Int J Pharm Pharm Sci, Vol 7, Issue 1, 379-384Original Article


DOCUMENTATION OF TRIBAL CLAIMS FOR RHEUMATISM IN ODISHA, INDIA

SWATI S PANDA*, SUDAM C SAHU, NABIN K DHAL

Environment and Sustainability Department CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology Bhubaneswar-753013, Odisha, India.
Email: swati.sucharita8@gmail.com

Received: 12 Sep 2014 Revised and Accepted: 15 Oct 2014

Abstract

Objectives: Odisha has been known as a rich source of valuable medicinal plants. Present work enumerates the indigenous knowledge on plant utilized as a natural remedy for rheumatism by the local or native peoples of Odisha.

Methods: Information on curative values of different wild drug plant species has been gathered through personal interaction with tribal peoples. The study was conducted during the year 2010-2011 following standard ethno botanical methods.

Results: A total of 144 plant species belonging to 57 families and 130 genera has been documented. The dominant families are Fabaceae, Acacthaceae, Apocyaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae. Shrubs (34%) were the primary source of medicine, followed by herbs (32%) and trees (22%). High rate of frequency citation (Fc) of different medicinal plant species reveals that the current ethno botanical claims are strongly authenticated and needs to be further phytochemical and pharmacological investigation of herbal drug development program.

Conclusions: Immediate steps should be taken not only to protect the medicinal flora of the state, but also to conserve the valuable traditional knowledge prior to extinction.

Keywords: Frequency citation, Indigenous knowledge, Rheumatism, Traditional Knowledge, Odisha.

INTRODUCTION

Odisha is endowed with a variety of climates, ecological zones and topographical regions. The flora are extremely varied and diverse and highly fascinating. According to WHO, about 80% of the world’s populations, especially in rural areas depending on herbal medicine for their healthcare needs. The ethnic people residing in different geographical belts of Odisha depend on wild plants to meet their basic requirements and all the ethnic communities have their own pool of secret ethno medication and Ethno pharmacological knowledge about the plants available in their surroundings, which has been serving rural people with its superiority. Due to changing lifestyle, extreme secrecy of traditional healers and the negligence of youngsters, the practice and dependence of ethnic societies in folk medicines is in rapid decline globally, therefore exploitation and documentation of indigenous knowledge are deliberately needed (Behera et al. 2005; Kumar et al. 2003; Longuefosse and the Nossin, 1996; Rajkumar and Shivanna, 2010; Saikia, 2006). Rheumatism is commonly known as ‘Vat’, ‘Gathia’, ‘Ardhang Vat’ in Hindi as well as in Odiya. In general, rheumatism refers to various painful medical conditions, discomfort and disability, which affects the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, nerves, etc. The term ‘rheumatism’ is not frequently used in current medical text, but is more often found in historical medical text. Rheumatism is not a single disease. It pertains to a whole range of conditions, all of which cause pain. Rheumatism is more common among the middle aged and elderly people. The exact cause of most forms of rheumatism is not known. Exposure to wet and cold may aggravate the pain. Arthritis, which literally means joint inflammation, is just part of the rheumatic diseases. Arthritis primarily involves joint pains, joint stiffness, joint inflammation and joint damage. There are many common types of arthritis viz. Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, infectious arthritis, gout and pseudo gout.

Hence, the present investigation, focused on the survey of rich forest pockets of Odisha and documentation of tribal claims for the treatment of rheumatism.

Materials and Methods

Study site: Field studies were conducted in different forest pockets of Odisha. Information on curative values of different wild drug plant species has been gathered through personal interaction with tribal peoples. Four basic interview techniques were used; open-ended and semi structured interviews for qualitative data collection and structured interviews and questionnaires for quantitative analysis (Martin, 1995). Plant materials (annuals, flowers and fruits) were collected during different periods depending on its availability, flowering and fruiting season. Then the plant samples were dried and stored for further requirement as and when necessary.

The voucher specimens were brought to the laboratory and processed for herbarium specimen (Rao and Sharma, 1990; Woodland; 1997) and identified with the help of available floras and literatures (Saxena and Brahmam, 1994-1996). The specimens were deposited in the Herbarium (RRL-B), Environment and Sustainability, Department of CSIR-Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar for future references. The botanical identities of collecting specimens were confirmed in the Herbarium, Environment and Sustainability, Department of CSIR-Institute of Minerals & Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar. The data were spread on an excel sheet to summarize and to identify various proportions like plant families, habit and availability of the plant in a particular month, plant parts used as medicine and frequency of citation. Frequency of citation was calculated by following formula-

Survey and discussions

The local community mostly depends on the medicinal plants available in their environment for their health care. The district is rich in medicinal plants and ethno medicinal knowledge. Information gathered during the present investigation are enumerated with their botanical names followed by family names, local names, parts used, life forms, flowering and fruiting season (Table 1).

