Comparative Study of Some Ethnomedicinal Plants among the Tribals of Datia and Sheopurkalan District (M.P.)

Abstract

-The term Ethnobotany was first used by Harshberger (1895) and its scope was much elaborated later. Ethnobotany, as an organized discipline of study in India, is rather young, just about five decades old. A number of ethnobotanists of the world have conducted comparative ethno botanical studies on different ethnic groups and different geographical regions. The comparative ethnobotany is helpful in understanding the plant use patterns and factors that affect the use of plants among different populations inhabiting different environments. During the last two decades a number of comparative ethno botanical studies have been conducted in many regions of the world. The present research work was carried out in 19 villages of 4 blocks of Datia district and 41 villages of 5 blocks of Sheopurkalan district. The research work was carried out from January 2012 to October 2015. A total of 35 plant species were reported from both the study regions. As a result of comparative study of medicinal plants it was observed that 23 plant species are used for the treatment of dissimilar diseases in Datia and Sheopurkalan districts, while 12 plant species are used for similar diseases in Datia and Sheopurkalan districts.