Studies in Ethnobotany of ‘Nath’ of Bundelkhand region
by Praveen Kumar Khare | 2002 | 36,717 words
The essay studies the Ethnobotany of the ‘Nath’ tribe of Bundelkhand region within the Indian subcontinent. This region represents a convergence of diverse meteorological, climatic, and floral conditions, which provides unique opportunities for ethnobotanical research. The study of human relationships with plants, ethnobotany, reveals the varied an...
Chapter 6 - Discussion (use of plants among tribal society)
S.No. Table 1 Classified check list of Ethnobotanically important plants recorded from Bundelkhand (1998-2001) 13 Clasified list of plants RANUNCULACEAE 1. Ranunculus sceleratus, Linn. DILLENIACEAE 2.. Dillenia indica, Linn. ANNONACEAE 3. Annona squamosa, Linn. MENISPERMACEAE 4. Cissampelos pareira, Linn. 5. f fy Cocculus hirsutus, (Linn.), Diels 6. Tinospora cordifolia, (Willd), Miers. NYMPHAEACEAE 7. Nelumbo nucifera, Garden 8. Nymphaea stellata, Willd. PAPAVERACEAE Ethnobotanical informations Nath အာ 9. Argemone maxicana, Linn. + Others + ✓ F F y UL F 71 71 F Occurrence R R →
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Clasified list of plants Nath FUMARIACEAE 10. | Fumaria parviflora, Lamk. CRUCIFERAE 11. Brassica campestris, Linn. 12. Brassica juncea, H.K. 13. Brassica nigra, Koch. 14. Raphanus sativus, Linn. CAPPARIDACEAE 15. Capparis decidua (Forsk) Edgen. 16. Cleome viscosa, Linn. 17. Gynandropsis gynandra, Linn. 18. Gynandropsis pentaphylla, DC. 19. BIXINEAE Flacourtia indica, Merr. POLYGALACEAE 20. Polygala chinensis, Linn. PORTULACACEAE 21. Portulaca oleracea, Linn. + karyum. + Others + F LL Occurrence F 63 + F G + ww H U L LL F LL F LL V -
Ethnobotanical informations Occurrence Clasified list of plants Nath Others DIPTEROCARPEAE 22. Shorea robusta, Gaerth. f. MALVACEAE 23. Abutilon hirtum, G. Don. 24. Abutilon indicum, Linn. 25. Gossypium herbaceum, Linn. 26. Salmalia malabaricum, Schott, Meletem 27. Sida acuta, Burn. 28. Sida cordata, Burn. ༅། ས་ལཝཝཝངཝགངཝ་ཨ་ཨནཝ། 29. Sida cordifolia, Linn. 30. Sida spinosa, Linn. 31. Urena lobata, Linn. STERCULIACEAE 32. Helicteres isora, Linn. TILIACEAE Corchorus antichorus, Reecusch. Corchorus fascicularis, Lamk. 35. Corchorus trilocularis, Linn. ཚད ས་ + Life တကာ + ** w F ma F བ LL LL F u u u F F F R I R R ' - 50 x
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Clasified list of plants Nath 36. Grewia hirsuta, Vahl Symb. 37. Triumfetta rotundifolia, Lam. LINACEAE 38. Linum usitatissimum, Linn. ZUGOPHYLLACEAE 39. Tribulus terrestris, L. GERANIACEAE 40. | Biophytum sensitivum,(L) D.C. 41. Impatiens balsamina, Linn. 42. Oxalis corniculata, Linn. 43. Oxalis latifolia, H.B. & K. RUTACEAE 44. Aegle marmelos, Correa. 45. Citrus aurantifolia, (Christm.) Swingle 46. Citrus medica, Linn. 47. Feronia elephantum, Correa. SIMARUPACEAE 48. Balanites aegyptiaca, (Linn) Delile. + Others 2 0 0 0 ☑ F Occurrence F 66+2 F ☐ LL F L U U L F F LL F 2.
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Clasified list of plants Nath BURSERACEAE 49. Boswellia serrata, Roxb. ex Colebr. MELIACEAE 50. | Azadirachta indica, A. Juss. 51. Melia azedarach, Linn. CELASTRAINEAE 52. Celastrus paniculata, Willd. RHAMNACEAE 53. Zizyphus jujuba, Lamp. 54. Zizyphus nummularia, W & A. SAPINDACEAE 55. Sapindus trifoliatus, Linn. ANACARDIACEAE 56. Buchanania lanzan, Spreng. 57. Mangifera Indica, L. (Aam), Tree. 58. Semecarpus anacardium, Linn. MORINGACEAE 59. Moringa oleifera, Lamp. ဆငဆ ✓ ☑ Others E- 0 + ☑ F F t Occurrence B F S 13 R G ☑ 138 E
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath LEGUMINOSAE 60. Abrus precatorius, Linn. 61. Acacia arabica, Willd. 62. Acacia catechu, Willd. 63. Albizzia lebbeck, Benth. 64. Albizzia procera, Benth. 65. Bauhinia purpurea, Linn. Bauhinia racemosa, Lam. 67. Bauhinia tomentosa, Linn. 68. Bauhinia variegata, Linn. Butea monosperma, Lam. 70. Caesalpinia crista, Linn. 71. Caesalpinia pulcherima, Swartz. 72. Cajanus cajan, (Linn) Mill Sp. 73. Cajanus indicus, Spreng. 74. Cassia fistula, Linn. Cassia obtusifolia, L. 76. Cassia occidentalis, Linn. + ပအစ လောငးက Others F F G F Ex F အာ ☑ Occurrence F F F F LL LL LL L F F F 139 y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y y
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath 77. Cassia tora, Linn. 78. Cicer arietinum. Linn. for 79. Clitoria ternatea, Linn. 80. Crotalaria juncea, Linn. 81. Dalbergia latifolia, Roxb. 82. | Dalbergia sissoo, Roxb. 83. Desmodium gangeticum. DC. 84. Dolichos biflorus, Linn. * magana 85. Dolichos lablab, Linn. 86. Lathyrus sativus, Linn. 87. Medicago sativa, Linn. 88. | Mimosa pudica, Linn. 89. Mucuna prurita, Hook. 90. Neptunia triquetra, Benth. 91. Phaseolus trilobus, Ait. 92. Pithecellobium dulce, Roxb. 93. Pongamia pinnata, Linn. 94. Psoralea corylifolia, L. + + ဥး။ + Others ☑ F သ F enfer var Occurrence na I # F R ག 535 F F L pi LL LL LL L F F kha F ! 1 R 1 R 14 ,,:,་་་་་་,,,,,
S.No. Classified list of plants Ethnobotanical informations Nath Others F 95. Saraca indica, Linn. 96. Tamarindus indicus, Linn. Exe 97. Tephrosia purpurea, Linn. 98. Trigonella emodi, Benth. 99. Trigonella foenumgraecum, Linn. + 100. Uraria picta, Desv. ROSACEAE 101. Potentilla supina, Linn. 102. Rosa alba, Linn. CRASSULACEAE 103. Bryophyllum calycinum, Saliat. COMBRETACEAE 104. Anageissus latifolia, Wall. 105. Anageissus pendula, Edgw. 106. Terminalia arjuna, W.& A. 107. Terminalia belerica, Roxb. MYRTACEAE 108. Eucalyptus globulus, Labill. དབ + + Spor LL F F Occurrence LL 141 E →
Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath 109. Eugenia jambolana, Lam. 110. Psidium guajava, Linn. Others sa F + W LYTHRACEAE 111. Ammannia baccifera, Linn. 112. Lawsonia inermis, Roxb. 113. Woodfordia fruticosa, Kurz. ONAGRACEAE 114. Trapa natans., Linn. PASSIFLOREAE 115. Carica papaya, Linn. CUCURBITACEAE 116. Banincasa hispida, Cogh. 117. Citrullus vulgaris, Schrad. 118. Cucumis melo, Linn. 119. Cucumis sativus, Linn. 120. Cucurbita maxima, Duchesn. 121. Cucurbita pepo, Linn. 122. Lagenaria vulgaris, Ser. ☑ + + + ☑ + + vy F F F F LL F LL LL F LL LL LL LL F Occurrence ་ ww
Ethnobotanical informations S.No. Classified list of plants Nath 123. Luffa echinata, Roxb. 124. Momordica dioica, Roxb. CACTACEAE 125. Opuntia dillenii, Haw.; DC. UMBELLIFERAE 126. Centella asiatica, (Linn) Urban. 127. Hydrocotyle rotundifolia, Roxb. စားသော 128. Trachyspermum ammi, Linn. Sprague. RUBIACEAE 129. Adina cordifolia, Hook F. + 130. Gardenia gummifera, Linn. f. + 131. Mitragyna parvifolia, (Roxb.) Korth. + 132. Morinda tinctoria, Roxb. 133. Oldenlandia corymbosa, Linn. COMPOSITAE 134. Ageratum conyzoides, Linn. 135. Artemisia vulgaris, Linn. 136. Bidens biternata, (Laur) Merr. Others စနး၊ Occurrence LL F R LL F <<>> F LL LL F LL + + F QQ R zhi 143
