Medicinal Plants Diversity, Indigenous Uses and Conservation Status in Alaknanda Valley of Western Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India

The present study deals with medicinal plants used in various traditional systems of medicine in Alaknanda valley of Uttarakhand. An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted during year 2008 to 2010 in various towns and villages of the Alaknanda valley. Information on ethnomedicinal importance of the plant species was collected through interviews and discussions with the local communities. A total of 98 plant species used for medicinal purposes were recorded during the intensive surveys. In most cases, the underground parts (ischolar_mains/rhizomes/tubers) (22 %) are used for medicinal purpose, followed by leaves (19 %), whole plant (17%), bark (11%), fruits (9 %), flowers (8 %), stem (6 %) and seeds (8 %) of the plants. Maximum number of species were recorded from family Asteraceae (8 spp.), followed by Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Rosaceae, Ranunculaceae (4 spp. each), Meliaceae, Pinaceae, Polygonaceae (3 spp. each). Some commercially important medicinal plant species are facing threat due to habitat degradation over exploitation and unsustainable harvesting in the study area.