Health Care Application of Phytodiversity in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Human is always dependent on plant for their basic necessities and good health. There are several ancient records for the utilization of medicinal plants to treat various ailments. Considering the fact, present investigation was conducted in rural parts of Saharanpur district of western Uttar Pradesh for documenting floristic diversity being used for managing diseases. Survey documented 61 dicotyledonous plants belonging to Polypetalae that were ethno-medicinally important based on the personal interview conducted in local population and communities. The plant specimens were collected in all the seasons, identified and their herbarium was prepared. The plants mainly belonged to family Fabaceae, Malvaceae and Cucurbitaceae. People mostly used leaves as well as seeds, roots, fruits, flowers and stem as source of medicine. Rich plant diversity is an asset to the region however, lack of awareness, overexploitation, grazing, habitat destruction and improper harvesting are some serious issues responsible for rapid decline of medicinal plant resources. It is need of the time to promote sustainable utilization in order to conserve valuable medicinal flora in the study area.