ABSTRACT:
Shahdol is known as one of the tribal dominated divisions of Madhya Pradesh where 54 percent of total population bekongs to tribal community. Gond, Panika, Bharia, Muria, Kol and Baiga are the main tribes of the study area which mostly dependent on medicinal plants for their daily health care need. The present communication reports the traditional medicinal uses of plants by the tribes of Shahdol division, Madhya Pradesh (India), which are therapeutically used against different ailments of human being as well as the livestock. In all, 208 plant species comprising 73 trees, 41 shrubslundershrubs, 41 herbs, 27 climbers, 05 other types of plants and I liana belonging to 79 families, used by the tribal people, have been enumerated and discussed. This signifies the ethnomedicinal values of plant species occurring in the study area. The study.thus, highlights the potential of ethnobotanical research and the need for documentation of traditional knowledge pertaining to the utilization of plants as medicine. Pharma-chemical analysis is obligatory in order to authenticate their accuracy and future prospects in the drug development with due benefit-sharing with the primary stakeholders for the greater advantage of mankind. The study could play a significant role in resolving the controversies pertaining to biopiracy and Intellectual Property Rights. This paper discusses the concept of indigenous knowledge, its relevance in scientific discourse and the need for harnessing it for national development in Shahdol division.