Traditional knowledge of ethnomedicinal plants used by the Mishing community in Sivasagar District, Assam (India)

Abstract

Ethnobotany plays a significant role in traditional medicine practices. The present study aims to enlist the ethnomedicinal plants used by the Mishing community in Sivasagar district, Assam, India. The study was conducted from March 2021 to March 2022 to record the ethnomedicinally important plants used by the Mishing community. In the present study, 109 plant species were used in different ethnomedicinal practices which belong to 55 families and 101 genera. Out of 55 families, Asteraceae is dominant with the highest number of medicinal plants (8 species, 7.33%). In the survey, the symptomatic diseases category showed the highest agreement with an FIC of 0.64%. The most commonly used plant parts for medicinal treatments were leaves (68 species, 62.38%). In comparison to other plant parts, the utilization of leaves causes less distress to the plant ensuring sustainability and its further conservation. It is concluded that the Mishing community of Sivasagar (Assam) District uses various medicinal plants to cure different diseases as their primary source of health care. This will be a significant contribution to the herbal and pharmaceutical industries for the welfare of mankind.