In the present study, ethno medicinal data on 144 plant species belonging to 57 families and 130 genera were collected (Table 2). Out of 57 families, few dominant families are Fabaceae, Acacthaceae, Apocyaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae. Out of 144 species used, shrubs represented a maximum of 50 species followed by herb (47), trees (32) and climbers or twiners (17) as shown in fig. 1. Trigonella foenum-gruecum Linn. 57, 71 (89%), Leontis hepetifolia R. Br. 126,115 (88%) are the most frequently and popularly used as medicinal plants for the treatment of rheumatism in the study area (Table 2).


Table 1: Detail of informants interviewed in the survey forest of Odisha

S. No. Name Age Sex Location Occupation
1 ABB 48 M Gandhamardan Local healer & Plant collector
2 ABE 51 M Malyagiri Kabiray
3 ANA 58 M Deogarh Local healer
4 BKP 60 M Malyagiri Kabiray
5 BDA 55 M Mahendragiri Local Healer & Farmer
6 BMA 48 M Deomali Farmar & Local Healer
7 CDA 37 M Deogarh Medicine Seller
8 DBO 59 M Malyagiri Local Healer & Farmer
9 DSA 45 M Gandhamardan Health Assistant
10 DHA 72 M Pradhanpat Senior citizen
11 GMU 56 F Nrusiganath Social worker & Local healer
12 GNA 66 F Pradhanpat Social worker & Local healer
13 GDE 49 F Deogarh School Teacher
14 GHA 55 M Gandhamardan Farmer
15 HDA 53 M Deomali Farmar & Local Healer
16 HMA 67 M Malyagiri Farmer
17 IMU 71 F Manamunda Knowledgeable person
18 JGO 55 M Pradhanpat Kabiray
19 KJA 70 F Manamunda Senior citizen
20 KGO 58 F Gandhamardan Social worker & Local healer
21 KGC 48 M Pradhanpat Local Healer & Farmer
22 LNA 65 F Deogarh Knowledgeable person
23 NLA 64 M Manamunda
24 MMU 57 M Gandhamardan Social worker
25 MGO 56 M Malyagiri Plant collector
26 MHA 70 M Nrusiganath Knowledgeable person
27 MNA 58 M Deomali Farmar & Local Healer
28 MJA 57 F Gandhamardan Ex Headmaster
29 MPA 41 M Mahendragiri Local Healer & Farmer
30 NBE 61 M Deogarh Tribal healer
31 NPA 52 M Mahendragiri Kabiray
32 NGO 49 M Pradhanpat Local Healer & Farmer
33 PSA 65 F Nrusiganath Local healer & Plant collector
34 RNA 64 F Nrusiganath Plant collector & Farmer
35 RJA 68 M Nrusiganath Local healer & Plant collector
36 RKN 49 F Manamunda Farmer & Knowledgeable women
37 RMU 52 M Pradhanpat Kabiray
38 RSA 59 M Gandhamardan Social worker & Local healer
39 SMA 52 F Deogarh Active woman farmer
40 SPA 48 M Mahendragiri Local Healer & Farmer
41 SDA 45 M Mahendragiri Local Healer & Farmer
42 SSA 42 M Malyagiri Farmer
43 SMA 55 F Manamunda Plant collector
44 TMA 47 M Deomali Farmar & Local Healer
45 TMU 69 M Manamunda Knowledgeable person & senior citizen

