Ethnobotanical Plant Resources of Tribe of Vindhyan Region of Madhya Pradesh

Prof. Skand Kumar Mishra

Head, Botany and Biotechnology, Govt. New Science College, Rewa (M.P) 486001

*Corresponding Author E-mail: skandbt@gmail.com

Introduction:

Ethnobotany is defined as the study of association, interaction and relationship of human societies especially tribal communities with surrounding vegetation. Human beings have always been largely dependent for their food, shelter, medicine and other needs on plant resources. Today, human beings, particularly the urbanites, are far removed from their plant, benefactors. But the rural and aboriginal folk are very much in harmony with nature for their various needs; they depend largely on plants. but due to rapid modernization, acculturation and resultant greatly enhanced needs; this environmental harmony is getting disturbed. Rural folk are often discarding their age old traditions and are getting absorbed into the process of modernization.

However, there still exist many ethnic groups and cultures that strive to maintain their age – old wisdom and cultures. Modern science has borrowed much of its basic knowledge from these cultures, particularly that relating to food and medicine from plants. But since these cultures too are getting influenced by the economic, scientific and technological changes, it is essential to study them before their knowledge is lost.

Vindhyan region in Madhya Pradesh located between 24⁰45' to 25⁰45' N latitudes and 75⁰38' to 82⁰50' E longitude. The total area of the region is 38370 sq.km. This area is known for natural forests and tribes. The tropical deciduous forests of the area are full of biodiversity. The Vindhyan region is the area of tribe according to 2011 census the tribe population of the region was 28.3%. The 30 types of tribe include mainly Gond, Baiga, Kol, Panika, Khairwar, Pao, Majhi, and Agaria etc. The tribes and local forests are intimately correlated socially and economically the tribes depend on forest their behaviours working convention and agriculture practices are in relation to the natural protection. They have developed their own methods of conserving many species which they felt are at the verge of extinction. The present study, therefore, aim to investigate the uses of ethnobotanical plants of Vindhyan region and priorities in conservation and management of these plants.

METHODOLOGY:

Ethnobotanical works on of Vindhyan region are not sufficient enough. The recent publications of Lal and Dubey (1992), Sikarwar and Maheshwari (1992), Dwivedi and Pandey (1992), Mishra et.al (1993), Verma and Khan (1993), Verma et.al. (1995), Jain (1996), Upadhyay and Singh (1998), Rai and Nath (2006), Mishra (2007), Mishraand Tiwari (2010) etc. give supplementary information on ethnomedicine among the tribals of study area.

Some ethnographies on the tribals, like The Kol tribe of Central India. (Griffith, 1946), A study of the tribal people and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh (Dubey and Bahadur, 1967), The Kols of Patha (Hasan, 1972), The Baiga (Elvin, 1986), Madhya Pradesh Ki Jan Jatiyan

(Tiwari and Sharma, 1995), Kol (Shandilya, 1999), Bulletins of the Tribal Research and Development Institute Bhopal, Dictionary of Indian Folk Medicine and Ethnobotany (Jain, 1991) etc. have been consulted mainly for getting insight into tribal socio-religious life, and the world-view about plant use and management.

This work is the result of personal observations made after carefully planned field work among the tribals during August 2013 to August 2014.The major part of the field work was confined at the highest concentration of the tribals. Some villages of other localities were also studied. The local informants were of five types, picked up by selected and random sampling methods: 1.the medicinemen, 2.village headmen, priests and other prominent leaders, their wives and other women, 3.the interpreters, 4.men and women working in the field, and 5.men and women in weekly market and other common places.

One or more medicine men were included in the team during data collection trips. Twenty medicine men and about 190 others, i.e. in all, about 210 people, have contributed to the information reported in this study. Each medicinal use was crosschecked with at least 10 informants.

During field work, personal observations on the environment and ecology, flora, agricultural practices and agro-economy, subsistence of food, plant resources management, conservational aspects, the people and their life, and so on were also noted in the field book. Reports of the interpreter, guide, medicinemen and other knowledgeable people were also recorded. At least 4-6 voucher specimens of each ethnobotanically important plant were collected and numbered. Their description, reported uses, and other details were entered in the field book on the spot. These specimens were kept in the field press as per standard procedure recorded in books of Field Techniques and Herbarium Methods (Jain and Rao, 1978).

For comparison of ethnomedicinal uses, Dictionary of Indian Folk Medicine and Ethnobotany (Jain, 1991b) and Useful plants of India (Ambasta 2006) have been used. Uses of plants not mentioned in these books are treated as less-known.

