The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine . Photon 118 (2013) 228-237 https://sites.google.

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The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine

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Wild medicinal plants of Umtasoar Range under Nonghkyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India and their traditional usage by Khasi tribe -I
Vipin Parkash* Ankur Jyoti Saikia, Rituparna Dutta, Debajyoti Borah
Rain Forest Research Institute (Indian Council Forestry Research & Education, Autonomous Council under Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India), Deovan, Jorhat-785001, Assam, India.
Article history: Received: 18 July 2012 Accepted: 16 August 2012 Available online: 10 January 2013 Keywords: Phytodiversity, Traditional uses, Nonghkyllem Reserve Forest, Khasi tribe Corresponding Author: Vipin Parkash* Scientist-C E mail: bhardwajvpnpark@rediffmail.com Ankur Jyoti Saikia Research Fellow E mail: rd041988@gmail.com Rituparna Dutta Research Fellow E mail: debu.bora19@gmail.com Debajyoti Borah Lab. Technical Assistant E mail: saikiaaj@icfre.org

enumerated for their traditional usage. For curing different ailments, the usage of aboveground plant parts was higher (88.09%) than the underground plant parts (11.90%). Of the aboveground plant parts, leaves were used in the majority of cases (17 species), followed by bark (9 species), fruits and stems (4 species each). Most of the plant parts utilized were of trees (13) followed by herbs and shrubs (9 each), while scrubs and climbers (2 each), contributed least in usage. It is interesting to mention that due to overexploitation, some plants i.e. Houttuynia cordata Thunb., Abroma augusta L., Eryngium foetidum L., Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees, and Puereria tuberosa L. were under threat. Only two plants of A. augusta L. were found around forest edge areas so there is urgent need to conserve this plant species in in situ and ex situ conditions. The study thus, emphasizes the potentials of research and the need for the documentation of traditional knowledge pertaining to the medicinal plant utilization for more benefit to mankind.
Citation: Parkash V., Saikia AJ., Dutta R., Borah D., 2013. Wild medicinal plants of Umtasoar Range under Nonghkyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India and their traditional usage by Khasi tribe - I The Journal of Ethnobiology and Traditional Medicine . Photon 118, 228237.

Abstract
This paper documents the hidden indigenous traditional medicinal usage of wild plants by Khasi tribe of Nonghkyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India. About 35 different plants belonging to 25 families were collected and

1. Introduction Tribal communities are considered to be forest dwellers living in harmony with their environment. They depend heavily on plants and plant products for food, forage, fire, construction of dwellings, making household implements, etc. A close association with nature has enabled tribal people to observe the rich flora and fauna around them for developing their own traditional knowledge. They have acquired the knowledge on the use of plants and plant products as herbal remedies for various ailments over the time (Jaiswal, 2010). The tribes of North-east
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India are generally categorized into two broad/tribal communities, tribes belonging to Mon Khmer culture of Austric dialect such as the Khasi and the Jaintia tribes of Meghalaya and tribes belonging to TibetoBurman subfamily of Tibeto-Chinese group who are basically Mongoloid (Kala, 2005; Dutta and Dutta, 2005). Three principal tribes of the state are the Garo in the East, West and South Garo hills districts, the Khasi in the East and West Khasi hills districts and the Jaintia in the Jaintia hills district. Khasi and Jaintia tribe is matrilineal in character, meaning the immovable property of the family, is inherited by females, especially the youngest