Table 2: List of medicinal plants and their uses

S. No. Name Frequency of citation (F) Family Local Name Parts used

Fl and

Fr season

 Life form
1

Abrus precatorius

(L.) W. F. Wight

 11 Fabaceae Kainch, Kaincho Leaves Aug-March Shrub
2 Acacia catechu Willd. 22 Mimosaceae Khair, Khairo Root July-Dec Tree
4 Acampe wightiana Lindl. 16 Orchidaceae Kano-Kato Decoction April-Dec Epiphyte
5 Acanthus ilicifolius L. 20 Acanthaceae Harakancha Leaves Mar-April Shrub
6 Achyranthes aspera L. 55 Amaranthaceae Apamaranga Herb Oct-Feb Herb
7 Adhatoda vasica Nees. 66 Acacthaceae Basango Leaves Oct-Feb Shrub
8 Alangium salvifolium (L. f) Wang. 10 Alangiaceae Ankula/ Ankola Roots, Leaves Mar-July Tree
9 Aloe vera L. 13 Liliaceae Ghee-kunvar Plant Sept.- Dec Shrub
10 Althaea rosea Cav. Diss 18 Malvaceae Gulphaira Flower Mar-Sept Herb
11 Amarathus tricolor 15 Amarathaceae Nautia Seed Most part of the year Weed (herb)
12 Anagallis arvensis L. 11 Primulaceae Jankomari Whole plant Jun- March Weed (herb)
13 Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) 29 Araceae Kushnopeni Tuber July-Nov Herb
14 Asparagus racemosus willd. 27 Liliaceae Satawari, Chhataori Root May- June Under Shrub
15 Azadirachta indica A. Juss 20 Meliaceae Nima(Limba) Decoction of leaves Mar-July Tree
16 Azima tetracantha Lam. 33 Salvadoraceae Sukkapat Root and Root bark March-May Shrub
17 Baliospermum montanum Muell. 35 Euphorbiaceae Danti, Dumbojoda Root Oct-April Undershrub
18 Barleria prionitis L. 32 Acanthaceae Dasakeranta Leaf Oct-Feb Shrub
19 Boerhavia diffusa L. 38 Nyctanginaceae Punarnova Root Most part of the year Herb
20 Brassica nigta L. 38 Cruciferae Sorisha Paste Sept-Feb Herb
21 Bridelia retusa L. 15 Euphorbiaceae Kasi Bark Aug- Jan Tree
22 Butea frondosa Koex-ex Roxb 18 Fabaceae Palas Flower Feb-July Tree
23 Caesalpinia crista L. 29 Caesalpiniaceae Dasakeranta Leaves Feb- May Climber
24 Callicarpa macrophylla Vahl. 49 Verbenaceae Daiya Fruits, leaves Aug-Jan Shrub
25 Calotropis gigantea R. Br. 29 Asclepiadaceae Aak, Arko Leaf Dec-June Shrub
26 Capparis zeylanica Linn. 36 Capparaceae Hatiankul Fruits Feb-Oct Shrub
27 Cardiospermum halicacabum L. 18 Sapindaceae Kanpheta Leaves, plant April-Nov Climber
28 Carissa spinarum L. 31 Apocynaceae Phampham mali Root Mar-Dec Shrub
29 Cascabela theretia L. 16 Apocynaceae Lucky Nut tree, Kuniyari Seeds Whole year Tree
30 Casearia elliptica willd. 19 Flacourtiaceae Khokhoda, Benimonj Leaf juice Feb-May Shrub or small tree
31 Cassia fistula Linn. 11 Caesalpiniaceae Bahenga, Argavado Seed April-June Tree
32 Catunaregam spinosa (Thumb.) 13 Rubiaceae Kaliakanta, Salara Stem March-Jan Shrub or Tree
33 Celastrus paniculatas Willd. 15 Celastraceae Pengu Seed April-Jan Climbing
34 Centella asiatica L. 76 Apiaceae Penny wort, Thalkuni Plant Whole year Herb
35 Chloris virgata sw. 17 Gramineae Gharaniagas Decoction Oct- Dec Grass
36 Cissampelous pareira L. 22 Menispermaceae Akanabindi Root June-Jan Climber
37 Cissus quadrangularis L. 28 Vitaceae Had bhanga Whole plant April-Jan Shrub
38 Cissus repens Lam. 27 Vitaceae Panibel, Pandhu Root July-Nov Trailer(Shrub)
39 Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaerth 31 Verbenaceae Phuljholi, Nutunga Root Most of the year Shrub
40 Clerodendrum infortunatum Gaertn. 26 Verbenaceae Kunti, Madhri Roots Jan-July Shrub orUndershrub
41 Cocculus hirsutus (L.) Diels 31 Menispermaceae Musakani Root March-May Climber
