TRADITIONAL USES OF PLANT RESOURCES BY KHASI TRIBES IN NONGKHYLLEM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, MEGHALAYA, INDIA

Abstract

An investigation was carried out among the Khasi tribe residing nearby the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghalaya to document the plants and their traditional uses in the area. A total of 90 species belonging to 83 genera and 53 families were recorded from the study area.  Out of the documented species 40 were trees, 17 were shrubs, 13 were herbs, 10 were climber, 5 were climber shrub and the rest 1species was climber herb. These documented plants are used for a total of purposes including many diseases like jaundice, Stomach trouble, malarial fever, diarrhoea, dysentery etc. Meghalaya a state in North Eastern Region of India is a rich source of biodiversity which includes high potential of naturally occurring medicinal plants. Due to unscientific and over exploitation, these medicinal plants have become merely extinct and endangered. For that reason, management of these medicinally important plants should be viewed seriously.