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daughter (http://www.north-east-india.com). Scientific interest in indigenous medicinal practices has grown in recent years. Allopathic drugs, has failed to cure numerous diseases and allopathic drugs have side-effects, which negate long-term uses. Under such circumstances, plants have become the hope for the future of discovery of novel drugs, which are more efficacious and have less sideeffect. Plants traditionally have been the source of many modern drugs and considered vital to the treatment of human beings have emerged from observing indigenous medical practices (Cotton, 1996). It has further been estimated that the probability of discovery of new drugs from plant sources is about 1 in 125, while the probability ration rises to 1 in 10,000 for synthetic chemicals (Chadwick and Marsh, 1994; Shaheen et al., 2010). 1.1 Study site Meghalaya, literally meaning "Abode of the Clouds" describes the climatic phenomenon that brings torrents of rain to this region, directly influenced by the South-western monsoon that originates in the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the wettest places on earth, The Meghalaya state, approximately 22,549 km2 in area, lies between the latitudes of o o 25 47'- 26 10' N and the longitudes of o o 89 45'- 92 45' E, with an altitude ranging from 100- 1,800 m above sea level. Nonghkyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India is a tropical semi evergreen type of forest having an area of 96 km2. The forest area receives the heaviest showers (450-500 mm) during July-August and the lowest in NovemberDecember (3-5 mm). The average minimum o temperature during January-February was 8-9 o c and maximum of 35-36 c during April-May. Due to climatic and topographic conditions, this Reserve Forest supports a vast floral diversity, including a large variety of epiphytes, succulent plants and shrubs.
Figure 1.1: Map of Meghalaya, India showing NRF and study areas in red circles

II). Umtasoar range is comprised of Umsaw, Zero-Point, Benpoint, Pen-Point, Khirdemkulai, Mowdkhar compartments from where the study survey was undertaken (see fig. 1.1). This reserve forest was undertaken for study because there was no any paper or report of ethnomedicinal usage of wild plants by Khasi tribe of Nongkhyllem Reserve Forest. Moreover, this forest is bestowed with very rich variety of wild medicinal plants which are being exploited by the Khasi tribe in their domestic life and not being domesticated yet and only those ethnomedicinal plants of Umtasoar Range are discussed in this paper-1. 2. Methodology An extensive survey was conducted with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) and forest area map during 200-10 in Umtasoar Range and collected the plant samples and data for enumeration. During the field survey, ethnomedicinal plants were collected from six compartments (classification according to Forest Department, Meghalaya) of Umtsar Range i.e. Umsaw, Khakuoi, Benpoint, Khirdemkulai, Satroh- Khadnio. These plants were preserved in herbarium sheets at Rain Forest Research Institute (Indian Council of Forest Research & Education), Jorhat, Assam, India. The standard methods of ethnobotanical studies were followed which were undertaken by several researchers (Martin, 1995; Gupta, 1995; Jain, 1995; Joshi, 1995; Mudgil, 1995; Rao and Hajra, 1995; Parkash and Aggarwal, 2010, Verma et al., 2012). Two broad approaches of ethnobotanical studies were taken under considerations which are following. 2.1 Direct approach The extensive fieldwork in the compartments/villages was done. This is usually carried out by direct contacts with villagers and first hand information was collected from all the study sites. Open ended and semi-structured interviews in a questionnaire format were conducted from local inhabitants (12 families including a local hermit locally known as Nong ai dawai kynbat) of these compartments about medicinal uses of plants. The ethnobotanical data was recorded in the following way. Proforma for ethnobotanical studies

This reserve forest comprised of two ranges i.e. Umtasoar (Range-I) and Nongpoh (RangePh ton

Name of Forest------------------------ Date --------GPS Location: --------------- Collection site -----Botanical name --------------- Nature----------------

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Local name----------- Flowering period -----------Family --------------- Fruiting period----------------Habitat-------------------- Useful parts---------------Local ethnobotanical/ medicinal uses -----------2.2 Indirect approach The information was obtained in different ways i.e. through ancient literature, personal diaries of foresters, traditional notes of local doctors/hermits, plant collectors etc. In the present investigation, both direct and indirect approaches were employed to get the proper understanding of ethnomedicinal uses of plants. The collected plants were identified from B. S. I. (Botanical Survey of India) Northeast Circle, Shillong, Meghalaya, India and also by consulting the available literature and flora (Joseph, 1982; Haridasan and Rao, 1985, 1987) in the Institute. Information about the plants were also recorded with regards to their process of preparation of medicine either individually or in combination with other plant parts and mode of application for the treatment of a particular disease or diseases. The status of plants with respect to their availability was also categorized by using their available numbers (Abundant- > 50 numbers, under threat - <10 numbers, needs conservation - < 5 numbers) and needs instantaneous conservation - < 2 numbers) of the study area. All the voucher specimens were identified using relevant floras and standard literature and were deposited in the Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat, Assam, India. The collected plants were classified for different families, genera and species and the information of medicinal uses was compared with existing literature.