DISCUSSION:

Ethnobotanical investigation has led to the documentation of a large number of plants used by tribes for meeting their multifarious requirements. Application of most of the plants recorded are either lesser known or hithero unknown to the outside world.

Wild plants for food, medicine, fiber, fodder and other purposes:

A total of 332 plant species belonging to 236 genera and 98 families used by tribes for meeting their varied requirements have been recorded so far. Among these were, the Fabaceae 30, Poaceae 28, Cucurbitaceae 21, Euphorbiaceae 14, Solanaceae 12, Liliaceae and Zingiberaceae 10, Caesalpiniaceae 8, Combretaceae, Asteraceae and Acanthaceae 7.

Out of 332 species 128 are used for human consumption; they can be termed as edible; 202 of them are useful in human medicare; 30 for veterinary medicine; 32 or agricultural implements, utensils, house making, 44 for fodder and 136 for miscellaneous uses like oil, dyes, fire wood, gum and resin, piscicide, etc. Many species are used for more than one purposes.

Table: Showing group wise ethnobotanically important prominent families

Group	Families	Genera	Species	Major families with no. of plants
Monocot	15	44	80	Poaceae (28), Liliaceae (10), Zingiberaceae (10)
Dicot	83	192	252	Fabaceae (30), Cucurbitaceae (21)
Angiosperm	98	236	332	Euphorbiaceae (14), Solanaceae (12), Caesalpiniaceae (8), Acanthaceae (7), Asteraceae (7), Combreataceae (7)

Table : Showing no. of plants used for various purposes

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
202	128	32	16	10	12	19	10	11	16	44	42	52	332

1.Medicinal 2. Edible 3. Agri. implements and utensils etc. 4. Oil and oil seeds 5. Dyes 6. Musical purposes 7. Cord,rope etc. 8. Piscicides 9. Psychotrophic drugs 10. Gum and resin 11. Fodder 12. Socio-religious 13. Miscellaneous purposes 14. Total [miscellaneous purposes : Bidi making , Broom, Dona pattal, Detergent, Fire wood, Insecticide, Oral hygene, Umbrella (Khomahari) etc.].

Note : Many species are used for more than one purpose.

Edible Plants:

Tribes of study area are almost completely dependent on plants for their survival and well - being. Given below is a list of ten most important plants for their subsistence. These are listed in order of priority assigned by the investigator after careful scrutiny during his field trips to study the reliance of the tribes on these plants. Then follows a list of famine-foods or plants for crisis management. This list is arbitrary, because in a famine situation anything that is edible at hand will be consumed; thus, in reality, many more than these plants are used as famine-foods. But this gives an idea as to how they tide over unfavorable conditions.

Important Edible Plants:

Triticum aestivum (Gehun) Oryaza sativa (Dhan)

Cajanus cajan (Arhar) Madhuca longifolia (Mahua)

Solanum tuberosum (Alu) Allium cepa (Piyaz)

Sorghum vulgare (Jawar) Capsicum annum (Mirchi)

Hordeum vulgare (Jau) Paspalum scrobiculatum (Kodo)

Important famine-food:

Madhuca longifolia (Mahua) Diospyros melanoxylon (Tendu)

Buchanania lanzan (Char) Nymphaea pubescens (Kamal)

Chenopodium album (Bathua) Panicum paludosum (Kutki)

Echinochloa crus-galli (Shama) Corchorus aestuans (Chench)

Pueraria tuberosa (Bidari kand) Ficus spp. (Gular, Pipal)

Dioscorea spp. (Bilai kand, Kanda, Baichandi, Ratalu)

Commerce and cottage industry based on minor forest products:

Forest depletion has been rapid and the direct demand on forests has been mounting. Yet, the situation is not very bad, because the tribals, if left on their own to manage their affairs, have an in built system of balancing their needs and care of their environment and ecology. Due to various factors, it is unfortunate that they can not be left on their own. They need to be brought into the national mainstream to catch up with the surrounding developmental activities. A careful management of the resources is required, so that the tribals can be self-sufficient in their own environment.

