Table 5 Comparison with the previous ethnobotanical studies
Scientific name | Uses in the present study | Earlier use reports |
|---|---|---|
Acer caesium Wall. ex Brandis Sapindaceae | Fodder | The wood is used for making agricultural implements, fuelwood, soil binder, fodder [72, 73] |
Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex, Royle # Ranunculaceae | Medicinal | It is used to treat a cough, cold, fever, and abdominal pain [22, 53, 55] |
Aesculus indica (Wall. ex Cambess.) Hook. Sapindaceae | Fodder | Fodder, treatment of joint pains, fruits are edible [59, 74, 53, 66] |
Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle Simaroubaceae | Fodder | Fodder, reduce body swelling, bark juice mixed with milk to cure dysentery and diarrhoea [75,76,77] |
Ajuga integrifolia Buch.-Ham. Lamiaceae | Medicinal | Roots are used to treat snakebite, malaria, jaundice, mouth ulcers [22, 78] |
Alnus nitida (Spach) Endl. Betulaceae | Fodder | Medicinal, construction, furniture, fencing, roofing, fuel wood, fodder, utensils [78] |
Amaranthus paniculatus L. Amaranthaceae | Edible | |
Angelica glauca Edgew. # Apiaceae | Medicinal, household | Snake repellent, root powder used to cure flatulence, dyspepsia, oedema, arthritis [80, 60, 23] |
Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) Schott Araceae | Edible | Tubers are boiled and eaten, aerial parts are eaten as vegetable [80, 60, 23] |
* Asparagus adscendens Roxb. Asparagaceae | Medicinal | Carminative and demulcent [64] |
Bauhinia variegata L. Fabaceae | Edible | Young shoots, leaves, and flowers are eaten as vegetable, used to make pickle [36, 55] |
Berberis aristata DC. # Berberidaceae | Medicinal | |
Berberis lycium Royle Berberidaceae | Edible | Whole plant part used to cure eye infections and diabetes, gum problems, kidney problems, fruits edible [23, 53, 66, 83] |
Bergenia stracheyi (Hook.f. & Thomson) Engl. Saxifragaceae | Medicinal | A decoction of the rhizome is taken twice a day while a paste is applied topically on eyelids, used as fuel wood, diuretic [63, 69] |
*Betula utilis D.Don # Betulaceae | Medicinal, household | Bark, leaf, and resin are used in rheumatism, bone fracture, joint pain, swellings, asthma, blood purification, anti-cancerous, roof top and umbrella cover, fodder [84,85,86] |
Boenninghausenia albiflora (Hook.) Rchb. ex Meisn., Rutaceae | Household | Antimicrobial, repel lice, fleas, and other insects [62, 87] |
* Brucea javanica (L.) Merr Simaroubaceae | Edible | Fodder, seed decoction taken orally for diarrhoea, malaria, and chronic diarrhoea [88, 89] |
* Caltha palustris L. Ranunculaceae | Medicinal | Diuretic, urinary infections, inflammation, used to clean the hands, gonorrhoea, kill maggots [68, 69] |
Cannabis sativa L. Cannabaceae | Edible | Joint pains, analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic, roasted seeds are eaten [23, 64, 83, 55] |
* Carpinus viminea Wall. ex Lindl. Betulaceae | Fodder, household | Fodder, the wood is used for making agricultural implements, sports equipment, and construction of houses, used to heal bone fracture [90,91,92] |
Cedrus deodara (Roxb. ex D.Don) G.Don Pinaceae | Medicinal | Bitter, stomachic, anthelmintic, febrifuge, wounds, and cuts [78, 93] |
Chenopodium album L. Amaranthaceae | Edible | Used as vegetable, fodder, laxative, jaundice, and urinary diseases [94, 43, 82, 64, 81, 83] |
* Clinopodium vulgare L. Lamiaceae | Edible | Antibacterial, antitumour, leaves are edible [95] |
Commelina benghalensis L. Commelinaceae | Edible | Used to cure epilepsy, vaginal infection, eaten as vegetable [43, 55, 96] |