42 Colocasia esculenta L. 73 Araceae Banasaru Tuber Rhizome June-Nov Herb
43 Coriandrum sativum L. 68 Umbelliferae Dhaniya, Dhanyak Seeds Nov-March Herb
44 Costus speciusus sm. 57 Zingiberaceae Keo Root July-Dec Herb
45 Cratera hurvala Ham. 48 Capparidaceae Barna, Barun Leavea Jan-March Tree
46 Cryptolepis buchananii Roem and Schult. 52 Asclepiadaceae Dudhi Latex, Leaves Apr-June Shrub
47 Cymbopogon martini (Roxb.) Wats. 37 Poaceae Magarlata, Rosa grass Oil, Whole plant Oct-Dec Grass
48 Cynodon dactylon (Pers.) 12 poaceae Dubyhus Plant, Rhizome Throughout the year Creeper
49 Dalbergia lanceolaria L. 32 Fabaceae Puradobi Oil Sept-Jan Tree
50 Datura metel L. 29 Solanaceae Dudura, K aladudura Roots part Most part of the year Shrubs or Under shrub
51 Datura stramonium Linn 37 Solanaceae Datura Leaf Nov Herb
52 Derris indica (Lamk.)Bennet. 25 Fabaceae Karanja Oil from Sep-Feb Tree
53 Dichrostachys cinerea 23 Leguminosae Koiridgo Roots April-Feb Shrub
54 Ecobolium Linneanum Kurz. 17 Acanthaceae Udajati Roots Aug-Mar Undershrub
56 Elephantopus scaber Linn. 56 Asteraceae Mayurchulia, Mayurchandrika Root Aug-Dec Herb
57 Emblica officinalis Gaertn. 18 Euphorbiaceae Amla, Anola Herb Feb-April Tree
58 Erythrina resupinata Roxb. 38 Fabaceae Badokanda Root March-April Undershrub
59 Erythrina stricta Roxb. 49 Fabaceae Chaldua Bark Jan-Feb Tree
60 Erythrina variegate L. 26 Fabaceae Paladhua Leaf March- July Tree
61 Euphorbia tirucalli L. 38 Euphorbiaceae Khadisiju Stem July-Oct Shrub
62 Evolulus alsinoides L. 43 Convolulaceae Bichhamalia, Krishna ankaranti Leaf and roots July-Feb Herb
63 Ficus bonghalensis L. 22 Moraceae Bada Milky juice Year Tree
64 Gendrarussa vulgaris Nees. 18 Acanthaceae Kikurodanti Leaves Feb-May Shrub or undershrubs
65 Globba marantina L. 21 Zingiberaceae Chhota rasna Root Sept- Nov Herb
66 Glossogyne bidens (Retz.) 36 Asteraceae Buthi-tejraj Root Sept- Jan Herb
67 Gmelina asiatica Linn. 11 Verbenaceae Gopogombhari, salagusi Roots April-June Shrub
68 Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. 26 Periplocaeaeae Anantmul Roots Aug-Feb Twinner
69 Heteropogon contortus (Linn.) 16 Graminae Sukla, Sinkola, Dauria Roots Sept.-Jan Grass
70 Hibiscus tiliaceus (Linn.) 23 Malvaceae Baniya, Halbai Roots March-April Tree
71 Holarrhena antidysenterica (Roth) 26 Apocynaceae Indrajalu, Kherwa Bark May-Feb Shrub or small tree
72 Holarrhena pubescens(Buch. - Ham) Wall. ex G. Don. 31 Apocynaceae Kherwa, Indrajalo Leaf May-Feb Shrub
73 Ipomea pes-carprae (L.) R. Br. 55 Convolvulaceae Kansarilata Leaves Most of the year herb
74 Jatropha curcas L. 29 Euphorbiaceae Dhumajara Seed Year Shrub
75 Justicia adhutoda Linn. 31 Acanthaceae Basongo Leaves June-Feb Shrub
76 Justicia gendarusa Burm. f. 34 Acanthaceae Kukurdanti Root, Leaves Feb-May Shrub, Undershrub
77 Kydia calycina Roxb. 14 Malvaceae Puli, Boranga Bankapasia (o) Leaves Sept-Dec Tree
78 Lantana camara L. 17 Verbenaeceae Nagaairi Decoction Most of the year Shrub
79 Launea sarmentosa (Willd) Suhultz-Bip. Ex kuntze 67 Asteraceae Banapatri Juice Mar-Nov Herb
80 Lax Procumbens L. 74 Asteraceae Bishalkarani Root All the year round Herb
81 Leea compactiflora Kurz. 53 Leeaceae Hansia dabar Whole plant July-Dec Shrub
82 Leontis hepetifolia R. Br. 88 Lamiaceae Baroh Leaves Oct-Jan Herb
83 Lepidium sativum L. 85 Crucifera Halim Seed Jan-Feb Herb
84

Lygodium flexuosum

(Linn) Sw.

