Some Potential Traditional Ethnomedicinal Plants Among the Tribals of India

Plants have been vital to the evolution of human civilization. Approximately 80% of the traditional medications utilized in primary healthcare are derived from plants worldwide. Many cultures and ethnic groups have employed medicinal herbs. Ethnomedicinal knowledge comes from the tribal communities and relies purely on the presence of medicinally valuable plants. The knowledge-rich traditional food systems of indigenous groups provide invaluable insights that have developed over generations as a result of their cultures’ constant interplay with the surrounding environment. In the traditional community, ethnobotanical medicine and ethnobotanical plants play major roles. This chapter mainly focusses on the few major Indian tribes and the existing potential of plants used to treat and cure a wide range of illnesses. This plant-based traditional knowledge of medication is apparent to vanish in the near future. This chapter identifies the future obstacles and opportunities facing the field of ethnomedicine while clarifying the current concerns relevant to its practice now. It also emphasizes how the loss of global biodiversity is putting ethnomedical knowledge at jeopardy. It also makes the point that how we resolve the mythic conflicts that last for eons may have a significant influence on the direction of ethnomedicine in the future.