Abstract

This study aimed at identifying plant species used and manipulated by the community for routine maladies in Mahendergarh district of Haryana, India. The data were collected through a series of fieldworks conducted from May, 2010 to January, 2012. Random and systematic sampling methods were employed to select the study sites as well as the informants. Ethnobotanical methods using semi-structured interviews were employed and a total of 56 species of medicinal plants belonging to 33 families were recorded. Local people use these plants in treating more than 60 diseases. The wild/natural environment yielded larger proportion of the total records followed by home gardens of the area. These species were found to have the highest diversity of medicinal applications. However, only very few individuals of each species were found in the area and this might be attributed to the ongoing habitat modification and loss of natural vegetation. Measures are needed to conserve plants that are reported to be scarce in the study area, but still, they are only harvested from the wild. Therefore, it is important to create awareness on sustainable use of the natural vegetation. Paying special attention to the medicinal plants found in the area may help to amplify the role that these plants play in healthcare, poverty alleviation as well as biodiversity conservation.

Key words: Ethnobotany, medicinal plant, healthcare, biodiversity conservation.