 73 Lycodiaceae Kalamahajal Roots Aug-Feb Climbing Fern
85 Madhua indica J. P 32 Saputaceae Mahula, Madhula Oil From Leaves Feb-Apr Tree
86 Madhuca longifolia (Koenig) Machr 27 Sapotaceae Mahula Bark Feb-July Tree
87 Malachra capitata Linn. 84 Malvaceae Banbhindi Roots April-Dec Herb
88 Mallotus philippensis Muell. Arg. 18 Euphorbiaceae Kamila Root Oct-Nov Tree
89 Mangifera indica L. 21 Anacardiaceae Amba Bark Jan-May Tree
90 Medicago sativa L. 87 Fabaceae Lasumghas Leaves and flowering taps Herb
91 Melia azadirachata L. 11 Meliaceae Limba Seed Feb-July Tree
92 Merremia tridentate Linn. Hallie f 82 Convolvulaceae Musakani Roots Aug-March Herb
93 Millettia pinnata L. 44 Fabaceae Karanja Bark, seed March-March Shrub
94 Momordica charantia L. 21 Cucurbitaceae Kalra Fruit June-Feb Climber
95 Moringa oleifera Lamk. 25 Moringaceae Sajana Fruits Jan-june Tree
96 Moringa pteridosperma Gaertn. 18 Moringaceae Sajana Roots Jan-June Tree
97 Murraya paniculata (Linn.) Jack 27 Rutaceae Hadkinkali, Ban Malika Roots April-Jan Shrub
98 Nasturtium officinale R. Br 66 Cruciferae Water- Cress Seeds Oct- April Herb
99 Nyctanthes arbor-tritis Linn 31 Nyctaginaceae Gangaseoli, Singadahara Leaves Sept-Jan Shrubs or small trees
100 Opuntia elator Mill. 28 Cactaceae Nagphani Mucilaginous part March-April Shrub
101 Oroxylim indicum vent. 19 Bignuniaceae Bhalu- Sakti, Phampan Roots July-March Tree
102 Paederia foetida L. 21 Rubiaceae Prasarini Plant Aug-Oct Shrub
103 Pavonia odorta Willd. 74 Malvaceae Bala Plant Aug-Feb Herb
104 Pergularia daemia (Fursk)Chior 47 Asclepiadaceae Hunturi,Uturudi, Utrali Plant Aug-Apr Climber
105 Piper higrum L. 42 Piperaceae Golomarich Fruits April-May Climber
106 Plantago ovata Forsk. 68 Plantaginaceae Isabgol Seed Oct Herb
107 Platastoma africanum Beaur. 72 Lamiaceae ------- Decoction of root Sept-Nov Herb
108 Plumbago zeylanica L. 21 Plumbagunaceae Oghi, Dhola, Chitapuru Root Sept-April Under shrub
109 Plumeria rubra L. 27 Apocyaceae Champa Latex Jan-Feb Tree
110 Pongamia pinnata(L.) Pierre 23 Fabaceae Karanja Stem juice April-Jan Tree
111 Premna corymbsa (Burm. f)Royyl. Ex Willd 18 Verbenaceae Ganiari Entire plant April -June Shrub
112 Pseudarthria viscida (L.) Wight & Arn. 17 Leguminosae Asanasimba Decoction of root Nov-Feb Under shrub
113 Psoralia corylifolia L. 69 Fabaceae Bakuchi Seed Dec-Feb Herb
114 Pueraria tuberose De. 31 Fabaceae Bhui-kurma Root Feb-June Climber
115 Rauvolfia canescense Linn. 28 Apocynaceae Barachandrika Roots Most part of the year Shrubs or Under shrub
116 Renusatia vivifera (Roxb) 58 Araceae Teliakand Corm April Herb
117 Rourea minor (Gaertn) Alston. 54 Connaraceae Kalavidhara Roots Shrub
118 Rubia cordifolia Linn. 68 Rubiaceae Rangochireta kuramadu Roots Oct- Feb Climbing herb
119 Salacia reticulate Wight. 72 Celastraceae Batra Roots Feb-July Climbing herb
120 Schefflera venulosa (Wight & Arn.) Harms 52 Araliaceae Surungo Twig April-Sept Climbing Shrubs
121 Sesbania grandiflora(L.) Poir. 57,118 31 Fabaceae Shibamalli/ Agasti Flower Cold season Tree
122 Sida acuta Burm. 76 Malvaceae Bajar-muli Root Sept-May Herb
123 Sida rhombifolia Linn. 68 Malvaceae Bajramuli Roots Aug-Feb Herb
124 Smilax zeylanica L. 21 Liliaceae Ramdatuni, Mutri, Rajdantni Root Apr-Jan Climber
125 Solanum nigrum Linn. 78 Solanaceae Makoya, Jutguni (o) Leaf, stem Most part of the year Herb
126 Spermacoce hispida L. 83 Rubiaceae JIbakuta, solaganthi, sanagha-podia Leaves, Root and Seeds Whole year Herb
127 Spondias pinnata Kurtz. 21 Amarcardiaceae Amta Bark, Leaves Feb-Mar Tree
128 Strychnos hux-vomica L. 18 Strychaceae Kochila Seed March-Jan Tree
129 Tephrosia purpurea Linn. 32 Leguminosae Saropokha Decoction of roots Most part of the year Undershrub
130 Trewia hudiflora L. 11 Euphorbiaceae Paniganbhari Root Oct-Jan Tree
131 Trigonella foenum-gruecum Linn. 89 Fabaceae Methi Seeds Dec-March Herb
132 Truhulus terrestris L. 72 Zygophyllaceae Gukgra Herb Throughout year Herb
133 Urena lobata Linn. 43 Malvaceae Rakta pheni, Bilokapasira Roots Aug-Dec Undershrub
134 Urginea indica Kunth. Enum. 86 Liliaceae Ban piyaz Bulb Mar-July Herb
135 Vanda tessellate Hook. 64 Orchidaceae Malang Root March-Nov Shrub
136 Vernonia roxburghii Less. 76 Compositae Sahadevi Roots Nov-Feb Herb
137 Vertiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash 84 Graminae Bena Root Aug-Jan herb
138 Vitex negunda Linn. 32 Verbenaceae Begunia Leaf Most part of the year Shrub or tree
139 Vitex trifolia L. 44 Verbanaceae Bana-Begunia Leaf July Shrub
140 Vitis quadraangularis L. 52 Vitaceae Hadabhanga Stem May-Dec Shrub
141 Withania somnifera Dunal. 47 Solanaceae Asgandh, Ashwagandha Roots Oct-May Shrubs or Under shrub
142 Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz. 37 Lythraceae Dahi, Dhatak Roots (crushed form) Nov-May Shrub
143 Argyreia speciosa (Linn. f.) Sweet 22 Convolvulaceae Mundanoi Root July-April Climber
144 Zingiber montanum (J. König) Link ex A. Dietr. 74 Zingiberaceae Bhutanasan, Banoada Rhizome Aug-Nov Herb