Ethnobotanical informations S.No. Classified list of plants Nath 137. Blumea lacera, DC. 138. Echinops echinatus, Roxb. 139. Eclipta alba, Hassk. 140. Elephantopus scaber, Linn. 141. Helianthus annus; Linn. 142. Launaea nudicaulis, Hook. 143. Sonchus arvensis, Linn. 144. Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. 145. Tagetes erecta, Linn. 146. Tricholepis glaberrima, DC. fe 147. Tridax procumbens, L. + 148. Vernonia anthelminticum, Willd. 149. Vernonia cinerea, Less. 150. Xanthium strumarium, Linn. PLUMBAGINACEAE 151. Plumbago zeylanica, Linn. SAPATACEAE 152. Madhuca indica, J.F.Gmel. Others F F F F F F 8 F F LL LL LL LL F F + F LL F Occurrence F 14- 345 E
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath EBENACEAE 153. Diospyros melanoxylon, Brand. OLEACEAE 154. Nyctanthes arbortristis, Linn. APOCYNACEAE 155. Holarrhena antidysenterica, Wall Cat. 156. Nerium indicum, Mill. 157. Nerium odorum, Soland. 158. Vinca rosca, Linn. 159. Wrightia tinctoria, Br. ASCLEPADACEAE 160. Calotropis gigantia, R.B. 161. Calotropis procera, R.Br. 162. Gymnema sylvestre, R.Br. 163. Hemidesmus indicus, R.Br. 164. Trichodesma zeylanicum, Br. 165. Tylophora indica, (Burm.f.) Merr. အကျးသ ခြငး + -39 X ပးလ Others ** I F F F F ཝས.........ཨཨཏ F F F F Occurrence R R E E
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Occurrence Classified list of plants Nath Others BORAGINACEAE 166. Cordia macleodii, Hook f. & Thoms. 167. Cordia myxa, Linn. CONVOLVULACEAE 168. Convolvulus arvensis, Linn. 169. Convolvulus pluricaulis, chois. 170. Cuscuta reflexa, Roxb. 171. Ipomoea aquatica, Forsk. 172. Ipomoea fistulosa, Mart. 173. Ipomoea nil, (L) Rath. 174. Ipomoea pestigridis, L. 175. Ipomoea turpathum, R.Br. SOLANACEAE 176. Capsicum annum, L.Watt. 177. Datura fastuosa, Linn. 178. Datura innoxia, Mill. 179. Datura metal, Linn. 180. Nicotiana tabacum, Linn. ni F 7 7 7 7 F F အဥး B F + + LL F LL LL LL F F R ↑ R 1
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath 181. Physalis minima, Linn. 182. Solanum indicum, L. 183. Solanum melongena, Linn. 184. Solanum nigrum, Linn. 185. Solanum suratense, Linn. 186. Solanum xanthocarpum, Schraud and Wendl. SCROPHULARINEAE 187. Alectra parasitica, A. Rich.Var. Chitrakutensis, Rau. 188. Limnophilia indica, (Linn) Druce. PEDALIACEAE 189. Martynia annua, Linn. 190. Pedalium murex, Linn Druce. 191. Sesamum indicum, Linn. ACANTHACEAE 192. Adhatoda vasica, Nees. 193. Andrographis paniculata, Nees. 194. Asteracantha longifolia, Nees. 195. Barleria cristata, L. ཕག་ལ མ་སན། အာ t Others F F ***** 254 ✓ IL F LL F + ou Occurrence F F F + F R I R A ** + >
S.No. Classified list of plants 196. Barleria prionitis, Linn. 197. Elytararia acaulis, (L.F.) Lindau. 198. Lepidagathis trinervis, Nees. 199. Peristrophe bicalyculata, Nees. VERBENACEAE 200. Lantana camara, Linn. 201. Lippia nodiflora, Rich. Ethnobotanical informations Nath t Others F အမျးက པ་ཆས o 202. Tectona grandis, Linn. 203. Vitex negundo, Linn. LABIATAE 204. Hyptis suaveolens, Poit. 205. Leucas aspera, Spreng. 206. Leucas cephalotes, Spreng. 207. Mentha arvensis, Linn. 208. Ocimum americanum, Linn. 209. Ocimum basilicum, Linn. 210. Ocimum gratissimum, L. 211. Ocimum sanctum, Linn. K ☑ + ☑ ☆ 1 + + 1 ས LL F F LL LL L F F F F F Occurrence E 14
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Nath 212. Orthosiphon pallidus, Royle. NYCTAGINACEAE 213. Boerhaavia chinensis, Linn. 214. Boerhaavia diffusa, L... AMARANTHACEAE 215. Achyranthes aspera, Linn. 216. Amaranthus gracilis, Desf. 217. Amaranthus spinosus, Linn. 218. Amaranthus viridis, Linn. CHENOPODIACEAE 219. Beta vulgaris, Linn. 220.Chenopodium album, Linn. 221. Spinacia oleracea, Linn. POLYGONACEAE 222. Polygonum glabrum, willd. ARISTOLOCHIACEAE 223. Aristolochia bracteata, Retz. အားအာ Others F F F Occurrence F F LL LL LL F + F F F RA F M
Ethnobotanical informations Others Classified list of plants Nath PIPERACEAE 224. Piper betle, Linn. EUPHORBIACEAE 225. Acalypha indica, Linn. 226. Emblica officinalis, Gaertn. 227. Euphorbia antiquorum, Linn. 228. Euphorbia hirta, Linn. 229. Euphorbia hypercifolia, Linn. 230. Euphorbia thymifolia, Linn. 231. Jatropha gossypifolia, Linn. 232. Mallotus philippinensis, Muell. Arg. 233. Phyllanthus niruri, Linn. 234. Phyllanthus simplex, Retz. ☑ ☑ ☑ + အမျး + 235. Ricinus communis, Linn. MORACEAE 236. Ficus benghalensis, Linn. 237. Ficus racemosa, Wau. Cat. 238. Ficus religiosa, Linn. ဆငးလာ F mao F F L F DEF Occurrence 7 7 7 7 pa F ន L LLLL L F F TZ= +++
Classified list of plants 239. Ficus rumphii, Blume. 240. Holoptelia integrifolia, Planch. ZINGIBERACEAE 241. Curcuma domestica, Salisb. 242. Zingiber officinale, Rosc. AMARYLLIDACEAE 243. Crinum defixum, Ker-Gawl. 244. Curculigo orchioides, Gaertn. ༅། ཧ་རར་ལཙ ཙ ཙ=ཡ་ ཡང་ས་ LILIACEAE 245. Allium cepa, Linn. 246. Allium sativum, Linn. 247. Aloe barbadensis, Mill. 248. Asparagus racemosus, Willd. 249. Chlorophytum tuberosum, Baber. 250. Gloriosa superba, Linn. 251. Urginea indica, Kunth. COMMELINACEAE 252. Commelina benghalensis, L. Ethnobotanical informations Nath + + အက လာပြး အာ + ☑ Others F + www F Occurrence F w F T F F lin E E Bre Ex E
S.No. Ethnobotanical informations Classified list of plants Occurrence Nath Others PALMAE 253. Borassus flabellifer, Linn. 254. Phoenix sylvestris, Roxb. ARACEAE 255. Colocasia esculenta, (Linn) Schott. 256. Pistia stratiotes, Linn. TYPHACEAE 257. Typha angustata, Chaub. & Bory. CYPERACEAE 258. Eleocharis dulcis, (Burm. f.) Trinius. 259. Scirpus grossus, Linn. GRAMINEAE 260. Avena sativa, Linn. 261. Cynodon dactylon, Linn. 262. Dendrocalamus strictus, Nees. 263. Hordeum vulgare, Linn. 264. Oryza rufipogon, Griff. 265. Oryza sativa, Linn. + qi ☑ + + op F B F A F LL LL F F LL LL R wu R M 152 A
ག (C) % pm 6ཏག- 6, pp 1 vi S.No. Classified list of plants 266. Pennisetum typhoides, Stapf. 267. Saccharum spontaneum, L. 268. Sorghum vulgare, Linn. 269. Triticum vulgare, Vill. 270. Vetiveria zizanioides, Linn. CRYPTOGAMS SELAGINELLAE 271. Selaginella bryopteris, (L) Baker. POLYPODIACEAE 272. Actinioipteris dichotoma, (Kuhu) Hook. Ethnobotanical informations Nath + ☑ အရင။ t Others + + = Indicates information obtained Indicates no information obtained t LL F LL F LL Occurrence Frequent Rare E = Endangered Occurrence : F M R d R E
