Traditional Usage of Ethnomedicinal Plants in Treating Liver Disorders at Manipur, North East India

Abstract

History ensures that, plants with its medicinal usage are always being the topic of attraction                         for the researchers. Medicinal plants can be used for the various purposes, for example                                       healing pain, treating ailments or any other health issues. Gastrointestinal diseases more specifically liver disorders are treated with the help of these medicinal plants. Manipur is considered to be the place where liver disorders are primarily treated with the help of these medicinal plants by local health care providers, which emphasize the attributes of these plants in health care system. Following this aspect the study was carried out at three different districts namely Bishnupur, Kakching and Thoubal, that includes Ethnobotanical field surveys conducted from 2012-14, by covering traditional healers of Meitei community. Collected information from the surveys was analyzed and the target plants were identified. Disease Consensus Index was calculated on the basis of collected information to determine most significant plants. A total of 52 plant species of 34 distinct families are used as hepatoprotective medicinal plants amongst which the highest Disease Consensus Index (DCI) value was found in the species named Engelhardtia spicata Lechen; ex Blume. From these ethno pharmacological data plants with highest hepatoprotective values are identified.