3. Results with enumeration This study was carried out in six compartments of Umtasoar Range under Nongkhyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India, viz. - Ben-Point, Kyrdemkulia, Mowdkhar, PenPoint, Umsaw and Zero-Point. The GPS locations and elevations of collection sites were tabulated in Table 3.1. The highest elevation (628 amsl) was observed in Mowdkhar compartments; while the least elevation (434 amsl) was recorded in Kyrdemkulia compartments of Umtasoar Range (see Table-3.1). This study had brought to light 35 plant species with 35 genera and species belonging to 25 families, which are used in medicinal preparations, claimed by the tribal Khasi folk to cure a number of ailments without any side effects (Table 3.2, Plates-3.1). During the survey, it was observed that for curing different ailments, the use of aboveground plant parts was higher (88.09%) than the underground plant parts (11.90%). Of the aboveground plant parts, leaves were used in the majority of cases (17 species), followed by bark (9 species), fruits and stems (4 species each), flowers and inflorescence (3 species each), seed and shoot (2 species each). While below ground plant parts like root (5 species) and rhizome (1 species) contributed least in the medicinal usage (Fig. 3.1). Most of the plant parts utilized were of trees (13) followed by herbs and shrubs (9 each), while scrubs and climbers (2 each) contributed least in usage (Fig. 3.2).

Table 3.1: GPS data with different compartments of Umtasoar Range Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India Sl.No. Range Compartment GPS Location Latitude 1. Umtasoar Ben-Point (BP) 25 49' 05.1'' North (UM) Kyrdemkulia (KK) 25 48' 30.1'' North Mowdkhar (MK) 25 49' 40.6'' North Pen-Point (PP) 25 49' 09.9'' North Umsaw (US) 25 49' 50.8'' North Zero-Point (ZP) 25 49' 36.0'' North amsl*- Above mean sea level

under Nongkhyllem Reserve Forest, Elevation (amsl*) 567 434 628 570 576 616

Longitude 91 46' 17.9'' East 91 46' 12.5'' East 91 50' 07.9'' East 91 46' 19.9'' East 91 48' 21.0'' East 91 50' 17.8'' East

The status of plants according to families was also evaluated and it was found that plants (4) of Verbenaceae contributed most of plant parts in the medicinal formulations of the Khasi tribe residing in fringe villages under Umtasor range of Nongkhyllem Reserve Forest followed by Fabaceae (3), Apiaceae, Combretaceae,
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Euphorbiaceae, Poaceae and Sterculiaceae (2 each), Dipterocarpeceae, Fabaceae, Guttiferae (Clusiaceae), Lamiaceae, Lauraceae, Lythraceae, Melastomaceae, Meliaceae, Moraceae, Piperaceae, Rubiaceae, Rutaceae, Saururaceae, Smilaceae, Solanaceae, Sonneratiaceae, Theaceae,