Table 2 RARE AND ENDANGERED PLANTS Occurrance Main ethnobotanical use S.No. Botanical name Causes of being rare and Endange 1. Actinioipteris dichatoma (Kuhu) Hook R Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 2. Albizzia procera. Benth R Medicinal Cutting of plants for fuel. 3. Alectra parasitica, A. Rich. Var. R Medicinal Destruction of host plant. (Vitex neyundo) Chitrakutensis, Rau. 4. Aristolochia bracteata, Retz. R Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 5. Borassus flaballifer, Linn. R Mat & toys Cutting of plants for timber. 6. Celastrus paniculata, Willd. E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 7. Centella asiatica (Linn.) Urban. Roxb. E Medicinal 8. Chlorophytum tuberosum, Baber. E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. Grazing and trampling by cattles. 9. Cissampelos pareira, Linn. R Medicinal 10. Cordia macleodii, Hook F. R Medicinal 11. Cordia myxa, Linn. R Medicinal 12. Curculigo orchioides, Gaertn. E Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & Agri. impliments Cutting of plants for timber & Agri. impliments. Cutting of plants for timber & Agri. impliments. Grazing and trampling by cattles. 13. Dalbergia latifolia, Roxb. R Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & Agri. impliments.
S.No. Botanical name Occurrance Main ethnobotanical use Causes of being rare and Endangered 14. Dendrocalamus strictus, Nees. R Basket/Musical Instruments Rarely cultivated for thatching purpose. 15. Desmodium gangeticum. D.C. E Medicinal 16. Dillenia indica. Linn. R Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. Cutting of plants for fuel. 17. Elytararia acaulis (L.F.) Lindau. lla E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 18. Gloriosa superba, Linn. E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 19. Helicteres isora, Linn. R Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 20. Hemidesmus indicus R. Br. E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 21. Holarrhena antidysenterica, Wall cat. E Medicinal 22. Hydrocotyle rotundifolia, Roxb. R Medicinal Cutting of plants for fuel & making toys. Grazing and trampling by cattles. 23. Mallotus philippinensis, Muell. Arg. E Medicinal & dye Cutting of plants for fuel. 24. Medicago sativa, Linn. R Fooder Cutting of plants for fuel. 25. Momordica dioica, Roxb. R Vegetable & Medicinal Cutting of plants for fuel. 26. Pithecellobium dulce, Roxb. Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & Agri. impliments
156 Botanical name ས་ ་ ་ཚ། ན 8 ག ཧ 27. Plumbago zeylanica, Linn. 28. Psoralea corylifolia, L. 29. Sapindus trifoliatus, Linn. Occurrance Main ethnobotanical use E Medicinal Causes of being rare and Endangere Grazing by cattles. R Medicinal & Fooder Excessive use of plants as fooder. R Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & fuel. 30. Selaginella bryopteris (L) Baker E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 31. Semecarpus anacardium, Linn. R Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & fuel. 32. Sesamum indicum, Linn. R Medicinal Cutting of plants for timber & fuel. 33. Shorea robusta, Goerth. F. R Building material Cutting of plants for timber & fuel. 34. Trychodesma zeylanicum Br. R Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. 35. Tylophora indica (Burm. F.) Merr R 36. Urena lobata, Linn. Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles. ☑ Rope manufacture Cutting,grazing & trampling by cattles. 37. Uraria picta, Desv. Occurrence R = Rare, E = Endangered : E Medicinal Grazing and trampling by cattles.
S.No. Botanical Name TABLE - 3 Totems bases on plants Method of Use/Totems 1. Acacia arabica, Willd. 2. Achyranthes aspera. Linn. 3. Argemone mexicana. Linn. A stone is tied with thread and it is taken around over the head of the patient suffering from malaria, now it is tied around the stem of A. arabica early in the morning either on Sunday or Wednesday for the treatment of malaria. (a) The root and leaves are tied on the wrist of the patient on Sunday or Wednesday for the treatment of Jaundice and intermitant fever. (b) The plant of A. aspera is pulled out with only one hand and the root tied with red thread is put around the waist of a lady suffering from delivery pains to get relief and early delivery. A man is asked to run away after seeing the root of A. mexicana either on Sunday or Wednesday answering some questions according to the instructions given by the practitioner to cure malaria.
4. Calotropis gigantia. R.Br. 5. Cissampelos pareira. Linn. 6. Clitoria ternatea. Linn. 7. Echinops echinatus. Roxb. 8. Euphorbia hypercifolia, Linn. 9. Ficus religiosa. Linn. 10. Gloriosa superba. Linn. A child suffering from rickets is cured if the water used for his bath is thrown on C. gigantia on Sunday or Wednesday. A part of the climber is tied on the wrist of the child suffering from acute dysentery. A piece of the root of C. ternatea is tied round the arm of the child on Sunday or Wednesday to cure rickets. If a lady feels more pain at the time of delivery and the delivery is delayed, the root of E. echinatus is tied with thread around the waist of the lady for immediate delivery. The root of plant is tied with the thread around the ear it is said to be useful for the treatment of malaria fever. a) A lady suffering from hsteria is said to be cured if she invites the tree on Saturday night, goes there early in the morning on Sunday and takes three rounds of the tree. b) The petiole of the leaves is gradually put in the ear for the treatment of snake bite. a) If the tuberous root of the G. superba is thrown on the tiles of the house, the
11. Gynandropsis gynandra. Linn. 12. Holoptella integrifolia (Roxb.) Planch. 13. Jatropha gossypifolia, Linn. 14. Mangifera indica, Linn. 15 Mimosa pudica. Linn. members of the family often quarrel with one another. Hence the plant locally known as "kirkichyan". b) The root is tied on the wrist and the leg of the women for easy delivery. The leaves is rolled and tied around the ear for the treatment of ghost effect. A piece of the bark of H. intergrifolia is tied on the arm early in the morning either on Sunday or Wednesday to the patient suffering from hydrocele. The root of J. gossypifolia is put around the neck of the cattle for healing of wounds. a) The inflorescence of the plant is used to keep away the snakes from the houses. b) A man is not bitten by snakes and scorpions etc. if the inflorescence of M. indica is smeared with his palms and inhaled for three times. If a man rubs the leaves of M. pudica on his body either on Sunday or Wednesday, he will not be bitten by snakes.
