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VOL. 6, ISSUE 4 (2021)
Floristic inventory of hydrophytes with special reference to their Ethnomedicinal uses in Khordha district of Odisha
Authors
Bhagyeswari Behara, Kunja Bihari Satapathy
Abstract
An ethnobotanical exploration was carried out during 2018-2020 in different places of Khordha district to document the medicinal uses of aquatic plants. Knowledgeable old man and old women as well as traditional herbal healers of the area were interviewed to collect the information on the medicinal uses of the hydrophytes and their use as raw materials for the preparation of various herbal formulations. The present study revealed the distribution of 211 aquatic plant species belonging to 134 genera and 61 families. Out of the recorded 211 species, only 60 have been used by the local people for the treatment of 39 different diseases of human and 2 diseases of domestic animals. Among the different categories of aquatic plants, marshy hydrophytes were represented with the maximum diversity with 22 species followed by 20 species of amphibious hydrophytes, 9 species of submerged, 6 species of free-floating and 3 species of fixed floating hydrophytes. Some of the important aquatic medicinal plants documented during the course of present investigation are Amannia baccifera (against ringworm), Bacopa monnieri (stammering), Caesulia axilaris (fresh cut wound), Centella asiatica (hyperacidity & vomiting), Ceratophyllum demersum (glycosuria), Crinum defixum (dysuria), Echinochloa stagnina (diabetes), Hydrilla verticillata (lung’s infection), Hygroryza aristata (urinary tract infection), Limnophila heterophylla (dyspepsia), Lippia javanica (burning sensation), Marsilea minuta (neurological disorder), Neptunia oleracea (ear-ache), Nymphoides indica (ulcer on scalp), Ottelia alismoides (diarrhoea in calf), Pistia stratiotes (diabetes), Ranunculus scleratus (bronchitis), Scirpus articulates (dysentery) and Utricularia stellaris used against eczema. It is important to note that some of the medicinal uses of aquatic plants are not reported earlier and they need both popularization among local people and their preservation which will helpful for future work.
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Pages:539-545
How to cite this article:
Bhagyeswari Behara, Kunja Bihari Satapathy "Floristic inventory of hydrophytes with special reference to their Ethnomedicinal uses in Khordha district of Odisha ". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 6, Issue 4, 2021, Pages 539-545
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