Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by the Taungya community in Terai Arc Landscape, India

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe importance/study of community-based ethnobotanical traditional knowledge is ever-increasing for designing strategies for conservation and sustainable use, appropriate drugs and dose–illness relationship.Aims of the studyPresent study aims to document ethnobotanical attributes of diverse medicinal plants used by the Taungya community to cure ailments in Terai Arc Landscape of India.Materials and methodsEthnobotanical data was recorded by opting peoples’ participation approach involving interviews, semi-structured meetings, group discussions and filling of questionnaires.ResultsTotal 116 medicinal plant species comprising 97 genera and 48 families have been recorded, out of which 16% used externally, 39% used internally and 45% used both externally and internally. Various plant parts were used in form of powder, paste, juice, decoction, infusion, poultice and oral consumption to cure a variety of ailments. Twenty-three species are used as remedies against skin problems, 17 species against rheumatism and 14 species against fever.ConclusionTaungya community provided vast ethnobotanical knowledge in form of detail description of 116 medicinal plants (including 82 species with new phytomedicinal claims). Further, investigation on these species may lead to the discovery of novel bioactive molecules.