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Urticaceae, Zingiberaceae, Acanthaceae and Asteraceae (1 each) also contributed in the preparation of formulations in their day-to-day life (Fig. 3.3). The status of plants of the study area with respect to their availability was also categorized by using their available numbers (Abundant- > 50 numbers, under threat - <10 numbers, needs conservation - < 5 numbers) and needs instantaneous conservation - < 2 numbers) and shown in Figure-3.4. The abundance in availability was reported in 18 plant species followed by 10 plant species which are under threat. While 4 plant species needed conservation i.e. Abroma augusta, Hyptis suaveolens, Spilanthes paniculata and Zanthoxylum armatum while 1 plant species i.e. Houttuynia cordata was under instantaneous conservation (see Table 3.2 and Fig. 3.4). This study had brought to light 35 plant species with 35 genera and species belonging to 25 families, which are used in medicinal preparations, claimed by the tribal Khasi folk to cure a number of ailments without any side effects (Table 3.2, Plates-3.1). During the survey, it was observed that for curing different ailments, the use of aboveground plant parts was higher (88.09%) than the underground plant parts (11.90%). Of the aboveground plant parts, leaves were used in the majority of cases (17 species), followed by bark (9 species), fruits and stems (4 species each), flowers and inflorescence (3 species each), seed and shoot (2 species each). While below ground plant parts like root (5 species) and rhizome (1 species) contributed least in the medicinal usage (Fig. 3.1). Most of the plant parts utilized were of trees (13) followed by herbs and shrubs (9 each), while scrubs and climbers (2 each) contributed least in usage (Fig. 3.2).
Fig 3.1: Status of different plant parts used for various local remedies
Status of different plant parts used for various local remedies
Number of Plants used

Fig 3.2: Status of plants according to habits

Status of plants according to habits

14
N u m b e r o f P l a n ts

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Herb Shrub Scrub Plant Habits Tree Climber

Fig 3.3: Status of plants according to families

Status of plants according to families
5

Num ber of Plan ts

Euphorbiaceae

Sonneratiaceae

C om bretaceae

Plant Families

Fig 4.4: Availability status in the study area

Availability status of the wild medicinal plants in the study area 20 18 16 14
No. of plants

12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Abundant Un der t hreat Needs con servat io n Needs instan tan eous co nservation

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Stem Inflorescence Bark Flower Shoot Leaves Seed Rhizome Fruit Root

Discussion It is important to mention that due to overexploitation, some plants i.e. Houttuynia cordata Thunb., Abroma augusta L., Eryngium foetidum L., Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees, and Puereria tuberosa L. were under threat. Only two plants of A. augusta L. were found around forest edge areas so there is urgent need to conserve this plant species in in situ and ex situ conditions. Some plant species like Houttuynia cordata Thunb., Abroma augusta L., Eryngium foetidum L., Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees,

Plant parts use d

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Zingiberaceae

G uttiferae

Lam iaceae

Meliaceae

Sm ilaceae

A piaceae

0
A canthaceae

Sterculiaceae

Lythraceae

M alvaceae

R ubiaceae

Lauraceae

U rticaceae

V erbenaceae

Piperaceae

Saururaceae

Moracaea

A steraceae

Theaceae

Fabaceae

Rutaceae

Poaceae

G
Plate 3.1

A- Mussaenda frondosa, B- Eryngium foetidum, C-Mesua ferrea, D-Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, E- Costos speciosus, F- Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus, G- Holmskioldia sanguinea, H - Hyptis suaveolens, I- Houttuynia cordata Ph ton

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Table 3.2: Wild medicinal plants with traditional uses by Khasi tribe of Nongkhyllem Reserve Forest, Nongpoh, Meghalaya, India

Scientific Name/ Botanical Name Abroma augusta (Linn.) Linn. f.

Voucher Specimen number NRF/UM/US/93

Family

Local Name (Khasi name) Dieng-tyrkhum

Sterculiaceae

Availability status in study area Needs conservation

Part/s used Root

Ethnomedicinal preparation and uses

Boehmeria nivea Hk. et. Arn. Callicarpa arborea Roxb.

NRF/UM/ZP/42 NRF/UM/US/24

Urticaceae Verbenaceae

Sohbyrthid Dieng-Lakhiat

Under threat Abundant

Leaf Leaf, stem and bark Whole plant

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban

NRF/NP/LC/KK/92

Apiaceae

Badmaina

Abundant

Cinnamomum zeylanicum J.Persl Costos speciosus (Koenig) Smith

NRF/NP/LC/KK/79

Lauraceae

Dieng-syiem

Under threat

Leaves

NRF/UM/PP/45

Zingiberaceae

Jom-lakhuti

Under threat

Stem, Rhizom e.