16. Nerium indicum. Mill. 17. Plumbago zeylanica, Linn. 18. Solanum indicum. Linn. 19. Solanum suratense, Linn. The root of N. indicum cut into pieces and tied with white thread is put on the wrist of the patient either on Sunday or Wednesday to cure malaria fever. The root of P. zeylanica is tied round the arm of the patient on Sunday or Wednesday to cure muscular pain and joint pain. A small piece of the twig is tied round the arm of the patient to get relief from conjuctivitis. The root of the plant is taken out on Sunday. It is tied with the cow's horn for some time. This root is now untide with the horn and treated with the smoke of guggul. The treated root is tied with the neck of women for early delivery.
TABLE - 4 Flowers, Fruits, Plants and woods as offering to Gods and Goddesses S.No. Botanical Name Remarks 161 1. Aegle marmelos, Correa 2. Butea monosperma, Lam. 3. Calotropis gigantia, R.B. 4. Cucumis sativus, Linn. 5. Curcuma domestica, Salisb. 6. Cynadon dactylon, Linn. 7. Datura metal, Linn. 8. Eugenia jambolana, Linn. 9. Feronia elephantum, Correa. 10. Ficus benghalensis, Linn. 11. F. religiosa, Linn. 12. Hordeum vulgare, Linn. 13. Mangifera indica, L. Leaves used for worship of Lord Shiva. Wood of the plant is used for 'Mandap' during marriage ceremony. It is also used for 'Haven' during worship. The flowers are offered to lord Shiva. The fruits is used on the festival of 'Shri Krishna Janmashtmi'. The powdered rhizome is offered to all the gods and goddesses. The plants are offered to lord 'Ganesha'. The flowers and fruits are offered to lord 'Shiva'. The fruits are offered to lord 'Ganesha'. Fruits offered to God during worship. Plants is worshipped on 'Akshya Tritiya'. Plant is worshipped to please lord 'Shani'. The young plants are worshipped during 'Nav Ratri'. The plant is worshipped for lord 'Prajapati'.
14. Mitragyna parvifolia, (Roxb.) 15. Nerium indicum. Mill. 16. Nymphaea stellata, Willd. 17. Ocimum sanctum, Linn. 18. Oryza Sativa, Linn. 19. Piper betle, Linn. 20. Zizypus nummularia, W & A. The wood are offered to lord 'Ganesha'. The flowers are worshipped for goddess 'Durga' and the lord 'Shiva'. The flowers are offered the god 'Vishnu'. It is believed as a sacred plant and worshipped daily by the tribal people. Its leaves are offered to lord 'Vishnu'. The seeds are offered to all the gods and goddesses during worships. The leves are offered to lord 'Vishnu', 'Shiva' and goddess 'Durga'. Fruits are offered to god 'Shiva'.
S.No. Botanical Name TABLE 5 Festivals of plants Method of Use/Name of festival 163 1. Acacia arabica. Willd 2. Butea monosperma, Kuntze 3. Emblica officinalis, Linn. 4. Ficus benghalensis, Linn. The spiny and dry branches of A. arabica are decorated with different coloured flowers. Various fruits are also offered by girls to it on the occassion of the festival "Mamulian" in the month of Bhadrapada*. On the last day of the month of Asharh* the fibers obtained from the roots of B. monosperma (locally called as Bakonda), are tied on the wrist of the village people as 'raksha' mainly by the local Brahmins on 'Guru Purnima'. Women worship the tree on the ocassion of the festival 'Ichchha Navami' celebrated in the month of 'Kartika" for the fulfilment of their desires. (a. The tree is worshipped by the women in the memory of 'Sati Savitri' on the occasion of 'Akhaya Tritiya' celebrated in the month of 'Jyeshtha'. (b) In the month of 'Baisakh' * the rural
164 5. Ocimum sanctum, Linn. 6. Solanum xanthocarpum, Schrad & Wendl (L). girls worshipped the tree on the occasion of the festival 'Akti'. The sacred plant is planted in the houses of various rural inhabitants and worshipped on the occasion of 'Somvati Amavasya'. While worshipping the plant women move in circle around it for one hundred and eight times for the fulfilment of their desires. In the month of 'Chaitra' and 'Kartika'* while worshipping the 'Bhaiya Duj' the women were found using the plants of S. xanthocarpum. Hindi months of the year
Table - 6 + PLANTS/PLANT PARTS RECORDED TO BE USED AS ANTIDOTE TO SNAKE BITE, SCORPION STING AND INSECT BITE 1 Root Stem Leaves | Seed Fruit Inflorescence Corm Rizome Bud Whole Snake Scorpion /Bark/Bark Plant bite Insect Sting Bite S. Plant name No. 1 Acalypha indica, Linn 2 Achyranthes aspera, Linn za 3 Adhatoda vasica, Nees 4 Ageratum conyzoides, Linn 5 Albizzia Lebbeck, Benth. 6 Anogeissus latifolia, Wall. + 7 Andrographis paniculata, Nees 8 Argemone maxicana, Linn 9 Artemisia vulgaris, Linn 10 Azadirachta indica, A. Juss 11 Balanites aegyptiaca, Linn Delile 12 Bauhinia tomentosa, Linn 13 Bidens biternata, (Laur) Merr. 14 Boerhaavia diffusa, L. 15 Borassus flabellifer, Linn 16 Calotropis gigantia R.B. + 17 Cassia fistula, Linn 18 C.occidentalis, Linn 19 C. tora, Linn. + 20 Cissampelos pareira, Linn + + Refer + + ☑ + + ☑ + + + ☑ f သာ x + ☑ + + f * * + ap + + x
ས ས ཤ ར ཐ ཤ ཆ ཤ ཀ 8 ར 8 3 ད 8 8 * 8 8 $ * ཨབ ཙཝ Plant name Root Stem Leaves /Bark /Bark Citrus medica, Linn Cleome viscosa, Linn Clitoria ternatea, Linn Colocasia esculenta, (Linn) Schott. Curculigo orchioides, Gaerth. Datura metal, Linn Desmodium gangeticum, D.C. Eclipta alba, Hassk Eugenia jambolana, Lam. Euphorbia hypercifolia, Linn E.thymifolia, Linn Ficus racemosa, Wall. Cat. Flacourtia indica, Merr Gloriosa superba, Linn Gossypium herbaceum, Linn Gymnema sylvestre, R.Br. Gynandropsis gynandra, Linn Helicteres isora, Linn Hemidesmus indicus, R.Br. Ipomoea aquatica, Forsk 1. fistulosa, Mart 1. turpathum, R.Br. Leucas aspera, Spreng L. cephalotes, Spreng Mangifera indica, Linn + + + Expe ☑ go f ན༽ཁ + yin paos * Inflorescence|Gorm Rizome Bud Whole Plant Snako Scorpion Sting bitc + 35 ✓ + f ☑ + x + + + ☑ na ☑ + པལ་ + + ☑ + Bit.
