Documentation of folk knowledge on medicinal plants of Gulbarga district, Karnataka

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect information from traditional healers on the use of medicinal plants in Gulbarga district of Karnataka. The indigenous knowledge of local traditional healers and the native plants used for medicinal purposes were collected through questionnaire and personal interviews. In the region, 52 plant species belonging to 27 families have been documented and scientifically validated for their therapeutic properties. People of the area depend on traditional medicinal plants for the treatment in primary healthcare. As and when the number of traditional healers dwindles, there is a danger of losing their traditional knowledge. Hence, there is a need for documentation of traditional knowledge as well as plants used for the treatment.