The
present study is, thus, an attempt to highlight the common medicinal plants of forested region as used by the rural
poor community for different kinds of treatment as the rural local healers usually practice for treatment of diseases
in their locality.
Description
Keywords
Folk Medicine, Medicinal Plants, Forest, Sustainable Collection, Indigenous Communities and Local Healers
Citation
Baishya Ratul Arya, Sarma Jatindra, Begum Ajima. Forest-Based Medicinal Plants Rendering their Services to the Rural Community of Assam, India. International Journal of Applied Biology and Pharmaceutical Technology. 2013 Oct-Dec; 4(4): 10-20.