Corydalis govaniana Wall. Papaveraceae | Medicinal | Muscular pain, headache, leprosy, and rheumatism [97, 69, 68] |
Corylus jacquemontii Decne. Betulaceae | Edible, fodder | |
Cotoneaster spp. Rosaceae | Fodder | |
Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D.Don) Soó # Orchidaceae | Medicinal | Given to person suffering from weakness [22] |
*Daphne papyracea Wall. ex G. Don Thymelaeaceae | Medicinal | To cure bone disorders, intestinal complaints, ripen fruits edible, bark used for making paper [72, 101, 54, 102] |
Desmodium elegans DC. Fabaceae | Fodder | Fodder, leaf paste applied on cuts and wounds to avoid infection to stimulate healing, the bark is used to clean teeth [103, 38] |
Diplazium maximum (D. Don) C. Chr. Athyriaceae | Medicinal, edible | Muscular pain, young shoots are eaten as a vegetable [23, 36, 66, 102] |
Dysphania botrys (L.) Mosyakin & Clemants Amaranthaceae | Edible | Popular flavouring for a soup of meat, cheese, and barley [104, 105] |
Elaeagnus parvifolia Wall. ex Royle Elaeagnaceae | Edible | |
* Epipactis helleborine (L.) Crantz Orchidaceae | Household | Used to treat insanity, gouts, headache, and stomach ache [106] |
Fagopyrum esculentum Moench Polygonaceae | Edible | |
Ficus spp. Moraceae | Fodder | |
Fragaria indica Andrews Rosaceae | Edible | Fruits are edible [99] |
Fragaria nubicola (Lindl. ex Hook.f.) Lacaita Rosaceae | Edible | |
Fragaria vesca L. Rosaceae | Edible | Fruits are edible [52] |
Gagea lutea (L.) Ker Gawl. Liliaceae | Edible | Dried tubers used as spice [108] |
Impatiens spp. Balsaminaceae | Fodder | |
Jasminum humile L. Oleaceae | Medicinal | Powdered roots used as anthelmintic, diuretic, skin diseases, headache, mouth rash, ringworm [109, 77, 110] |
Juglans regia L. Juglandaceae | Edible, household | Fruit edible, fuel, timber, fruit tonic taken for back pain [103, 94, 89, 53] |
Jurinea macrocephala DC. # Asteraceae | Household | Roots are used during religious ceremonies for incense, root decoction is given once per day to treat cold and cough [111] |
Malva neglecta Wallr. Malvaceae | Edible | A cough, cold, malaria, kidney disorders and cooked as a vegetable [23, 69, 112] |
* Morchella esculenta (L.: Fr.) Pers. Morchellaceae | Edible, medicinal | Cooked and eaten, protect the stomach, nourish the lungs, and strengthen immunity [65, 66, 67] |
Neolitsea pallens (D. Don) Momiy. & H. Hara Lauraceae | Fodder | Fodder, juice of fruits is used to treat scabies and eczema, seeds oil is used as an antidote [103, 44, 113] |
* Onosma hispida Wall. ex G. Don Boraginaceae | Medicinal | Fever, pain relief, wounds, infectious diseases, hair colour [114, 115] |
* Oxalis corniculata L. Oxalidaceae | Medicinal | Blood purifier, appetiser, cure piles, diarrhoea, toothache, cough cure scorpion stings and skin diseases, aerial part is eaten as a vegetable [116,117,118, 55, 119, 43, 64, 120] |
Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill Polygonaceae | Edible, medicinal | Used to make chutney, digestive and purgative [66] |
* Persicaria amplexicaulis (D.Don) Ronse Decr., Polygonaceae | Edible | Used to treat skin diseases, jaundice, dysentery, leucorrhoea, fever, headache, indigestion, stomach pain, and blood purifier, effective in flu, fever, and joints [121,122,123,124, 53] |
Persicaria hydropiper (L.) Delarbre Polygonaceae | Edible | |
Phytolacca acinosa Roxb. Phytolaccaceae | Edible | Used to treat acne, eaten as a vegetable, root decoction is taken for cervical erosion, digestibility ulcer, liver ascites, constipation, diuresis [23, 94, 89] |
Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle # Plantaginaceae | Medicinal | Fever, jaundice, improve appetite and skin infection [125, 22, 23] |