Fig. 1: Life forms of plant used for the treatment of rheumatism in the study area

The need for a specific definition of traditional knowledge is impelled by the push from the formal sector to control, manage and market the knowledge and to bring it under a regulatory framework [10]. Unfortunately, neither local inhabitants nor the government is making serious efforts for conservation of medicinal plants in the study area. An un sustainable collection of generative and vegetative parts of medicinal plants from the natural resources reduces their population as well as decrease multiplication and regenerative power. There is an urgent need to create awareness among the inhabitants of the study area about sustainable collection, conservation, domestication, small scale as well as large scale cultivation of medicinal plants. This will improve the socio economic condition of the inhabitants as well as reduce pressure on natural resources. Due to the lack of modern communications, as well as poverty, ignorance and unavailability of modern health facilities, most people, especially rural people are still forced to practice traditional medicines for their common day ailments [11]. However, the data collected during the present investigation provides sufficient clue for further scientific evaluation (phytochemical, pharmacological, and clinical) to verify and confirm the active principle (Secondary metabolites like alkaloids, steroids, phenol compound etc) responsible for curative property of these wild plant species.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank the local medicine men for their valuable indigenous knowledge transfer. We are also thankful to the Director, Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, CSIR, Bhubaneswar for providing an infrastructure to carry out the research work successful.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

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