Indian Journal of Tradi ti onal Knowledge Vol. I ( I ), October 2002. pp. 8 1-86

Traditional uses of some common plants in indigenous folklore of Dronagiri: A mythic hill of Uttaranchal

K R A rya

Botany Divi sion, Central Drug Research Institute. Lucknow-226 00 I . India

Received 30 April 200 1

T his communicati on deals with the tradi tional uses of 19 common plants used by the loca l inhabitants and Vaidyas of Dronag iri , a mythic hill of Al mora distri ct in Uttaranchal in their in­digenous fo lk-lore. For each plant specimen described. botanical name. loca l name(s), parts. preparati on, mode anduse(s) are given.

Keywords: T radit ional uses of plants. folklore, Ultaranchal

The Himalayan zone of U.P. (Kumaon and Garhwal ) recently carved under the separate state of Uttaranchal has already been identified as one of the richest biodiversity centres of the country. Dronagiri , a mythic hill of Uttaranchal is well known and observed as a hot spot pocket of medicinal pl ant biodiversity in Almora di stri ct3.17.19. The people inhabit­ing the area are the migrated families of different ethni c groups, whi ch are most ly the retired army personnel and freedom fig hters of the then Briti sh Indi a. All these famili es are scattered throughout the entire pocket wi lhin small houses lo­call y known as Khat. Cu lti vation of po­lato and raddi sh and selling of indigenous agricu ltural instruments prepared from the forest products particu larly fro m the Oak trees are their main economi c activi ­ti es. Although tremendous contribution has been made towards the ethnobotani­ca l ex ploration of Kumaon Hima-

laya4.5.IJ. '2.15.'8, these studies are mainly confined to a particular tribal population of Pithoragarh di strict known as Bhotias or Ban Raut , whil e the plants associated with these studies most ly belong to the high alpine flora of Kumaon Himalaya. However, the indigenous herbal practices of rural people of subalpine and temper­ate Himalaya like Dronagiri and their adjoining areas i.e. Tarak-Tal, Pandukholi and Khera Khan shar are still unexplored. Hence, the author has conducted an eth­nobotani cal case study in these areas and the informat ion documented is communi­cated in this paper.

Methods of survey The information was gathered during

the plant collection trips to Kumaon Hi ­malaya in the year 2000-200 I. Most of the plant species reported in thi s paper are new, whi le in few cases i. e. A~ave all/eri­col/a ; Grewia opliva and Pinus

82 INDIA 1 TR ADITIO AL Ki ( ' WLl (it . \ ', 1! I . No I . ()CTORER "OIiL

roxbllrghii no simi larity has been found with the uses reported by the earli er workers6-X. IO.21l. The plant spec ies de-scribed in thi s paper are enumerated al­phabeti ca ll y with correct botani ca l no­menclature, fami I y name, speci men no., local name, and status of the plant, i.e., wild or culti vated . The method of indige­nous preparations, approximate doses, and route of administration are also given .

Observations Agave americana Linn. (Agavaceae),

KRA-23925, (Local name: Rambans), Wild

1-2 teaspoon powder of the seed with about 50 ml of hot water twice a day is given orally for the treatment of boil s and blood purifi cation . About 25-30 ml leaf juice from young plants thrice a day for one week is also given for aborti on in early pregnancy. The fibrou s leaves of mature plants are soaked in running water for about one month for easy separation of pulp . After manual separation of pulp the remaining fibres are thoroughly washed and used fo r the preparation of ropes, mats and decorative goods.

Angelica glauca Edgew. (Apiaceae), KRA-23854, (Local name: Gandrayan) , Wild , Cultivated

Leaf powder in the form of paste mixed with the oil of yellow sarson (Brassica call1pestris) is applied locally for about one month to cure white patches on the body, while about one teaspoonful dried powder of the root with hot water is given orally twice a day for one week in case of acute bronchitis and constipation.

lJetuill utilis D.Don (Befulac(:(lc), I-.: RA 22264, (Loca l name: Bhuj patJ ,tl, \ ,t ild

1-2 teas poonful of fine PO\" (kT r( ry stem ba rk of the tree with Il(\l 11 ' ;] k Il !ixed with honey or sugar is given da dy fur 5-7 days to children of' abou t 5- If) years to kill the in testinal wonns.

Carthamlls tillctorills Lin ll. (Asrerac ae) KRA-23926, Wild

1-2 teaspoonful of leaf pO'Neler mixed with one glass of milk is g i'J 11 to preg­nant ladies as toni c fur hav ing healthy chil d. The dried powder of fl owers mixed with coconut oil is used as a natural hair toni c to prevent hair fall.