Listed below are some important plants of economic, commercial and industrial values. Balanced exploitation of these can help them to achieve economic prosperity and consequently a better standard of life. They are listed according to priority of economic products presently exploited by them:

Name of plants	Local Name	Economic Products
Oryaza sativa	(Dhan)	Paddy
Tritricum aestivum	(Gehun)	Seed for food
Madhuca longifolia	(Mahua)	Flower, seeds, oil
Bambusa arundinacea	(Bans)	Basketry
Buchanania lanzan	(Char)	Seeds
Phoenix acaulis	(Chhind)	Broom and mat making
Butea monosperma	(Chhola)	Plate making and lac
Bauhinia vahlii	(Mahul)	Plate making
Hibiscus cannabinus	(Amari)	Cordage
Mangifera indica	(Aam)	Fruits
Tamarindus indica	(Imli)	Fruits
Annona squamosa	(Sitaphal)	Fruits
Carrisa carandas	(Karonda)	Fruits
Zizyphus sps.	(Ber)	Fruits
Syzygium cuminii	(Jamun)	Fruits
Diospyros melanoxylon	(Tendu)	Leaf, fruits
Artocarpus heterophyllus	(Kathal)	Fruits for vegetable
Aspragus racemosus	(Satawar)	Tuber for vegetable
Dioscorea hispida	(Biachandi)	Tuber for vegetable
Chlorophytum tuberosum	(Safedmusli)	Tuber for medicines
Cassia tora	(Chakauda)	Seeds
Acorus calamus	(Buch)	Root for medicine
Emblica officinalis	(Amla)	Fruits
Terminalia sps.	(Kahua,Harra,Bahera	Fruits,tannin,medicine etc.
Embelia robusta	(Baibidang)	Fruits for medicine
Curuma angustifolia	(Tikhur)	Rhizome for 'tikhur' prep.
Litsia glutinosa	(Maida)	Bark
Shorea robusta	(Sal)	Oil seed and gum
Acacia catechu	(Khair)	Bark for 'khair' prep.
Sterculia urens	(Kulu)	Gum
Acacia nilotica	(Babool)	Gum
Azadirachta indica	Neem	Seeds (Nimoli)
Limonia acidissima	Kaitha	Fruits
Randia dumetorum	Mainhar	Fruits
Ricinus communis	Rendi	Seeds
Schleichera oleosa	Kusum	Gum, lac, seed
Prosopis cineraria	Khejra	Pods
Bombox ceiba	Semal (Kapsa)	Seeds
Soymida febrifunga	Rohina	Fruits
Bauhinia purpuria	Koilar bhaji	Leaves
Thysanolaeno maxina	Phool bahri	Broom

This list of economic plants will be incomplete without a mention of the important wood-yielding trees of the area. Shorea robusta (Sal) is the most important among them. Acacia nilotica,(Babool), Anogeissus latifolia (Haldu), Bambusa arundinacea (Bans), Gmelina arborea (Sivan), Pterocarpus marsupium (Bija), Tectona grandis (Teak), Terminalia sps. (Saj, Kahua, Bahera, Asan), etc. also are commonly used.

IMPORTANT ETHNOBOTANICALLY USEFUL PLANTS:

From the analysis / computation of data obtained through field work study, it is obvious that some plants are of high applicability and frequently used for different purposes. Listed below are some important ethnobotanical useful plants, listed according to the type of applicability.

Important Ethnobotanically Useful Plant of Tribes of Study Area

Botanical name A- Dicot

Local name

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Azadirachta indica

Neem

+

+

+

+

+

+

Oh, I

8

Butea monosperma

Chhoola

+

+

+

+

+

+

Dp, U

8

Madhuca longipholia

Mahua

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

7

Cajanus cajan

Arhar

+

+

+

+

+

Br

6

Shorea robusta

Sal

+

+

+

+

+

+

6

Bauhinia vahlaii

Mahul

+

+

+

U,Dp

5

Bombax cieba

Semal

+

+

+

Dp,Fw

5

Diospyros melanoxylon

Tendu

+

+

+

+

Bm

5

Mangifera indica

Aam

+

+

+

+

Fw

5

Sesamum indicum

Til

+

+

+

+

Fuel

5

Acacia catechu

Khair

+

+

+

+

4

Acacia nelotica

Babool

+

+

+

Oh

4

Haldina cordifolia

Haldu

+

+

+

+

4

Annona squamosa

Sitaphal

+

+

+

+

4

Anogeissus latifolia

Dhawa

+

+

+

Fw

4

Boswellia serrata

Salai

+

+

+

+

4

Cordia dicotoma

Lasora

+

+

+

Fw

4

Emblica officinalis

Amla

+

+

+

Dt

4

Syzygium cuminii

Jamun

+

+

+

+

4

Terminalia bellirica

Bahera

+

+

+

Dt

4

Terminalia chebula

Harra

+

+

Dt

3

B. Monocot

Dendrocalamus strictus

Bans

+

+

+

+

+

Dp

6

Bambusa arundinacea

Bans

+

+

+

U

4

Curcuma longa

Haldi

+

+

+

+

4

Phoenix acaulis

Chhind

+

+

+

Br

4

Oryaza sativa

Dhan

+

+

+

+

4

Asparagus racemosus

Satawar

+

+

+

3

Paspalum scrobiculatum

Kodo

+

+

+

3

Zea mays

Makka

+

+

+

3

1.Medicinal 2. Edible 3. Agri. implements and utensils etc. 4. Oil and oil seeds 5. Dyes 6. Musical purposes 7. Cord,rope etc. 8. Piscicides 9. Psychotrophic drugs 10. Gum and resin 11. Fodder 12. Socio-religious 13. Miscellaneous purposes 14. Total

