Traditional uses of locally available medicinal plants in Bardiya district, Nepal

Medicinal plants are traditionally used worldwide for primary healthcare. Documentation of such traditional ethnomedicinal knowledge is essential because it might be lost after loss of knowledgeable people. This study was conducted to document the traditional uses of locally available medicinal plants in Bardiya district of Nepal during March and April 2021.

Questionnaire survey method was used to collect the information about uses, local name and parts used of the medicinal plant species found in the study area. Secondary data were collected through online portals like Google Scholar and Researchgate. Data was pooled and analyzed in Excel software. The data were presented in table, graphs and pie-chart.

A total of 63 species of medicinal plants from 59 genera and 39 families were found to be used to treat 51 types of diseases. Fabaceae family represented the maximum number of plant species used (n=8). Herbs were used most frequently (n=29) among the different habit of plants. Similarly, leaf was used most frequently (n=26) to cure diseases.

The finding of the present study would be the baseline for further exploration of medicinal plants in the study area.