Traditional usage of medicinal plants in humans and animals health care and their chemical constituents from hills and valleys of Jammu province, Western Himalaya

Abstract

In this work, a systematic attempt to explore the ethnobotanical research on native plants of Jammu province located in Western Himalaya and their phytochemical constituents is presented. The village people use locally available plants to cure frequently occurring diseases in their communities and as a tonic to maintain their health. These plants are also responsible for animal health. The main aim of this research was to establish the botanical knowledge on usages of herbal plants through systematic documentation and identification of the species involved, ecological aspects and how they were used in the biological form. During the investigation, the authors explored the entire territory examining 17 different communities. In total, 226 species of plants categorized in 73 families used by the native inhabitants as plants used in their day-to-day life for health care were observed. Scientific names, localized vernacular name, parts used, mode of usages and reported chemical constituents of particular species are reported in this report. The study indicates the existence of a very strong tie between the local people and these particular plants. While studying, the authors found peculiar uses, species, parts used and recipes, which could be very helpful in developing new formulation for human and animal health care.