TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE APPLICATION OF PHYTOREMEDIES BY TEA TRIBE AND KARBI TRIBE OF ASSAM, INDIA AGAINST CERTAIN COMMON AND FREQUENTLY OCCURRING SKIN DISEASES

Abstract

An Ethnobotanical study was carried out in order to document the traditional knowledge about the application of phytoremedies by two ethnic tribes of Assam, the Tea tribe; a tribe from plains and Karbi tribes; a hill tribe of Assam. Present study documented 19 plants of 13 families are used in different skin diseases by Tea tribes of Jorhat district of Assam, of which nine of the recorded plants were herbs, three shrubs and seven trees. 20 plants of 16 families were recorded which are used in different skin diseases by Karbi tribes of KarbiAnglong, Assam, eleven number of the recorded plants were herbs, six shrubs two trees and one climber shrubs. Biological activities of the recorded plants were also reported from available literature. Biological and phytochemical screening of these plants convincingly demonstrated their medicinal properties which validates the traditional knowledge of the ethnic communities regarding the application of these plants as phytoremedies in skin diseases.