Ethnomedicinal uses of animals and plants by the Badi community of Kanchanpur District, Nepal

Abstract

Plants and animals have been used for therapeutic purposes by diverse ethnic groups in Nepal since time immemorial. The present study was conducted to document the traditional medicinal practices of using animals and plants by the Badi community of Kanchanpur district, Nepal. The data was collected by direct observation and interviews using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed using quantitative tools like use value, informant consensus factor and fidelity level. The results of the study showed the use of 25 animals (18 wild and 7 domestic) and 61 plants (31 wild and 29 cultivated) for the treatment of 42 and 55 different types of human ailments respectively. The most widely used animal species was Rattus rattus (UV=0.125) with two use reports by 16 informants and mostly used plant species was Tinospora cordifolia (UV=0.096) with 3 use reports by 31 informants. The maximum number of animals and plants were utilized to cure musculo-skeletal problems and gastro-intestinal disorders respectively. Important animal and plant species for each ailment category were assessed using fidelity level. It was found that wild animals (18) and wild plants (31) were frequently used as ethnomedicine. Among them some are globally threatened species. Therefore this study can help formulate strategies for the conservation and sustainable utilization of natural resources.