* Pleurospermum brunonis Benth. ex C.B. Clarke Apiaceae | Medicinal, household | Whole plant used to cure jaundice, fever, insect repellent, incense [62, 63] |
* Polygonum aviculare L. Polygonaceae | Edible, medicinal | Eaten as a vegetable, treat dysentery and diarrhoea [119, 43] |
* Primula floribunda Wall. Primulaceae | Household | Used to treat headache, rheumatism, flowers are believed to have supernatural power to ward off devils and people knowing witchcraft, flowers increase the beauty of hair of ladies [70, 71] |
Prunus armeniaca L. Rosaceae | Edible | |
* Prunus cornuta (Wall. ex Royle) Steud. Rosaceae | Edible, medicinal | |
Prunus persica (L.) Batsch Rosaceae | Edible | Fruits are edible [66] |
Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn Dennstaedtiaceae | Fodder, household | Tender fronds used as vegetables, green fronds as fodder, good soil binder, used to cure diabetes, abdominal oedema [126, 23] |
Quercus semecarpifolia Sm. Fagaceae | Fodder | Fodder, timber, construction, furniture, fencing, roofing, fuel wood, medicinal [78, 127] |
Ranunculus spp. Ranunculaceae | Fodder | Fodder plant, counter irritant swelling in testes, fever, stomach worms [78, 127] |
Rheum australe D. Don Polygonaceae | Household, medicinal | Cleaning tooth, given to animals lost their appetite, asthma, fever, pneumonia, vegetable [22, 63] |
Rhododendron arboreum Sm. Ericaceae | Edible | |
* Rhododendron campanulatum D.Don, Ericaceae | Medicinal | Leaves are mixed with tobacco and used as snuff to cure a cold [68] |
Rosa macrophylla Lindl. Rosaceae | Medicinal | Used in cold and cough, flowers are edible, fruits are edible, stomach ache [23, 82] |
Rubus ellipticus Sm. Rosaceae | Edible | Fruits are eaten to cure indigestion [23] |
Rubus niveus Thunb. Rosaceae | Edible | |
* Rumex hastatus D. Don Polygonaceae | Medicinal, household | Used to cure foot disease in cattle, used to cure jaundice, leaves eaten as a vegetable [23, 43, 82] |
* Sarcococca saligna (D. Don) Müll. Arg. Buxaceae | Household | Timber, fodder, fuel, and leaves in the ceiling of a roof of houses as a waterproof medium [129, 130] |
Selinum vaginatum C.B. Clarke Apiaceae | Household | |
Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) T.S.Ying # Berberidaceae | Medicinal | Cancer curing, bloating and appetite loss in cattle, fruit is edible [23, 53, 94, 52] |
* Solanum nigrum L. Solanaceae | Edible, medicinal | |
Sorbaria tomentosa (Lindl.) Rehder Rosaceae | Medicinal | The flowers are grinded in milk and the resulted paste is applied to burns and wounds, fruits smoked in the treatment of asthma [38, 39, 131] |
Spiraea canescens D.Don. Rosaceae | Household | |
Stellaria media (L.) Vill. Caryophyllaceae | Edible | Leaf paste applied to cure joint pains and swellings, seed powder is given to children with milk to cure skin infection and allergy and leaf paste is applied to heal wounds caused by burning or frost, eaten as a vegetable [132, 43, 133] |
Taxus wallichiana Zucc. # Taxaceae | Edible | |
* Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don Melanthiaceae | Medicinal | Used to cure dysentery, reproductive disorder [125, 103, 23] |
Urtica dioca L. Urticaceae | Edible, medicinal | Used to treat skin diseases, soup making, eaten as a vegetable [23, 82, 36] |
Valeriana jatamansi Jones Caprifoliaceae | Household | Roots used to cure a stomachache, valerian root has been used for a century as a relaxing and sleep promoting plant [59, 23]. |
Verbascum thapsus L. Scrophulariaceae | Medicinal | Indigestion in cattle [55] |
Viburnum mullaha Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don Adoxaceae | Edible |