Ethnomedicinal Uses of Some Pteridophytic Species From North India
Zaheer Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmad and Shariq Ali Khan
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine
Hippocratic Journal of Unani Medicine October - December 2014, Vol. 9 No. 4, Pages 125-134
Abstract
During ethnobotanical explorations of different forest divisions from 1998 to 2005 in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of northern India, the authors have recorded a large number of information regarding the uses of higher plants for medicine. This field study has also yielded information on some 11 pteridophytic species that are widely used by the tribal and other rural communities of the area as folk medicines for treatment of various disorders. A comparison with relevant literature revealed that many uses are hitherto new or imperfectly known. Hence, an attempt has been made to highlight ethnomedicinal value of such species in the present report. It lists eleven species of medicinal ferns. Each entry has been provided with correct botanical and prevalent local names, habit and habitat, claimed medicinal use (s) and other observations.