Whole Snake Scorpion Ins Plant bite Sting E + + + + 6, 125, 1971 any grannies Root Stem Leaves Seed Fruit (Inflorescence Corm Rizome Bud Plant name /Bark/Bark + 46 Martynia annua, Linn 47 Mimosa pudica, Linn Momordica dioica Roxb 48 49 Morinda tinctoria Roxb 50 Nicotiana tabacum, Linn 51 Ocimum basilicum, Linn 52 O.sanctum, Linn 53 Oxalis corniculata, Linn 54 Paristrophe bicalyculata, Nees Phyllanthus niruri, Linn 1922232000 and at the end of it a to od 3 3 3 8 S. No. 55 56 57 58 59 Ricinus communis, Linn Scirpus grossus, Linn Solanum indicum, Linn S.surantense, Linn 60 S.xanthocarpum, Schraud and Wendle 61 Tephrosia purpurea, Linn 62 Tinospora cordifolia (Willd) Miers 63 Uraria picta, Desv 64 Urginea indica, Kunth Vernonia anthelminticum, Willd Vetiveria zizanioides, Linn + + + + + + ✓ ད་ % + fu + f + * + + q you + obra + ✓
168 DISCUSSION With the advancement of the modern civilization the traditional knowledge about the use of plants for various purposes amongst the aboriginal culture is rapidly disappearing. The importance and urgent need of the ethnobotanical studies to find out the secrets of nature through the collection of data from such rapidly disappearing primitive culture have also been recognised by various. workers. (Harshberger, 1896: Schultes, 1962; Jain, 1967; De, 1968; Jain, 1981. Singh et. al., 1994; Maheshwari 1996, Das, 1997; Jain, 2000; Saxena & Patnaik, 2000). The plants are used as medicines, food, fooder etc. among the primitive societies. The knowledge about the uses of plants is totally based on their long felt traditional experiences. It will be of considerable significance if due importance is given to the value of such experiences. It is more convenient and useful if any ethnobotanical study is carried out in a limited area geographical units or tribes (Jain 1967). Keeping this in view the present ethnobotanical studies were taken up on the 'Nath' (Primitive people) inhabiting in different localities of Bundelkhand region Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The information enumerated in the text is based on the personal interview with the people of 'Nath' dominanted villages of Banda, Kabarai, Mahoba. Moth & Jhansi Tahsils of Uttar Pradesh and Chhatarpur tahsil of Madhya Pradesh provided information about the ethnobotanical uses of plants. Besides a number J
5 of rural people including cowherds, goatherds, shepheards etc. were also interviewed. Many vaidyas, medicinman and herbalist of the area have also provided a number of valuable information about the traditional uses of plants. It was observed that the 'Nath' appeared to be more conservative and did not like to share their knowledge with the others, the rural medicineman and herbalist seemed proud of telling the secrets about the traditional knowledge of plant, even some of them required great persuation similar experiences were also reported by Jain (1965) during the survey of the tribals of Bastar, Madhya Pradesh. A classified list of the plants of ethnobotanical records enumerated in the text is presented in the table- 1, giving the source of information about the plant(s) and its occurrence. It is evident (Table-1) that the ethnobotanical information are mainly based on the personal interviews and field visits of the 'Nath' inhabited area. The data on occurrence of the plant species (frequent, rare. endangered) based on visual observation indicated that out of 272 plant species of ethnobotanical importance 235 plant species are frequent, 24 plants species are rare and 13 plant species are endangered as regards their availability or occurrence in the area under study. There appears a significant impect of interaction between the man and environment. It indicate the over exploitation of the plant species by the rural people/for various uses other than ethnobotanical ones (Table-2)
170 1. CATEGORISATION OF PLANTS: The ethnobotanical surveys carried out in the area under study during last four years, have revealed information regarding the ethnobotanical uses of 272. plant species belonging to 211 genera and 74 families (Table 1). These plants are classified under different categories following the scheme adopted by Sharma and Lakshminarasimhan (1986). A. FOOD PLANTS (i) PICKLES, CONDIMENTS AND SPICES :Pickles Condiments Spices Capsicum annum, Emblica officinalis, Mangifera indica, Moringa oleifera. Tamarindus indicus. Brassica nigra, Capsicum annum. Trigonella foenumgraecum. (ii) LACTATION INDUCING PLANTS IN WOMEN :Improvement of Lactation Acalypha indica, Asparagus recemosus, Cuscuta reflexa, Euphobia hirta, Hemidesmus indicus, Launaea nudicaulis. (iii) VEGETABLES : Bulb Flower Fruits Allium cepa Bauhinia variegata Celastrus paniculata, Crotalaria juncea, Cucurbita maxima. C. pepo. Dolichos lablab. Lathyrus sativus, Momordica diocia. Moringa oleifera.
171 Leaves Corm/Rhizome/Tuber Whole plant (iv) WILD EDIBLE PLANT :Amaranthus spinosus, Bauhinia variegata, Brassica compestris, B. juncea. Centella asiatica, Chenopodicum album, Commelina beghalensis, Corchorus antichorus, Lathyrus sativus, Oxalis corniculata, O. latifolia, Solanum nigrum, Trigonella emodi, T. foenumgraecum. Colocasia esculenta, Typha angustata Raphanus sativus. The tribals and rural inhabitants were found using wild edible plants or plant parts as supplement of their food during scarcity. Based on the plant part(s) eaten. They can be classified into following groups: Flowers Fruits Rhizome Seeds Madhuca indica Borassus flabellifer, Buchanania lanzan, Carica papaya, Gardenia gummifera, Citrullus vulgaris, Cucumis melo, C. Sativus, Eugenia Jambolana, Ficus racemosa, Flacourtia indica, Mangifera indica, Physalis minima, Psidium quajava, Solanum nigrum, Trapa natans. Zizyphus jujuba. Z. numularia. Scirpus grossus. Buchania lanzan, Gardenia gummifera, Cleome viscosa, Impatiens balsamia, Oryza sativa, oxalis corniculata.
Whole plant Raphanus sativus. B. FODDER PLANTS (i) Feed and fodders for domestic animals C. MEDICINAL PLANTS 172 Amaranthus spinosus, Avena sativa. Brassica compestris, B. juncea, Chenopodium album, Convolvulus arvensis, Hordeum vulgare, Lathyrus sativus, Medicago sativa, Oryza rufipogon. Peristrophe bicalyculata. Sorghum vulgare. In the account given below the plants are categorised on the basis of their ethnobotanical uses with respect to a particular disease in human beings. Abortifacient Carica papaya Acidity Abscess Trapa natens Achyranthes aspera Antidotes to Snake bite, Scorpion sting and Insect bite Acalypha indica, Achyranthes aspera, Adhatoda vasica, Ageratum conyzoides, Albizzia lebbeck, Anageissus latifolia, Andrographis paniculata. Argemone maxicana, Atremisia vulgaris. Azadirachta indica, Balanites aegyptiaca, Bauhinia tomentosa, Bidens biternata, Boerhavia diffusa, Borassus
173 flabellifer. Calotropis gigantia, Cassia fistula, C. occidentalis, C. tora, Cissampelos pareira, Citrus medica, Cleome viscosa, Clitaria ternatea, Colocasia esculenta, Curculigo orchoides, Datura metal, Desmodium gangeticum, Eclipta alba, Eugenia jambolana, Euphorbia hypercifolia, E. thymifolia, Ficus racemosa. Flacourtia indica, Gloriosa superba, Gossypium herbaceum, Gymnema sylvestre, Gynandropsis gynandra, Helictreres isora, Hemidesmus indicus, Ipomoea aquatica, I. fistulosa, 1. turpathum, Leucas aspera, L. cephalotes, Mangifera indica, Martynia annua, Mimosa pudica, Momordica diocia, Morinda tintoria, Nicotiana tabacum, Ocimum basillicum, O. sanctum, Oxalis corniculata, Paristrophe bicalyculata, Phyllanthus niruri, Ricinus communis. Scirpus grosus, Solanum indicum, S. suratens, S. xanthocarpum, Tephrosia purpurea. Tinospora cardifolia, Uraria picta, Urginea indica, Vernonia anthelminticum, Vetiveria zizanioides. Anemia Asthma Amaranthus gracilis Achyranthes aspera, Barleria prionitis, Blumea lacera, Calotropis gigantia, Calotropis procera, Curcuma domestica, Datura fastuosa, Euphorbia antiquorum, Euphorbia hirta, Mentha arvensis, Pennisetum typhoides, Tephrosia purpurea and Tylophora indica. Backache Nerium odorum, Trachyspermum amni, Tribulus terrestris and Zingiber officinale.
