Ethnobotanically Important Medicinal Plants of Tehsil Billawar, District Kathua, J&K, India

Abstract

The ethnobotanical exploration was carried out in Tehsil Billawar of District Kathua. Billawar is rich in ethnic and biological diversity since the time immemorial. Due to varied altitude and topography, the study area possesses a diverse flora ranging from the sub-tropical in the south to alpine meadows on the higher peaks of north. The study aimed to record the indigenous knowledge of senior villagers regarding the medicinal uses of local plants. The information regarding the traditional knowledge has been collected from the local senior inhabitants through verbal and informal interviews. The tribal people i.e., Gujjars, Bakarwals and Gaddies along with Hindu-Muslim communities live in complete harmony with nature. Their daily needs are met by surrounding natural products. The inhabitants of the area dependen on plant resources for medicine, fuel, fodder, fibre, timber and various other purposes. The traditional use of plants as medicine is well known among the native communities of the area. In the absence of modern facilities, these people usually depend upon herbs and other materials for the treatment of diseases and ailments. Moreover, it is an undesirable fact that the knowledge of indigenous people is invaluable in the present day in the context of biological diversity conservation and sustainable utilization. There is paucity of data on ethnobotanical aspect in Billawar Tehsil. The present work is an attempt to enumerate the important medicinal flora of Billawar.