Ethnobotany of Nasik District, Maharashtra

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Ethnobotanical enumerations. 3. Origins of vernacular plant names. 4. Discussion. 5. Summary. Bibliography. Appendices: i. Edible fruits and vegetables. ii. Plants employed for house construction. iii. Plants employed for hut thatching. iv. Plants used for hedges. v. Plants used as fodder. vi. Plants used for fish surveying. vii. Plants used for veterinary medicine. viii. Antidotes. ix. Plants in ethnobeliefs. x. Plants used for religious ceremonies. xi. Plants used for agricultural implements. xii. Plants used for fire wood. xiii. Crop weeds. xiv. Exotic plants. xv. Plants reported useful for first time. Index to local names. Index to plant names.

"Emergence of 'Ethnobotany' as a distinct academic branch of the natural sciences and the use of traditional knowledge-base in patenting filliped systematization of indigenous knowledge world over. The modern civilization learnt many fundamental principles and age-old wisdom from the aboriginal and rural ethnic societies. Indian region is amongst the richest ethnobotanical treasures in the world. It needs factual documentation, sustainable utilization and conservation. Intensive and original research work conducted by the authors on 'Ethnobotany of Nasik District' has been crystallized into this book. This will help extract potential medicinal and other uses of plants for the welfare of mankind.

The introductory chapter includes detailed information about the land, forests, environment, people and their ethnology, earlier ethnobotanical works and methodology adapted. The main body of the book includes an inventory of mainly 364 species and other 19 species supplement the drugs used by the people of the district for human and ethnoveterinary medicines, food, fodder, fibre, timber, fire-wood, tannin, dye, oil, alcohol, gum-resins etc.

It also documents plant species employed in magico-religious beliefs, magico-medicines, rites, rituals, ceremonies, agricultural practices and household uses. Interestingly, a separate chapter is also dwelt upon the philology of local plant names as gathered in the area. Coloured photographs reflecting landscape, plants, culture and customs of tribals, plant-based household and other implements, medicine-men, other informants etc. have been provided to adduce the information.

This contribution sheds light on the indigenous system of medicine and other plant-lore among tribal and non-tribal people of Nasik district. It will be useful to the phytochemists, pharmacologists as well as foresters, naturalists and ecologists in their conservation, management and developmental programmes, apart from the needy teachers, students and research workers in biological sciences." (jacket)