Crotalaria juncea Linn. Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees & Arn. Ex Murno Duabanga grandiflora Roxb. ex DC Emblica officinalis Gaertn. Ph ton

NRF/UM/ZP/35 NRF/NP/LC/KK/78

Fabaceae Poaceae

Sharyntoh Seij-lai

Abundant Abundant

Leaf. Shoots.

Roots are grinded to powder and used in abortion and as anti-fertility agent, intra-uterine diseases and other gynecological disorders. Root bark is used as emmenagogue. Decoction prepared from roots is administered orally to cure leucorrhoea (Shankar and Devalla, 2012). Decoction of leaves is prepared and applied locally to cure skin allergy and irritations. A juice is prepared from leaves and taken orally to cure gastric diseases, giddiness; while infusion is applied on head to cure fever and headache. Bark infusion is prepared and applied for curing skin eruptions, scorpion sting and cutaneous inflammation. Soup of the leaf and stems is used as brain tonic and act against conjunctivitis. Decoction of the whole plant is taken internally to cure diarrhoea. Infusion of leaves is used as blood purifier. Whole plant is taken for blood dysentery (Hynniewta and Kumar, 2008). The paste made from leaves is applied on skin infections and leaves are also used as a spice for culinary preparation. Useful in urinary problem and ear-ache. Decoction of stem mixed with cow's milk for treatment of jaundice. Rhizome cut and ground into pieces and the powder is eaten against bronchitis, inflammation, anemia and rheumatism (Kayang et al., 2005). Decoction of leaves is applied to cure itching and ring worm infection. Soup prepared from the shoots is used to cure cough and sputum. Paste of bark is applied locally to cure skin irritations and eczema.

NRF/UM/ZP/41

Sonneratiaceae

Diengbai

Abundant

Bark

NRF/UM/MK/11

Euphorbiaceae

Diengsohmylleng

Abundant

Fruits

Fresh fruits are eaten during stomach pain. Fruits are dried in sunlight, powdered and consumed as anti233 flatulent. Juice of fresh fruits used as hair tonic.

Eryngium foetidum Linn.

NRF/UM/MK/19

Apiaceae

Dhania-khlaw

Under threat

Leaves

Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz. Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

NRF/UM/US/71 NRF/UM/US/51 NRF/UM/US/ 94

Moracaea Verbenaceae Saururaceae

Dieng -jri Dieng-skorkhnai Ja-myrdoh

Abundant Under threat Uncommon and requires instantaneous conservation

Bark Roots Leaves Roots

Leaves used as an appetizer. Persons falling in fits are given paste of leaves to smell. Epileptic patients are given to smell the paste of leaves (Hynniewta and Kumar, 2008) Bark powder is used for treatment of muscle and joint pain. Juice of roots taken to relieve body temperature. The leaves are steamed in a leaf of Banana (Musa paradisica L.) to a pulpy paste and eaten to cure measles, dysentery and gonorrhea and are used in the treatment of eye troubles, skin diseases, hemorrhoids. Paste of leaves and roots are taken internally to cure dysentery. Decoction of roots is used to enhance the appetite. Infusion prepared from leaves is used against skin diseases. The fruit is used in oral disorders. Decoction of the dried leaves is used in diabetes. Stem juice is useful in skin diseases, cuts and wounds.

Hyptis suaveolens (Linn.) Poit. Lagerstroemia parviflora Roxb. Macaranga denticulata Muell.Arg. Sida cordifolia Linn.

NRF/UM/US/53 NRF/UM/MK/12 NRF/UM/US/69

Lamiaceae Lythraceae Euphorbiaceae

Bontulsi Dieng-langsing Dieng-lakhor

Needs conservation Abundant Abundant

Leaves Twigs Fruits, Leaves Stem

NRF/UM/MK/14

Malvaceae

Soh-byrthitbah

Abundant

Whole Plant

Mesua ferrea Linn. Mimosa himalayana Gamble Mussaenda frondosa Linn. Pepperomia pellucida Wall. ex DC. H.B.K. Phlogacanthus thyrsiflorus (Roxb.) Nees Puereria tuberosa Ph ton

NRF/UM/MK/17 NRF/UM/ZP/34

Guttiferae Fabaceae

Dieng-ngai Soh-shih

Abundant Under threat

Flower

The plant paste is used in curing asthma by applying over the body made from whole plant when mixed with pepper (Piper nigrum L.) and garlic (Alium sativum L.) paste. Fresh flowers are used medicinally specially in itching, nausea, piles, excessive thirst and sweating. Bark is used for fish poisoning.

