Narendra Kumar Pandey

Plants are known to be associated directly or indirectly with the needs of human since time immemorial. In addition to the basic needs, i.e. food, shelter and clothing, plants are utilized for fodder, fuel, timber, tannins, colors, oils and medicines etc. History reveals that uses of plants as medicine is known in different parts of  the world, especially in India there are evidences which suggest its therapeutic role since Rig Veda. There are 32 ethnic communities in Jharkhand, which constitute about 33% of total population. They have their own self-managed traditional system for primary health care (Horopathy).Women are traditionally using herbal medicines for the remedy of different types of gynecological problems. In the present investigation 30 plants species have been reported on the basis of ethno-medicinal information extracted from ethnic communities. All the parts of plants, like root, bark, leaf, flower, fruit and  tubers are used as medicines, either preparation from single plant is used as drug or in some cases decoction or paste are made with more than one herb.  There is very wide scope for the pharmacological studies of the reported plants in future.