Home herbal garden for promotion of herbal health care system in Tripura

Abstract

Medicinal plants occupy a vital sector in the health care system in India. Use of these plants in traditional health care system has not only been essential but also interminable in the future too. Many plants or their parts are used in various traditional formulations by different tribes in the district North Tripura. These formulations are used to cure different ailments ranging from simple injuries, wounds, stomach pain, fever, cold and cough, bleeding and wounds, fungal infection, burns, rheumatic pain, insect bite, influenza, diarrhoea, jaundice and cirrhosis, ulcers, swelling, bone fractures, potency, antidote, skin care, night blindness, toothache, asthma, and many more. Medicinal plants play an important role in traditional health care, income generation through agro forestry, cultural identity, and livelihood security. Hence, there is a necessity for their cultivation and conservation of germplasm of the medicinal plants for future use. Conservation of rare, endangered, and threatened (RET) species has been a great concern as the whole world is realizing that the global biodiversity is being degraded very fast. Ex-situ conservation of medicinal plants in the home herbal gardens raised by traditional healers helps them earn their livelihood by serving the poor patients besides enriching their traditional knowledge base. The present paper discusses the participatory approach adopted in raising these herbal gardens with the help of traditional healers of North Tripura. A detailed account of traditional herbal formulation and their specific prescription for the treatment of different diseases is also given to present the current scenario of their utilization by these traditional healers.