NRF/UM/MK/07

Rubiaceae

Symnteiwjaron gtham Malvugkhutura Dieng-sohkajut

Abundant

Leaf

Leaves used in preparation of formulations useful in stomach pains. The leaf extract also yields a dye. Curry is prepared from leaves to relive the stomach pain. Leaves and flowers are used as vegetable. Flowers are also consumed raw by hyperglycemic patients in local areas. Fruit juice is analgesic and taken during stomach pain. Roots are eaten raw to avoid the bodily debility and

NRF/NP/LC/KK/91

Piperaceae

Under threat

Leaf

NRF/UM/US/70

Acanthaceae

Under threat

Leaf, Flower

NRF/UM/US/28

Fabaceae

Suting-rit

Abundant

Roots

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L. Schima wallichii (DC) Korth. NRF/UM/US/54 Theaceae Diengnganbuit Abundant Bark, leaf

forage is given to increase the milk yield in cows and goats. Leaf paste is applied on cuts and wounds for relief and decoction of leaves is used to cure flatulence. Powdered bark is used to kill intestinal worms of cattle and also to push out leeches from body. Leaves churned to a juice and used during labour pain. Leaves are cooked as vegetable to relieve stomach troubles. Inflorescence and seeds used in tooth ache and mouth ulcers. Used in preparation of tea with Thea indica by the locals to relive from cough and cold. For swelling, bone fracture paste of fresh leaves is applied. Decoction of leaves, fresh or dried, used as a gargle for sore throat. Bark powder paste also used for bilious headaches and swellings, and internally for dermatitis and as a vermifuge. Bark and roots are used for treatment of cardiac ailments and menstrual problems. Seeds are eaten by local people for curing gastric problem and stomach disorders. The fruits are used in piles, dropsy, leprosy, biliousness, dyspepsia and headache. Infusion of bark used to treat skin infections. Paste of Inflorescence is applied locally to cure skin eruptions. Juice of tender stems is used for eye ailments like ophthalmia and irritation (Hynniewta and Kumar, 2008). Infusion is prepared from outer bark is used to expel worms. Infusion of leaves applied locally to cure fever and skin eruptions. Young shoots as tooth-brush and paste prepared from seeds are used to cure dental troubles. Local application of seed paste and tendrils are also reported to relieve stomach pain.

Smilax aspera L.

NRF/NP/LC/KK/84

Smilaceae

Tikoni-borial

Under threat

Leaves

Spilanthes paniculata Linn. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl Urena picta Linn Tectona Linn. grandis

NRF/UM/MK/18 NRF/UM/MK/118

Asteraceae Verbenaceae

Piroza -

Needs conservation Abundant

Inflores cence

NRF/UM/BP/61 NRF/NP/LC/KK/86

Malvaceae Verbenaceae

Sohburthit Dieng-rang

Under threat Abundant

Leaf Leaf, Bark

Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC) Wight & Arn. Terminalia bellirica Roxb. Thysanoleana maxima (Roxb.) O. Ktze Toona Roem. Zanthoxylum armatum DC ciliata

NRF/NP/LC/KK/83

Combretaceae

Dieng-arjn

Abundant

Bark, Roots Seeds, Fruits, Bark Inflores cence, Stem Bark, Leaves Shoot, Fruit, Seed.