Boils 174 Albizzia lebbek, Amaranthus spinosus. Barlaria cristata, cassia obtusifolia, Datura fastuosa, D. innoxia, D. metal, Elytararia acaulis, Ficus benghalensis, Hemidesmus indicus, Hordeum vulgare, Ipomoea fistulosa. 1. pestigridis, Jatropha gossypifolia, leucas cephalotes, Linum uritissimum, Luffa echinata, Momardica dioica, Moringa oleifara, Mucuna prurita, ocimum americanum, O. basillicum, Portulaca oleracea, Ricinus communis, Sapindus trifoliatus, Sida acuta, xanthium strumarium and Zizyphus jujuba. Bone fracture Achyranthes aspera. Brain tonic Abrus precatorius, Centella asiatica, Convolvulus pluricaulis and Sphaeranthus indicus. Cancer Xanthium strumarium. Candidiasis. Bauhinia racemosa. Catract Solanum suratense. Cooling effect Citrullus vulgaris and Lawsonia inermis. Colic/Stomachache/Indigestion Barlaria prionitis. Bauhinia purpurea, Caesalpinia cristata, Coculus hirsutus, Cucumis sativus, Diospyros melanoxylon, Eleocharis dulcis. Eugenia
175 jambolana, Euphorbia thymifolia. Hyptis suaveolens. Melia azadirach and Polygonum glabrum. Constipation Bauhinia variegata, variegata, Mallotus philippinensis, Physalis minima, Terminalia belerica and Trachyspermum amni. Cough/Whooping cough/Cold Barleria prionitis, Boswellia serrata, Chenopodium album, cissampelos pareira, Elytararia acaulis, Gossypium herbaceum, Ipomoea nil, Linum usitissimum, Mentha arvensis, Piper betel, Terminalia belerica, Tinospora cordifolia, Zingiber officinale and Zizyphus nummularia. Cuts/Wounds Aloe barbadensis, Ageratum conyzoides, Argemome maxicana, Banincasa hispida, Bryophyllum calycinum, Caesalpinia pulcherima, Cajanus indicus, Crinum defixum, Dillenia indica, Eclipta alba, Elytraria acaulis, Grewia hirsuta, Gynandropsis gynandra, Jatropha gossypifolia, Lantana camara, Lapidagathis trinervis, Oxalis corniculata, Sida cordifolia. Tridax procumbens, Triumfetta rotundifolia and zizyphus nummularia. Dendruff Azadirachta indica, Citrus medica, Cuscuta reflexa. Emblica officinalis and Ranunculus scleratus. Diarrhoea/Dysentery Aegle marmelas, Actinopteris dichotoma, Anageissus pendula. Bauhinia lanzan, B. tomentosa, Boerhavia diffusa, Centella asiatica.
176 Celastrus paniculatus, Cissampelas pareira, Cocculus hirsutus. Chorchorus trilocularis, Curculigo orchioides, Dalbergia sissoo, Desmodium gangatium. Eleocharis dulcis, Elephantopus scaber, Euphorbia hirta, E. hypercifolia, Ficus benghalensis, F. racemosa, Fumaria parvifolia, Helicteres isora. Holarrhena antidysenterica, Lippia nodiflora. Mimosa pudica, Neptunia triquetra, Ocimum americanum, Oxalis corniculata, Sida cordata, Solanum xanthocarpum, Tamirindus indica, Terminalia arjuna, Trichodesma zeylanicum, Trigonella foenumgraecum. Varnonina cinerea and Wrightia tinctoria. Diabetes Aegle marmelos, Asteracantha longifolia, Convolvulus pluricaulis. Emblica officinalis, Gymnema sylvestre, Sesamum indicum and Sorghum vulgare. Diuratic Abutilon indicum. Ear Complaints Achyranthes aspera. Allium Cepa, A. sativum, Barlaria cristata Celastrus paniculata, Cleome viscosa, Crinum defixum, Ficus benghalensis and Solanum nigrum. Easy delivery Achyranthes aspera. Elephantiasis Limnophilia indica. Eye diseases Acacia arabica, Aagle marmelos, Albizzia lebbek. Azadirachta
177 indica, Blumea lacera, Cajanus cajan, Cynodon dactylon. Rosa alba. Solanum indicum, S. xanthocarpum, Sphaeranthus indicus and Tamirindus indica Fever/Malerial Fever Abrus precatorius, Abutilon hirtum, A. indicum, Achyranthes aspera, Asteracantha longifolia, Azadirachta indica, Barleria prionitis, Caesalpinia cristata, Calotropis gigantia, Cappris decidua, Cassia fistula, C. occidedntalis, Chlorophytum tuberosum, Cissampelos pareira, Cocculus hirsutus, Commelina benghalensis, Datura innoxia, D. metal, Echinops echinatus, Gynandropsis gynandra, Hemidesmus indicus, Holarrhena antidysenterica, Lepidagathis trinervis, Leucas cephalotes, Madhuca indica, Mucuna prurita, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Nymphaea stellata, Ocimum sanctum, Plumbago zeylanica, Polygala chinensis, Tinospora cordeifolia. Wrightia tinctoria and Xanthium strumarium. Gastric trouble Helicteres isora. General debility Annona squamosa, Artemisia vulgaris, Asparagus racemosus. Avena sativa, Butea monosperma, Cordia macleodi, Euphorbia hypercifolia, E. thymifolia, Ocimum gratissimum, Oxalis latifolia, Pithecollobium dulce. Phoenix sylvestris, Salmalia malabaricum, Selaginella bryopteris, Sesamum indicum, Solanum indicum. Tinospora cordifolia, Trapa natens, Tribulus. terrestris, Woodfordia fruiticosa and Zizyphus jujuba.
178 Glycosuria Goitre Pedalium murex. Clitoria ternatea, Dolichos lab-lab and Lagenaria vulgaris. Gonorrhoea Acacia arabica, Butea monosperma, Cocculus hirsutus, Delbergia sissoo, Pedalium murex. Solanum suratense and Sida spinosa. Hair Tonic Headache Cuscuta reflexa, Eclipta alba and Emblica officinalis. Acacia arabica, Actinopteris dichotoma, Annona squamosa, Ficus religiosa, Nerium odorum, Polygonum glabrum, Psidium guajava, Ricinus communis, Rosa alba, Solanum suratense, Tagetes erecta and Trachyspermum amni. Heart disease Beta velgaris. Ficus religiosa, Lawsonia inermis, Pennisetum typhoides and Terminalia arjuna. Hicca Histeria Hydrocele Mentha arvensis and Zingiber officinale. Cynadon dactylon. Mimosa pudica and Nicotiana tabacum. Hydrophobia Achyranthes aspera, Amaranthus spinosus, Capsicum annum.
