Ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Garo community of two villages in western Assam, India
2020
Talukdar, Simi | Gupta, Abhik
The present study documents the use of medicinal plants by the Garo tribe of Betagaon-Bamunpara (BB) and Nigamghola (NG) villages of western Assam in the northeastern region of India. Comparisons of ethnomedicinal practices in BB and NG between themselves as well as with the other Garo communities of the region and in Bangladesh have also been made. The methodology comprised interviews and focal group discussions with traditional healers and knowledgeable elderly persons. Plants were collected from wild habitats and home gardens with the help of local practitioners and identified. A total of 70 plants belonging to 44 genera and 40 families were used in 38 ethnomedicinal formulations (mono, di and polyherbal) for curing 25 ailments. The medicinal uses of 40 species recorded in the present study appear to be new records for the Garos. Herb was the dominant life form used and leaf the most commonly used plant part for treating different ailments. Sorensen Similarity Index for plant species between BB and NG was found to be 0.25. The highest number of plants was used for the treatment of pneumonia, followed by those used to cure rheumatic pain, epilepsy and jaundice. The use of di- and poly-herbal formulations, and blending with non-herbal materials might have resulted from the interactions between the Garo and the Ayurveda practitioners of this area that once belonged to the Koch kingdom and later the Princely State of Bijni. The study reveals the rich knowledge in traditional medicine that the Garos of these two villages possess.
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