Eleusille coracana (Linn.) Gaertn . (Poaceae), KRA-2229 I , (Local name: Maduwa), Cultivated

]-2 c1wpaltis made of about 50 g flou r are prescribed daily for three clays with hot water to cure acute constipation .

FagopyrUnl esculent1l11l (Linn. ) Moench (Pol ygonaceae), KRA-23927, (Local name: Dugal), Cultivated

Young plants cooked in iron vessel are given to anaemic patients. Some people also use thi s preparation to cure constipa­tion . The seeds are highly nutritious. The flour of thi s grain mixed with wheat flour is used to prepare chapatlis and given to

sick persons as a source of extra energy and for fast recovery .

Ficus auriculata Lour. (Moraceae), (Local name: Timla), Domesticated

Fruits are edible. Unripe fruits are used for vegetable and to cure diabetes and

ARYA: TRADIT IONAL USES OF SOME COMMON PL ANTS OF UTIARANC HAL 83

high blood pressure. The latex of the pl ant is used ex ternall y in eye ailment.

Glycine max (Linn .) Merrill (Fabaceae) , KR A-23928 , (Local name: Kal a bhatt), Culli vated

The seeds are commonl y used to cure jaundice. About 50-100 g seeds, soaked overni ght are ground to paste. The pas te is then mi xed with ri ce in a rati o of 1:2 and cooked in iron vesse l. The prepared product (loca lly known as Rajod) is g iven twice a day for about one week to cure jaundice.

Grewia optiva J .R. Drum ex BUlTet (Tili aceae), KRA-23859, (Local name: Bimal), Do mesticated

Seeds are laxati ve. Paste of the seeds mixed with a g lass of hot milk is g iven to pregnant ladi es to fac ilitate easy de li ve ry. Fresh leaves of the tree are given to buf­fa lo and cow for enhancing lac tatio n po­tenti al. The fibres o f young stems are c rushed to paste and mixed with hot wa­te r and used as shampoo by local ladi es fo r washing hair.

jllglans regia Linn. KRA-23841 , (Local Domesti cated

(Jug landaceae), name: Akhrot),

Rind of young fruit s is ground to paste with water and applied on the head in cases o f loss o f hair caused by a specia l kind or hair fa ll disease locall y known as " Khaa ir" . Some people also use the fresh rind to treat tooth problems. The edibl e part o f the fruit is g iven to the patients in case of neuro logical disorders. The local concept behind thi s remedy is that the structure o f the seed resembl es the struc-

ture of human brain and thus may have the property o f strengthening the brain and cure the neuro logical disorders par­ticul arl y in case o f head injury.

Macrotylol1la uniflortll1l (Lam.) Verde. syn. Dolichos IlI l!florllS Lam. (Fabaceae) KR A-23930, (Local name: Gahat, Kulth), Culti vated

Hot decocti on of the seed is used to warm up the body during ex tre me cold . 1-2 cup hot decoc tio n of about 100 g seeds is g iven for one to two weeks (depending upon the conditio n of pati ents) to treat kidney stone . The decoction in combina­tion with Dioscorea belophyl/a in the ra­tio of I : I is admini ste red orally fo r one week as an antifertility and abortifac ient agent.

Pinus roxburglzii Sargent (Pinaceae) , KRA-222 14, (Local name: C hair), Wild

Seeds are edible. Fresh res in is applied locally on cuts and wounds and then tightened with c lean cloth for about 5-7 days to prevent in fec tion fro m mi cro­organisms.

Pyracantha crelluiata Linn . (Apiaceae), KRA-23929, (Local name: Ghingaru), Wild

Ripe fruit is delicious and eaten by local people to cure constipation . While 25-30 ripe fruit s with small pinch of salt twice a day for 15 days is g iven to preg­nant anaemic ladi es .

Pyrus pashia Buch-Ham. ex D.Do n (Rosaceae), KRA-23872 (Local name: Meha\), Wild

The ripe fruit is de lic io us and eaten by

84 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. VOL l. No. I , OCTOBER 2002

children. 4-5 ripe fruit s twice a day fo r 15-30 days are advised by the local Vaidya for the treatment o f asthma.

Quercus lucotrichophora A. Camus (Fa­gaceae), KRA-239 11 , (Local name: S aj ), Wild

Gum of the tree is used for gonorrheal and di gesti ve d isorders. 25-30 ml decoc­ti on o f about 50 g bark twice a day for one to two weeks is given to the pati ents suffering fro m as th ma. The wood of the tree is very hard and used for making in­digenous ag ri cul tural imple ments loca lly known as ' Hal' (plough) and ' Danala'. In recent pas t the wood was used as a raw materi al for the preparati on o f coal on commercial scale. 8ut now, due to defo r­estati o n and ecological imbalance the for­est department has banned thi s practi ce.