179 Datura fastuosa and Ipomoea pestigridis. Impotance Acacia arabica. Allium cepa, Convolvulus arvensis, Pedalium murex, Potentilla supina and Sida cordifolia. Infertility Cuscuta reflexa. Inflamation/Burns Insomnea Ficus benghalensis and Trigonella foenumgraecum. Solanum melongena. Intestinal worms/Intestinal disorders Aegle marmelos, Artemisia vulgaris, Asparagus racemosus, Azadirachta indica, Brassica Juncea, B. nigra, Butea monosperma, Cassia fistula, Citrus aurantifolia, Dalbergia latifolia, Nelumbo nucifera, Sesamum indicum and Tamirindus indica. Jaundice Anogeissus latifolia, Cordia macleodii, C. myxa, Diospyros melanoxylon, Lagenaria vulgaris, Momordica dioica, Ocimum gratissimum, Oldenlandia corymbosa, Phyllanthus niruri, Solanum nigrum, Sonchus arvensis and Terminalia belarica. Lactation deficiency Acalypha indica. Asparagus racemosus, Cuscuta reflexa, Euphorbia hirta, Hemidesmus indicus and Launaea nudicaulis. <<
Laprosy Alectra parasitica, Celastrus paniculata. Dalbergia latifolia, Raphanus sativus, Terminalia belerica and Tricholepis glaberrima. Leucorrhoea Bauhinia tomentosa, Chlorophytum tuberosum, Corchorus antichorus, Cynodon dactylon, Ficus religiosa, F. rumphii, Pedalium murex, Saccharum spontaneum, Saraca indica and Trapa natans. Liver disorders Banincasa hispida, Boerhaavia diffusa, Centella asiatica, Cordia macleodii, C. myxa, Ipomoea nil and Oldenlandia corymbosa. Marasmus Measles Azadirachta indica, Launaea nudicaulis and Selaginella bryopteris. Lantana camara. Menstrual disorder Migrain Martynia annua and Melia azadirach. Triticum vulgare. Nail disease Paralysis Elytraria acaulis and Euphorbia antiquorum. Amaranthus spinosus, Argemone maxicana, Convolvulus pluricaulis. Nicotiana tabacum, Pithecollobium dulce and Vernonia anthelminticum. Piles/Anal fissures Abutilon indicum, Achyranthes aspera, Allium cepa, Bauhinia
181 purpurea, B. variegata, Euphorbia thymifolia, Euigenia jambolana, Ficus religiosa, Lepidagathis trinervis, Mangifera indica, Phyllanthus niruri. P. simplex, Polygonum glabrum, Spaeranthus indicus, Tephrosia purpurea. Trachyspermum amni and Vernonia cinerea. Pimples Citrus medica, Elephantopus scaber, Mentha arvensis, Salmalia malabaricum and Sida cordata. Pneumonia Balanites aegyptica, Barlaria cristata and Cassia fistula. Pyrrhoea/Tooth complaints/Scury Achyranthes aspera, Calotropis gigantia, Cassia fistula, Gynandropsis pentaphylla, Nicotiana tabacum, Ocimum basillicum, Oxalis Corniculata, Phoenix sylvestris and Solanum xanthocarpum. Reduce narcotic effect Cajanus indicus and Ocimum sanctum. Ring Worm/Round worm Amaranthus viridis, Aristolochia bracteata, Beta Vulgaris. Calotropis gigantia and Lantana camara. Rheumatism Abrus precatorius, Adhatoda vasica, Allium sativum, Ammania baccifera, Andrographis paniculata, Barlaria cristata Euphorbia thymifolia. Holoptelia integrifolia. Moringa oleifera, Nyctanthes arbortristis, Ricinus communis, Vinca rosea and Vitex negundo.
102 Sciatica officinale. Scrofula Allium sativum. Phyllanthus simplex, Ricinus communia and Zingiber Gossypium herbaceum. Skin diseases Abrus precatorius, Acacia catechu, Acalypha indica, Alectra parasitica, Amaranthus gracilis, A. Spinosus, A. viridis, Azadirachta indica. Biophytum sensitivum, Boerhaavia chinensis. Boswellia serrata, Buchanania lanzan, Calotropis gigantia, Carica papaya, Cassia obtusifolia, C. occidentalis, Citrullus vulgaris, Citrus medica, Chorchorus fascicularis, Cleome viscosa, Commenlina bengholensis, Cuscuta reflexa, Datura innoxia, D. metel, Feronia elephantum, Ficus racemosa, Flacourtia indica, Helianthus annus, Hydrocotyl rotundifolia, Jatropha gossypifolia, Lantana camara, Lawsonia inermis, Leucus aspera, L. cephalotes, Mallotus phillipensis, Melia azadirach, Morinda tintoria, Nerium indicum, Nymphaea stellata, Orthosiphon pallidus, Phasealus tribolus, Pistia straitiotes, Pongamia pinnatam, Psoralea corylifolia, Ranunculus scelratus, Solanum nigrum, Spinacea oleracea, Tectona grandis and Trachyspermum ammi. Swellings Vitex nigundo. Spermatorrhoea Asteracantha longifolia and Nelumbo nucifera.
183 Stomatitis Eugenia jambolana, Lawsonia inermis and Psidium guajava. Stone of Kidney Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Dolichos biflorus, Eugenia jambolana, Sphaeranthus indicus and Tribulus terrestris. Sun stroke Allium cepa, Cicer arietinum and Mangifera indica. Superficial thrombophlobitis/Thrombophlobitis Cajanus indicus, Capparis decidua, Plumbago zeylanica and Ricinus communis. Toothache guajava. Achyranthes aspera, Gynandropsis pentaphylla and Psidium Tuberculosis Tumor Actinopteria dichotoma and Adhatoda vasica. Boerhavia diffusa. Typhoid Diospyros melanoxylon. Uncounciousness Solanum indicum. Urinary Calculus Annona squamosa, Asteracantha longifolia, Biophytum sensitivum.
184 Desmodium gangaticum, Elephantopus scaber, Emblica officinalis, Mucuna prurita, Sida acuta and Zizyphus jujuba. Uterus diseases Woodfordia fruiticosa. Veneral diseases Vermicidal Argemone maxicana. Helicteres isora and Trachyspermum amni. Vomitting/Vomitting of blood Adhatoda vasica, Allium cepa, Dalbergia sissoo, Euphorbia hirta, Ficus religiosa and Oryza sativa. D. SUPERSTITIOUS BELIEFS The tribal people own a great number of superstitions beliefs stemmed from their age old regard for nature 'God'. Some of these superstitions are exhibited in the form of totems using a considerable number of plants viz. Acacia arabica, Achyranthes aspera, Argemone mexicana, Calotropis gigantia, Cissampelas pareira, Clitoria ternatea, Echinops echinatus, Euphorbia hypercifolia, Ficus religiosa. Gloriosa superba, Gynandropsis gynandra, Holoptetia integrifolia, Jatropha gossypifolia, Mangifera indica, Mimosa pudica, Nerium indicum, Plumbago zeylanica, Solanum indicum, Solanum suratense. (Table 3) E. VETERNARY Boils Cold Datura metal, Opuntia dillenii Echinops echinatus Eruption Datura metal
185 Eye disease Fever Improve lactation Intestinal worms Khurpaka Lice/Insects Maggots Rheumatism Skin disease/worts Curculigo orchioides Crotalaria juncea Convolvulus arvensis, Peristrophe bicalyculata Brassica campestris, B. nigra Impatiens bolsamina Desmodium gangeticum, Lawsonia inermis Mimosa pudica Gloriosa superba, Woodfordia fruticosa Aristolochia bracteata, Echinops echinatus, Tephrosia purpurea. Sores/Foot sores Eclipta alba, Elytraria acaulis, Semercarpus anacardium Stomachache/Colic/Intestinal disorders Balanites aegyptica, Cassia fistula Tongue disease Wounds F. TANNIN YIELDING Gloriosa superba Anona squamosa, Gardenia qummifera, Echinops echinatus, Elephantopus scaber. G. Dalbergia latifolia. Terminalia ariuna DYE YIELDING It is recorded that Nath don't engage themselves much in dyeing but some plants are known to them for colouring cloths. Some peopel were found
using following plants for dyeing purposes. 1. Blue dye is obtained from root of Hyptis suaveolens. 2. Orange dye is obtained from ripe fruits of Mallotus phillipensis. 3. Yellow dye is obtained from rhizome of Curcuma domestica. 186 H. TIMBER/FURNITURE/MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Acacia arabica, A. catechu, Adina cordifolia, Cassia fistula, Dalbergia sissoo, Dendrocalamus strictus, Lagenaria vulgaris, Mangifera indica, Mitragyna parvifolia, Tectona grandis, Zizyphus jujuba. 1. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS Acacia arabica, A. catechu, Adina cordifolia, Anageissus lattifolia, Dalbergia sissoo, Holoptela integrifolia, Madhuca indica, Mangifera indica, Mitragyna parvifolia, Zizyphus jujuba. J. WOOD CRAFT PLANTS (Basket, Broom, Brush, Mat) Basket of various sizes are made by sticks of Cajanus indicus, Dendrocalamus strictus, Phoenix sylvestris, Vitex negundo. Baskets, brooms and toys are made by the leaves of Phoenix sylvesteris Roots of Veteiveria zizanioides are used for making mats. K. FIBRE PLANTS Ropes are prepared from bark fibres by following beating and retting processes. Some fibre yielding plants are Crotalaria juncea, Mitragyna parvifolia The roots of Butea monosperma are used for making brushes. L. WINE MAKING indica. The wine of Mahua (Tharra) is obtained from the flowers of Madhuca
