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Ethnomedicinal Knowledge of Tangsa Community from Patkai Hills Region of Changlang District in Arunachal Pradesh, India

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Non-Wood Forest Products of Asia

Part of the book series: World Forests ((WFSE,volume 25))

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Abstract

This chapter depicts considerable information on traditional uses of medicinal plants by Tangsa tribe in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. This is the first quantitative ethnobotanical study from the area. Data were collected by interviewing 64 local informants and 07 traditional health practitioners from 11 villages of Changlang district. Medicinal uses of 56 species representing 47 genera and 36 families were documented. Demography of informants; plant habit-groups, parts used, preparation and application methods and ethnomedicinal uses were documented. Collected data were analysed using quantitative tools like Fidelity Level (FL), Use Value (UV), Informant Consensus Factor (ICF) and Relative Frequency Citation (RFC). Clerodendrum glandulosum, Curcuma longa, Mikania micrantha, Psidium guajava and Zingiber officinale were recognised as most popular medicinal plants. Recorded ailments were classified into 11 disease categories based on ICF values. The study reveals the preservation of knowledge on folk medicine by Tangsas in their folk songs and through oral transfer to their descendants. Quantitative evaluation shows the high impact of traditional knowledge of Tangsa tribe. However, medium to low values of some of the data like FL (<50%), UV (<0.5), and RFC (<0.5) in certain species having claims of curing more than two or three diseases requires further scrutiny through phytochemical characterization before promoting their wider uses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Rajiv Gandhi University, Rono Hills, Doimukh, Arunachal Pradesh, 791112, India

    Pyonim Lungphi, A. P. Das & Victor Singh Ayam

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  1. Pyonim Lungphi
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  2. A. P. Das
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  3. Victor Singh Ayam
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Correspondence to Victor Singh Ayam .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh

    A. Z. M. Manzoor Rashid

  2. Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Niaz Ahmed Khan

  3. Forestry and Wood Technology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh

    Mahmood Hossain

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Lungphi, P., Das, A.P., Ayam, V. (2022). Ethnomedicinal Knowledge of Tangsa Community from Patkai Hills Region of Changlang District in Arunachal Pradesh, India. In: Rashid, A.Z.M.M., Khan, N.A., Hossain, M. (eds) Non-Wood Forest Products of Asia. World Forests, vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99313-9_4

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