Ricinus cOlll.lIllmis Linn. (Euphorbi a­ccae), KR A-239 14, (Local name: Arendi ), Wild

Leaves are used fo r the treatment o f arthriti s. 2-3 you ng leaves are tig htened overni ght on the knee with the he lp of thin cloth dai ly fo r a week or lo nger. During the cour e o f its appli cation the ti ghtened leaves promote fas t blood cir­culation and the patient gets re lie f. The seed oil is used fo r the treatment o f spon­diliti s and joint pain. About 20-25 ml de­coct io n of the young leaves twice a day for 15-30 days is gi ven to contro l di abe­tes.

Rubus elliptic us Smith (Rosaceae), KRA-22 176 (Local name: Hi ssalu), Wild

Fruits are delic ious. 1-2 spoonfuls paste o f the young leaves with cold water

thrice a day is given o ra lly in case of acute diarrhoea. While, the same amount o f paste is administe red o ra ll y wi th hot water in case of constipation. A decoction of the root is used as an intox icant for the preparatio n of loca l wine.

Solallum incanlllll Linn . (Solanaceae), KR A-23906, (Local name: Si s), Wil d

The fruit and seed are highly tox ic and so metime cause death of children and animals. Seed powder in small quantity about 500-1000 mg (accord ing to the re­sistance power o f the patient s) is g i ven to those patients suffe ring from as thma and sy mpto ms like tubercul os is. The pas te of the fresh fruit is applied ex ternally on cuts and wounds.

Toolla hexandra (Wallich ex Roxb.) M. Roem. syn. CaireI/o laalla Roxb. ex Rottb . & Willd. (Meliaceae), KRA-239 16, Do mesti ca ted

Leaves are used as natural insec tic ide. Fresh leaves are used to protect food g rains fro m insects; their pas te is used while storing the grains fo r long durat io n. About 50 ml decoction of the leaves twice a day for 15-30 days is g iven to the patients suffering fro m di abetes. T he mature wood o f the tree is used for mak­ing doors and frames .

Discussion T raditio nal herbal care is an estab­

li shed ancient sys tem of treatment in In­di a . This unique traditio nal sys tem of health care progressed fro m generation to generation within the society and is still prevalent within the remote tribal and rural areas of the country. Tn recent years

ARY A: TRADITIONAL USES OF SOME COMMON PLANl ~ 0 1- LIT I i\ RAN CHAL 85

mul tifarious human acti vities, increasing urbanization, cutting of forests and mi ­grati on of tribal groups towards urbani sed areas has led to seri ous threats to the folk tradi tions and may further lead to ex tinc­tion of Indian ethni c diversity in near fu ­tu re.

Uaaranchal, the earli er part of U.P. hills is one of the richest emporia of eth­nobotanical heritage evaluated from time to Ii me by several workers 1.2.4 .5 . 8 .1 2 . 13 .1 ~.

The plants reponed in these studies be­long to the category of endangered taxa of high alpine zone l l

, 16. IR. The ethnomedi ­cinal claims di scussed in thi s paper offer great potenti al for pharmaceutical indus­tries and can serve as an excellent source of a variety of lead molecules fo r drug discovery programme. During the survey, it is noticed that few of the local indige­nous herbal practi tIOners known as "Vai dyas" and few of the old vill agers of these areas have very good knowledge of the indigenous herbal preparati ons from common plants of their surroundings. Keeping in view the present trend of ex­cess ive exploitati on of natural resources and degradation of di versifi ed Himalayan biomes, the neglected mountain ranges of Utlaranchal need immedi ate attention for consistent explorati on and systematic documentati on of untapped indigenous knowledge inherited from generation to generation. Since India had joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), the pha 'maceutical industries are concerned about product patents rcgimc. Before re­vising the patent act, there is an urgent need to translate all the available tradi­tional knowledge as per international standards and safeguard the patenting

rights of the stakeholders. However, it must be remembered that if the ethnobo­tanical information is to be of value in modern drug di scovery programme, it has to be collected in more detail with respect to the information like sy mptoms, method of indigenous preparation, doses, source of in fo rmation, route of admini stration and the final outcome of the treatment.

Acknowledgement The author is thankful to Dr. C M.

Gupta, Director, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, and Dr. D.K. Kul­shrestha, Ex-Head, Department of Botany for providing the facilities for conducting the survey. Forest Department of Uttaran­chal and local inhabitants of Dronagiri are also highly acknowledged for providing useful info rmation and kind help during the survey trips.

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