Medicinal plant diversity and traditional healing practices in eastern Nepal.
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
The rich floral and ethnic composition of eastern Nepal and the widespread utilization of locally available medicinal plants offer remarkable opportunity for ethnomedicinal research. The present paper aims to explore medicinal plant diversity and use in the remote villages of eastern Nepal. It also aims to evaluate ethnopharmacological significance of the documented use reports and identify species of high indigenous priority.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was undertaken in four villages located in the Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal. Ethnomedicinal information was collected through structured interviews. The homogeneity of informant's knowledge and the relative importance of documented medicinal plants were validated by informant consensus factor and use value, respectively. Species preference for treatment of particular diseases was evaluated through fidelity level.


RESULTS
We reported medicinal properties of 48 species belonging to 33 families and 40 genera, for the treatment of 37 human ailments. The uses of 10 medicinal plants were previously undocumented. The informant consensus factor (FIC) ranged between 0.38 and 1 with about 50% of values greater than 0.80 and over 75% of values greater than 0.70, indicating moderate to high consensus among the informants on the use of medicinal plants in the region. Swertia chirayita was the most preferred species with significantly high use values, followed by Paris polyphylla and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora.


CONCLUSIONS
The remote villages in eastern Nepal possess rich floral and cultural diversity with strong consensus among informants on utilization of plants for local healthcare. The direct pharmacological evidence for medicinal properties of most species indicates high reliability of documented information. Careful and systematic screening of compounds isolated from these plants could possibly provide good opportunity for the discovery of novel medicines to treat life-threatening human diseases. We recommend prioritization of medicinal plants and reinforcement of existing cultivation practices for sustainable management of high-priority species.
['Shrestha|Nawal|N|', 'Shrestha|Saugat|S|', 'Koju|Laxmi|L|', 'Shrestha|Krishna Kumar|KK|', 'Wang|Zhiheng|Z|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D032921:Consensus D003466:Cultural Characteristics D019448:Ethnobotany D020834:Ethnopharmacology D005260:Female D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice D006801:Humans D007407:Interviews as Topic D008297:Male D008519:Medicine, Traditional D008875:Middle Aged D009390:Nepal D008517:Phytotherapy D010936:Plant Extracts D010946:Plants, Medicinal
Ethnomedicine Sankhuwasabha Informant consensus factor Fidelity level Himalayan medicine Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale