Indigenous knowledge and ethnomedicinal uses of plants for the treatment of wounds by the forest dwellers of Keonjhar district of Odisha, India

Abstract

Ethnomedicinal survey has been carried out in the Keonjhar district of the state of Odisha in India to collect information on the prevailing medicinal plants used as medicine for the treatment of wound by local tribe and other forest dweller during 2018-2022. Forest area of the district is dominated by different ethnic group of tribes like Gond, Bathudi, Kol, Santal, Juang, Bhuyan, Bhumija and Saunti. It has been observed that people of these ethnic group depend on forest for their livelihood and medicine for primary health care. The present paper deals with 32 plant species belonging to 25 families, which are used as folk medicine for the treatment of wound. Ethnic group of the district are fully or partially depend on local medicinal plants because of the poor modern healthcare facilities and their inert poverty. An attempt has been made to document traditional knowledge from the local people, Baidyas and Gunia of Anandpur, Ghatgaon, Harichandanpur, Saharpada, Patna, Telkoi, Banspal and Joda blocks of Keonjhar district for the treatment of wound.