Subir Kumar Samanta and Awadesh Kumar Yadav
Abstract
The study carried to find out the diversity of the ethno-medicinal plants of Kharagpur Block-1 of Paschim Medinipur District, West Bengal, India. The Present study reported 32 plant species belonging to 20 families. A total of around 38 peoples were interviewed in the age of 45 to 80 years and the data were collected from them and also traditional healers in more than one time. The ethno-medicinal plants were mainly used by the ethnic peoples like Lodha, Munda, Vill, Bhumij etc. for their curation from the diseases like cough and cold, fever, wound healing, diarrhoea, diabetes, sexual problem, and asthma etc. Some plants such as Asteracantha longifolia, Clitoria ternatea, Justicia adhatoda were used to treat menstrual problems, cough and cold etc. The plants were used by ethnic peoples to treat amoebic dysentery such as Ayapana triplinervis, Croton bonplandianus, Centella asiatica, Lippia alba etc. The ethno-medicinal plants were documented along with their botanical name, local name, family and medicinal uses by ethnic peoples. In this study leaves were mainly used for the preparation of ethno-medicines. The traditional knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants by tribal communities will help for the sustainable development of human beings in future.