MEDICINALLY IMPORTANT PLANTS FROM GANDERBAL, KASHMIR, INDIA- AN ETHANOMEDICINAL SURVEY.

Mudasir A. Sheikh*, Shayista Chishti and Nahida Tun Nisa Chishti

ABSTRACT

The current re-emergence and the great emphasis being laid upon the medicinal plants, along with ever increasing loss of biodiversity in general and medicinal plants in particular, coupled with biopiracy and intellectual property right issues have necessitated a study on the ethno botanical research and their traditional uses. Medicinal plants have assumed more importance nowadays because of their ever increasing use in the ayurvedic and unani medicinal system but the information on their uses in medicine is lacking from many mountainous areas like Kashmir Himalayas. Thus the present study was carried out from hilly areas of Ganderbal district to document the information about plant resources which are used in the folklore medicine and advocates for thorough and rigorous phytochemical analysis to validate their authenticity and future prospects.

Keywords: Ethno botany, folklore medicine, Ganderbal, Himalayas.