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<p>Karbi Anglong district of Assam, situated within the biodiversity-rich region of Northeast India, possesses extensive medicinal plant diversity supported by long-standing indigenous healthcare traditions. The present study aims to document, quantify, and spatially analyze medicinal plant use among indigenous communities of Karbi Anglong through an integrated ethnobotanical and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach. Ethnobotanical data were collected through extensive field surveys, semi-structured interviews, and group discussions involving 160 informants, including traditional healers and knowledgeable laypersons, across diverse ecological settings. A total of 205 medicinal plant species belonging to multiple taxonomic families were documented. Trees constituted the dominant life form, followed by shrubs and herbs, indicating strong dependence on forest-based perennial resources. The recorded species were traditionally used to treat a wide spectrum of ailments, with gastrointestinal and digestive disorders representing the most prominent therapeutic category, followed by respiratory, skin, neurological, and pain-related conditions. Quantitative assessment based on informant citation frequency revealed considerable variation in the cultural importance and intensity of use among species, reflecting both widely shared remedies and specialized traditional knowledge. Spatial analysis using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation in a GIS environment identified the central and southern regions of Karbi Anglong as areas of high medicinal plant richness, closely associated with forest interiors, hill slopes, and sacred groves. In contrast, lower richness was observed in areas experiencing greater anthropogenic pressure and habitat modification. The findings emphasize the ecological and cultural significance of medicinal plants and highlight the vulnerability of orally transmitted traditional knowledge in the face of socio-economic change. By integrating ethnobotanical documentation with spatial analysis, this study provides a comprehensive baseline for biodiversity conservation planning, sustainable management of medicinal plant resources, and future pharmacological research in Northeast India.</p>

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Traditional knowledge and distribution of medicinal plants in Karbi Anglong district, Assam, Northeast India

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月2日

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  • Parag Jyoti Kashyap,
  • Kuldeep Bora,
  • Sancahali Das Podder,
  • Raju Gogoi,
  • Dinesh Patgiri,
  • Rajib Pegu

摘要

Karbi Anglong district of Assam, situated within the biodiversity-rich region of Northeast India, possesses extensive medicinal plant diversity supported by long-standing indigenous healthcare traditions. The present study aims to document, quantify, and spatially analyze medicinal plant use among indigenous communities of Karbi Anglong through an integrated ethnobotanical and Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach. Ethnobotanical data were collected through extensive field surveys, semi-structured interviews, and group discussions involving 160 informants, including traditional healers and knowledgeable laypersons, across diverse ecological settings. A total of 205 medicinal plant species belonging to multiple taxonomic families were documented. Trees constituted the dominant life form, followed by shrubs and herbs, indicating strong dependence on forest-based perennial resources. The recorded species were traditionally used to treat a wide spectrum of ailments, with gastrointestinal and digestive disorders representing the most prominent therapeutic category, followed by respiratory, skin, neurological, and pain-related conditions. Quantitative assessment based on informant citation frequency revealed considerable variation in the cultural importance and intensity of use among species, reflecting both widely shared remedies and specialized traditional knowledge. Spatial analysis using Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation in a GIS environment identified the central and southern regions of Karbi Anglong as areas of high medicinal plant richness, closely associated with forest interiors, hill slopes, and sacred groves. In contrast, lower richness was observed in areas experiencing greater anthropogenic pressure and habitat modification. The findings emphasize the ecological and cultural significance of medicinal plants and highlight the vulnerability of orally transmitted traditional knowledge in the face of socio-economic change. By integrating ethnobotanical documentation with spatial analysis, this study provides a comprehensive baseline for biodiversity conservation planning, sustainable management of medicinal plant resources, and future pharmacological research in Northeast India.