Ethnobotany

Contents: Preface. 1. Ethnobotany: an overview/P.C. Trivedi. 2. Sacred groves—an overview/M.P. Ramanujam, D. Kadamban, G. Kumaravelu and K. Praveenkumar. 3. Ancient plant economy in India/S.D. Bonde. 4. Restoring the earth/H.M. Behl. 5. Ethnobotanical scenario of Madhya Pradesh: diversity in flora, knowledge and culture in tribal belt of Bastar/T.R. Sahu and P. Sahu. 6. Status and prospects of ethnobotany in Western Ghats of Maharashtra/D.K. Kulkarni and M.S. Kumbhojkar. 7. Studies on some ethnobotanical plants from Saurashtra/D.C. Bhatt. 8. Ethnobotany of five districts of Terai region, Uttar Pradesh/K.K. Khanna. 9. Observation on the ethnobotany of Purulia District, West Bengal, India/P.R. Sur and A.C. Halder. 10. Wetland biodiversity with reference to economic plants of Assam and its neighbouring areas/M. Islam. 11. Ethnobotany of Kondareddis of Rampa agency, Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh/V. Krishna Prasad, T. Rajagopal and K.V.S. Badarinath. 12. Minor forest products of Sariska National Park: an ethnobotanical profile/Gopal S. Singh. 13. A study on ethnozoology of Southern Rajasthan/Satish Kumar Sharma. 14. Ethnomedicinal and ecophysiological studies in Fabaceae (Leguminosae)/N.P. Bhalla and Suman Bhalla. 15. Medico-ethnobotanical profile of Western Maharashtra/Anuradha S. Upadhye and M.S. Kumbhojkar. 16. Observations on antiseptic value of some ethnobotanical plants from Saurashtra/K.D. Mitaliya. 17. Studies on some ethnomedicinal plants from Talaja Taluka of Bhavnagar District, Gujarat/D.C. Bhatt, D.R. Mehta, S.K. Mehta and R.P. Parmar. 18. Indigenous phytotherapy among rural women of Shahjahanpur District, Uttar Pradesh/S.C. Sharma. 19. Study on peculiar traditional methods of medicine in Kumaun region of Uttaranchal/P.C. Pandey and Hema Joshi. 20. Ethnobiology and Ayurveda/S.B. Kale and Sow. V.S. Kale. 21. Why and how plants are selected as medicines traditionally/S.B. Kale and Sow. V.S. Kale. 22. Ethnoveterinary practice for cattle diseases in Bankura District of West Bengal, India/Ramsankar Basu. 23. Dacryodes edulis (G. Don) H.J. Lam. (Burseraceae): botany and potential utilisation of an under-exploited forest food plant/Maria O. Nwosu. 24. Traditional use of plants for beauty care by tribal people of Goalpara District, Assam/Dipali Deka and G.C. Sarma. 25. Utilisation of aquatic biota—a reference to the folk customs and rituals in Mithila region (North Bihar) India/Vidyanath Jha and A.K. Goel. 26. Protocol for ethno-medicinal studies/Minoo Parabia and M.N. Reddy. 27. Ethno-medico-religious plants of Hadoti plateau (S.E. Rajasthan)—a preliminary survey/N.K. Sharma. 28. Ethno-medicinal plants of Rajasthan State, India/P.C. Trivedi. Index.

"Ethnobotany is the study of plant-human interaction in a given environment. Ethnobotanical studies assume great importance in enhancing our knowledge about plants grown and used by native tribal communities, the rich diversity assembled by them for their sustenance and different means adopted by them for its preservation and conservation. The traditional knowledge system in India is fast eroding. There is an urgent need to inventories and record all ethnobiological information among the diverse ethnic communities before the traditional cultures are completely lost.

"The present book Ethnobotany contains 28 articles by eminent ethnobotanists of the country on different aspects of the subject. From the introduction of ethnobotany, this book covers articles on the sacred groves, traditional use of plants for beauty care, folk customs and rituals, ethnomedicinal plants, ethnoveterinary forest products and ethnozoology. Articles on ethnobotanical studies in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Saurashtra, the terai region of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan cover some general and a few specifically on medicine and food of these regions. Articles on protocol for ethno-medicinal studies, ethnobiology and Ayurveda, ancient plant economy in India, wetland biodiversity, etc, have added to the value of the book. Thus, it provides a good glimpse of the rich ethnobotanical heritage of India.

"Scholars and students of ethnobotany, botany, anthropology, sociology, history, Indian culture, forestry, conservation, ecology and environment will find this book very useful and informative." (jacket)