NRF/NP/LC/KK/82

Combretaceae

Dieng-rinyn

Abundant

NRF/UM/US/25

Poaceae

Synsar

Abundant

NRF/NP/LC/KK/75

Meliaceae

Dieng-Sali

Abundant

NRF/UM/US/49

Rutaceae

Dieng sohkhlam

Needs conservation

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Puereria tuberosa L. and Stachyterpheta jamaicensis L. were utilized by the Khasi tribe inhabiting in this range for their day to day remedies. In the course of the survey, H. cordata, was reported to be used by the Khasi community in measles, dysentery, gonorrhea, eye troubles, skin diseases, hemorrhoids, certain gynaecological disorders (Parkash and Dhungana, 2011). This plant is a well-known traditionally used medicinal material in China and Japan and is listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Recently, during the period of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak, H. cordata was one of the ingredients in the SARS prevention formulae recognized by the Ministry of Public Health and the State Administrative Bureau of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China [TCM-2003] (Parkash and Dhungana, 2011). Similarly, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, which is considered as a weed, is used in preparation of tea by the local Khasi community along with Thea chinensis. Only two plants of A. augusta L. is found in around forest edge areas so there is urgent need to conserve this plant species in in situ and ex situ conditions. The Khasi tribe of Meghalaya has a close association with nature and have developed an indigenous knowledge of environmental protection as well as biodiversity conservation. Forests of Meghalaya are fascinating examples of conservatory efforts of local tribal communities and their respect for the nature. Forests are scattered in all the districts of Meghalaya including sacred forests/groves (locally known as Dieng-ublei) that are considered to be residences of local deities (Jaiswal, 2010). These forests and groves are protected by tribal people for ages under the belief that the Sylvan deities 'Ryngkew' and 'Basa' would be offended if the trees are cut and twigs, flowers and fruits are plucked from these sacred groves. The sacred groves or virgin forests are biodiversity rich communities that provide refuge to a large number of endemic, endangered and rare species of plants as well as animals and can be termed as treasure house of threatened species, dispensary of medicinal plants and gene bank of economic species, etc. (Jeeva et al., 2005). It has been reported that the tribals including Khasis of Meghalaya make wide use of a large
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variety of medicinal plants available to them (Hynniewta and Kumar, 2008, 2010). The demand of medicinal plants in the local market has increased causing a threat to these wild plant species. Also the genetic diversity of medicinal plants has diminished due to shifting cultivation and large scale destruction of natural habitation. The over-exploitation of medicinal plants through unscientific manner and poor natural or artificial regeneration had resulted in virtual extinction of certain vital plant species in the wild (Kayang et al., 2005). During this survey, it was also reported that some medicinal plant species like Hyptis suaveolens, Puereria tuberosa, Costos speciosus, Abroma augusta and Houttuynia cordata were over exploited by Khasi tribe and these plant species require their ex situ conservation in wild. The information on medicinal plants serves as a useful base to prepare development and action plan for herbal drug industry for improving and uplifting the life and economy of the state. In situ and ex situ conservation of endangered or likely to be endangered (rare) species should immediately be started in the affected districts of the state. Use of wild collected plants must be limited as far as possible and should be replaced by cultivation. Rural people should be encouraged to raise their own ethnomedicinal gardens or herbal gardens in their homestead fields to ensure conservation of the depleting biodiversity of medicinal plants. Local people should be trained how to propagate, preserve and collect the medicinal plants as a part of extension and sustenance. They should be educated and provided with the proper instructions, so that there is a sustainable and continuous regeneration of wild medicinal flora. It is again important that we should not disturb the local forest flora in a non-sustainable way, which is generally susceptible to environmental changes which may lead to extinction of natural species. Conclusion The information generated from the study regarding the medicinal plants usage by the Khasi tribe need a thorough phytochemical investigation including alkaloid extraction and isolation along with clinical trials. This could help in creating mass awareness regarding the need for conservation of plants and also in the promotion of ethno-medico-botany knowledge within the region besides contributing to the

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preservation and conservation of such economically important plant species before they are lost irrevocably. Acknowledgement Author, Vipin Parkash is thankful to Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Dehradun for financial assistance in the project no. RFRI-12/2008-09/SFM to carry out the survey. References
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