M. PLATE MAKING The plates called Dauna and Pattal are made by the leaves of Butea monosperma N. OIL YIELDING PLANTS 0. Brassica compestris. B. junccea, Moringa olifera. SQUASH MAKING Squash is prepared from fruits of Citrus aurantifolia. P. DETERGENT PLANTS Q. Butea monosperma, Sapindus trifoliatus PLANT USED FOR SMOKING The dry leaves of Ipomoea aquatica are used for smoking. R. FUEL PLANTS Acacia arabica, A. catechu, Anageissus pendula, Dalbergia sissoo. S. THATCHING MATERIAL Jai T Cajanus indicus, Crotalaria juncea, Dendrocalamus strictus. PLANT/PLANT PART(S) OFFERED TO GOD AND GODDESSES (Table-4) Aegle marmelos, Butea monosperma, Calotropis gigantia, Cucumis sativus, Curcuma domestica. Cynadon dactylon, Datura metal, Eugenia jambolana, Feronia elephantum. Ficus benghalensis, F. religiosa, Hordeum vulgare. Mangifera indica, Mitragyna parvifolia, Nerium indicum. Nymphea stellata, Ocimum sanctum. Oryza sativa, Piper bettle. Zizypus nummularia. U. FESTIVAL RELATED PLANTS (Table - 5) Acacia arabica, Butea monosperma, Emblica officinalis. Ficus
benghalensis. Ocimum sanctum. Solanum xanthocarpum. The categarisation of plant species has revealed that large number of plants were found to be used for curing various diseases in man or in cattles. The over all accesment of the above account has also indicated that a large number of plant which occupie foremost place are used as antidote to snakebite, scorpion sting and insect bite. Next in order the plants which are used for the treatment of skin diseases, diarrhoea & dysentery, fevers, boils, cuts/wounds, piles, cough & colds etc. as per the information gathered from the 'Nath'. The ethnomedicinal data given in the enumeration of the plant also indicated that no one plant is administered singly for the treatment in most of the diseases. Besides, some plants are suggested to be used for the treatment of more than one diseases. Hence the number of plants used in treating various diseases comes to about 608. It is interesting to note that a people belongs to 'Nath' community who live like a sant and travel from one place to another alongwith snakes and big sized flute, depend upon the snakes to earn money by making a show of snakes from the people for their lively hood have a good knowledge about the plants related with antidote to snakebite & scorpion sting. A total of about 66 plant species were found to be recorded as an antidote to snakebite & scorpion sting. These data were compared with the available litrature as mentioned in the text and found that the following plants are being reported for the first time to be used as an antidote to the snakebite and scorpion sting and therefore these plants are adjudged very important during the course of investigation.
S.No. Plant name 1. 2. Ageratum conyzoides Andrographis paniculata. 3. Azadirachta indica. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Bidens biternata. Colocasia esculenta. Curculigo orchoides. Eugenia jambolana. Euphorbia hypercifolia. Ficus racemosa. Ipomoea aquatica. 11. Ipomoea fistulosa. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Martynia annua. Oxalis corniculata. Scirpus grosus. Solanum suratens. Tephrosia purpurea. Urginea indica. Vetiveria zizanioides. Out of the 66 plant species described and used as antidote to snakebite, scorpionsting and insect bite, it is belived within the tribe that the roots are more effective than aerial parts of a plant. The leaves come to the next category for the said purpose. (Table no. 6) The importance of the roots of 13 plants species have been reported
190 by Maiti and Mishra (2000) for the treatment of snakebite and scorpion sting by the tribals of Midnapoor district of West Bengal. The rural people. Herbalist and Vaidyas etc. have also possess a good knowldge of medicinal uses of plants and they were also found treating the skin diseases, diarrhoea, dysentery and other common and prevallent diseases of the area. The 'Nath' and some rural people were also found using the plants for totam purposes, which can not be under estimated. These people have superstitious beliefs on the plants and they used them in the forms of totem. Such uses are still prevallent in the region and also found to be adopted by the civilized population of this educationally backword region of Bundelkhand. It is also evident from the survey that the people belonging to 'Nath' have a good ethnomedicinal knowledge as regards to the plants used as antidotes to snakebites and scorpion stings. It also shows a corrylation between the traditional knowledge of 'Nath' and their profession. Since these people inhabit chiefly in some restricted rural pockets of Banda, Kabarai, Mahoba, Moth & Jhansi tahsils of Uttar Pradesh and Chhatarpur tahsil of Madhya Pradesh with in the region rightly come under the sociological definition of tribe. In some villages viz. Aalamkhore, Rivai, Sirsi, Ghatera, Jatara, Kadaura, Silori, Laar, Negua. Padarya, Mooraya, the 'Nath' population become well organised and found to be dependent on agriculture, they might have borrowed the traditional information about the uses of plants. It is also interisting to note that these people have a sensitive understanding of ecological interdependence and seasonal variations and know how to exploit the forest resources without distroying it. They also
follow the traditional method of conservation of many plant of the forest by their faith, folklores, totems, taboos, relegions veliefs etc. However, the change in the out look of the people of 'Nath' tribe who adopted agriculture, have also been absorbed because of their contact and interactions with the modern world. It is a good example of transition of constructive dependence to destrictive dependence on the forest in the area under study. These people exploit forest resources for their needs. This is an unfortunate and undisirable trend in them. Such situation left these people to forget and for go their traditions for their survival. Environmental impact and ethnobotany : It is presumed that the tribals should be an inseparable part of the nature and be in complete harmony with it. But the to extremes, one of harmony and the other of consult with nature are observed. The later aspect has been observed more pronounced in the area under study where the tribal people and the rural population. has been found to be engaged in many activities like deforastation etc. This factor leads to the creation of vast tracts of open lands most of which is used agriculturally but another vast tracts are lyined barren with bushy for no vegetaion. It is also essential to emphasise here that the 'Nath' people who adoped wandering life and dependent on snakes and herbs, the old generation only have the traditional knowledge which has solved our purpose of ethnobotanical survey. Applied aspects of the present survey: In the modern time we have benefitted from the recent antibiotic and
synthetic drugs for the treatment of various ailments but we should not loose sight of the basic fact that the modern medicine still have not being able to replace even small percentage of the pharmacopoeial and time honoured drugs of the herbal origin. There are few new preparations which are near combination of the old and familiar active ingradiends and many of them are only chemical modification of the known therapturic agents. The people of 'Nath' tribe of Bundelkhand region have a rich cultural heritage. They are very closely linked to the ecosystem, they live in. They commonly velieves that the God 'Gorakhnath' controls the snakes and if he is pleased, snakebite can be avoided. They worshipped the God 'Gorakhnath' and use herbs for catching snakes, to prevent entry of snakes in to there houses and also for the treatment of snakebite, scorpionsting and the other diseases. Thus regarding the use of plants ethnobotanical information procured through s surveys will certainly lay a sound foundation for the invention of new cheeper drugs through proper pharmacological investigations. The folk-lores other than the medicinal use must be practically applied for the betterment of the human population. It is generally found that these lores remain as lores due to ignorance and fear in the minds of common man. Besides the ethnobotanical knowledge, the cultivation of various economically important plant may also boost up the economy of the region. such