Bm= Bidi making , Br= Broom, Dp= Dona pattal, Dt= Detergent, Fw= Fire wood , I= Insecticide, Oh = Oral hygene, U= Umbrella (Khomahari) .

CONCLUSION:

The data and analysis presented so far led to the following conclusions:

· The tribal plant-use is essentially subsistence-oriented and it needs modern and scientific approach for sustainable development.

· The tribals have inherited a certain sense of conservation, but the demand and exploitation of plant resources is inversely proportional to the conservation and regeneration efforts.

· Their cultivation practices are conventional; consequently, the production is gradually declining, while the demand is ever on the increase.

· For the economic-uplift and improvement in quality of life, an organised plant-use strategy is to be developed. If their resources are pooled together and harnessed properly, the tribes can come up in life, preserving their culture, traditions and also natural resources.

This study brings to light some aspects of plant-related economy and culture of the tribes and suggests some means to improve the quality of their life, if they are promoted by the governmental and other local voluntary agencies (NGOs).

REFERENCES:

Ambasta S.P. (2006) The Useful Plants of India : NISCAIR, CSIR, New Delhi (V^th Reprint)

Dubey, B.K. and F. Bahadur 1967: A Study of the tribal people and tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh. Tri.Res.Deve. Institute Bhopal.pp 1-177.

.Dwivedi S.N., Pandey A., 1992 : Ethnobotanical studies on wild and indigenous species of Vindhyan Plateau I – Herbaceous flora. J. Econ. Tax. Bot. Add. Ser. (10) 143-150.

Elwin V.1986: The Baiga. Gian publication house New Delhi pp 1-550.

Griffiths W.G., 1946 : The Kol tribe of Central India. The Royal society of Bengal, Calcutta.

Hasan A., 1972 : The Kols of Patha. Kitab Mahal, Allahabad.

Jain S.K., 1991(b) : Dictionary of Indian folk medicine and Ethnobotany. Deep Publication, New Delhi 1-311.

Jain, S.K. and Rao R.P., 1978: A Hand book of field and Herbarium Methods. Today and Tomorrow's Printers and Publishers, Dehradun.

Lal B. and Dubey V.P., 1992 A survey of plant ethnomedicine of Amarkantak plateau in Central India. Agri. Biol. Res., 8 (1) 29-37.

Mishra S.K., Tiwari U., Dubey S. and Chatterjee D., 1993 : Forests of Central India with special reference to plant of ethnobotanical aspects. Aranya (Proc. of Nat. Semi. on Central Indian Forests, Rewa) Article XX, P. 157-162.

Shandilya 1999 : The Kols. Madhya Pradesh Adivasi Lok Kala Parisad, Bhopal.

Sikarwar R.L.S. and Maheshwari J.K.; 1992 : Some unrecorded ethnomedicinal plants from Amarkantak Plateau of Madhya Pradesh. Bull. Res. and Deve. Insti., Bhopal, 20 (1and2) 19-22.

Tiwari, S.K., Sharma, S.K., 1995 : Madhya Pradesh Ki Janjatia. Hindi Grantha Academi, Bhopal.

Upadhyay R. and Singh H., 1998 :Ethnobotanically important weed flora of Sidhi (M.P.). Proceeding of Nat. Conf. on Ethnobiology at Govt. New Science College, Rewa (M.P.)

Verma P. and Khan A.A., 1993: Habitat economy and society of the tribal of Amarkantak, district Shahdol (M.P.) India. Tropical Forestry Vol. 9 (iii) 280-282.

Verma P., Khan A.A. and Singh K.K. 1995 :Traditional phytotherapy among the Biaga tribe of Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Ethnobotany, 7 (1,2) 69-74.

Received on 22.05.2015 Modified on 05.06.2015

Accepted on 10.06.2015 ©A&V Publications All right reserved

Research J. Science and Tech. 7(3): July- Sept. 2015; Page 146-150

DOI: 10.5958/2349-2988.2015.00020.0