Traditional use of plants as medicine and poison by Tagin and Galo Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

The tribal communities concealing Arunachal Pradesh, India, uses medicinal plants for treating ailments and poisonous plants for fishing and hunting. The study was conducted with an objective to explore the important medicinal and poisonous plants of the Upper Subansiri district. Data were collected using standard questionnaires and group interviews. The data were analysed to find out the Use value and Fidelity level of the collected medicinal plants. The plants were identified referring various flora and herbaria. A total of 36 plants belonging to 26 families were reported, of which 26 were medicinal and 10 were poisonous plants. Leaves (53%) were the most commonly used plant part in herbal therapy, while 33% of the plants were used in paste form. Among the poisonous plants, score for the harmful part was maximum (36%) for the whole plant. The commonly observed reactions caused by these plants, include allergy, nausea, itching, fever, and death, in severe cases. According to the quantitative data collected from the informants, medicinal plants Clerodendrum glandulosum (96%), Ageratum houstonianum (94%), and Centella asiatica (92%) were reported with the highest Fidelity Score. As the villages are situated in the remote hills, most of the rural people of this region still depend on herbs and toxic plants for treatment, hunting, and fishing, respectively. However, biochemical investigation of these traditional medicines may unveil new direction in the modern health care system.