Ethnomedicinal Traditions of Gujar Community for Infant Ailments in Nandurbar District, Maharashtra (India)

Abstract

The Gujar community in Nandurbar district used plants and their parts for combating different ailments and diseases in infants. The objective of the present study was to document ethnomedicinal traditions employed by the Gujar community for infant ailments in Nandurbar district. Methodology adopted to study ethnomedicinal traditions include structural interviews of Gujar community people of study area. Present study revealed that people of Gujar community in the Nandurbar district are usually employing 20 plant species belonging to 13 families of angiosperms. Of these, 4 species of Liliaceae are used in fever, ear pain, cough, cold and burns. Followed by two species, each of the family Lamiaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae are applicable for cough, cold, stomach ache, fever, asthma, wound and skin diseases. The remaining species of 10 families are useful for hiccups, diarrhoea, typhoid, constipations etc. Generally, leaves, as a plant part is used in most of the infant ailments. Fruits, roots, seeds, stem bark and bulb are found useful in 1 to 3 types of infant ailments.