The relationship between plants and human beings is long and the practice of using plants for medicinal purposes has continued for centuries. Medicinal plants have been used for millennia, with over 50,000 species used worldwide for healing purposes, with undiscovered cures in undiscovered plant species. The medicinal plants have been used for millions of years to treat various ailments, with approximately 80000 flowering plants currently utilized for medicinal purposes (Schippmann et al., 2002). A very large proportion of the global population (about >80 %) utilize the locally available medicinal plants for treatment of the various ailments (Verma and Singh 2008). The usage of traditional and indigenous knowledge in public health care is gaining attention worldwide especially in developing countries. In Indian context also, ethno-medicinal uses of different plants in various classical health care system such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha are largely reported (Dubey et al., 2004; Balunas and Kinghorn 2005; Baig, 2013; Jishtu et al., 2021). From the time immemorial plants have been playing significant role in the life of human beings as a great source of food, clothing, shelter and medicine (Kumar and Singh 2023). The Mewar of Rajasthan are inhabited by many tribes, like Meena, Bhil, Garasia, Damor and out of these Kathodia is major tribe. In their daily lives, these tribes employ the plants for a variety of uses (Upadhyay and Kapoor 2023). It has been observed that amazingly family Asteraceae plant species are traditionally used as indigenous drugs by the natives of Tungnath region (Sharma, 2016). The traditional method is most affordable and accessible among people to cure many diseases and a big number of people residing in rural areas in our country depends upon traditional health care practices and use formulations prepared by local health care practitioners (Vidyarthi et al., 2013; Pandey et al., 2013). The Himalayan region is one of the youngest mountain ecosystems, globally known for its vast biodiversity, and serves as a perpetual repository of medicinal plants (Shrestha, 2005). It harbours huge number of plant species used for their therapeutic properties and reputed as centre of vast ethnomedicinal flora (Malik et al., 2015; Basant and Chaurasia 2009). The Indian Himalaya Region (IHR) is a globally recognised mega-hotspot of biodiversity harbouring a large number of fauna and flora. This young, massive, and diverse mountain region is a unique geographic and ecological entity, renowned for its overwhelming richness, representativeness, and unique biodiversity (Rawal et al., 2013). The IHR is mainly spread across 09 states (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya), 02 states partially (hilly districts of Assam, and West Bengal) and 02 Union Territories fully (Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh) and divided into 03 bio-geographical zones (Trans-Himalaya, Himalaya and North-East) and 09 bio-geographic provinces (Sharma et al., 2016; Rawal et al., 2021). The traditional and indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants is truly a treasure-trove and passed on from generation to generation by the local and tribal communities (Bhat et al., 2021). But recently, somehow the good practice of preservation the traditional wisdom about medicinal usages of plants is losing importance. Thus, documentation of ethno-medicinal uses of floristic wealth of any region assumes immense significance. Himachal Pradesh is a small state under the North Western Himalayan which is bio-geographic province of the IHR. The perennial hydrological sources and catchment forests are the precious natural entities of the hilly state. There exists a mosaic of forest ecosystems spreading across the various climatic zones in Himachal Pradesh. These forest ecosystems distributed from the foothills to the alpine region of State are known for the abundant medicinal wealth. Out of the 3500 knowns plant species from the state, there are about 1,500 number of species have immense ethno-medicinal values and therapeutic uses (Chauhan, 1999). These species are being used by the rural populace for the treatment of various ailments (Sharma et al., 2014). The ethnobotanical studies conducted in different parts of the Himachal Himalayas have revealed rich traditional knowledge among local communities. Several workers have carried out ethno-botanical studies in different parts of the Himachal Himalayas and explored the rich traditional knowledge existing in different regions and valleys of state (Samant et al., 2001; 2007; Rai et al., 2000; Samant and Pant, 2006; Guleria and Vasishth 2009; Kaur et al., 2011; Kharwal and Rawat 2012; Verma et al., 2012; Rani et al., 2013; Sharma and Sood, 2013; Dutt et al., 2014; Pal et al., 2014: Singh and Thakur, 2014; Thakur et al., 2016; Radha and Puri 2018; Kumar and Duggal 2019a; Kumar and Duggal 2019b; Chander and Sharma 2020; Singh et al., 2020; Kumar et al., 2021; Prakash et al., 2021; Kumari and Verma 2022; Thakur et al., 2024; Sharma et al., 2024). Despite this, there are still many areas which are underexplored. In this backdrop, the documentation of ethno-medicinal knowledge is crucial, especially considering the significant reliance of rural populations on medicinal plants. However, this knowledge is at risk of being lost due to urbanization and modernization. Therefore, there is a pressing need for systematic documentation and preservation of this valuable traditional wisdom. Additionally, further research into the phytochemical and pharmaceutical investigations of these medicinal plants is warranted to validate their efficacy and explore their potential therapeutic benefits. In the present investigation, an endeavour has been made to enumerate the important medicinal plants used by the inhabitants of different villages under Upper Giri Khad catchment in district Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

Giri Khad is one of the main tributaries of Yamuna River and the snout point is Kuppar Peak and spreaded over an altitudinal range of 1231 m to 3290 m from the above mean sea level (amsl). Giri Khad Watershed is the biggest hydrological source supplying water to the Shimla - state capital of Himachal Pradesh (Sharma et al., 2015). The Watershed is located between 31°03'59.70"N to 31°04'15.90"N latitude and 77°22'27.78"E to 77°39'2.14"E (Fig. 1). The climate is predominantly temperate and similar to Shimla, though at lower reaches, sub-tropical conditions prevail. The winter months are prolonged, and the summer season is short. There is snowfall in the months of December to March in the high altitudinal ranges, but low-lying areas experience only rains. The forest is the major Land Use and different forest types like 12/C1 a ban oak forest, 12/C1/ c moist deodar forest, 12/C1/ d western mixed coniferous forest, 12/C1/ f low level blue pine (Pinus wallichiana), 12/C1 b moru oak forest, 12/C2 a kharsu oak forest (Quercus semecarpifolia) and 9/C1 a lower or shiwalik chirpine forest are distributed in the catchment area. The main area of the watershed falls in the Theog Forest Division having three forest ranges namely Theog, Balson and Kotkhai forest range covering 30 forest beats, and some part occurs in Kotgarh Forest Divisions. The Watershed has a total population of 66839, with 267 inhabited villages under 46 panchayats. 

Fig. 1.  Map Giri Khad Watershed, Shimla (H.P.).

The regular field survey for the collection of the ethnomedicinal data was conducted between 2021 to 2024 along different altitudinal zones of Upper Giri Khad Watershed and plants were collected from different locations. The different villages viz., Kharapathar, Bhog, Sandhu, Mahasu, Garawag, Sainj, Tahu, Gajeri, Deha, Kalbog, Baghi, Kot-Shilaru, Manan, Shaloha, Ghoond, Kandyali, Shari, Batlot, Sihal, Kyara, Mohri and Annu etc. located in the watershed, were selected and surveyed. The questionnaire was also prepared for collecting the ethnomedicinal information from the villagers. The villages were selected randomly and 10 number of households were surveyed from each selected village. The survey was done to collect the information from the old people and traditional practitioners. The collected plant specimens were shown to the informant and information about local name, medicinal use, parts used, diseases treated, etc. was collected. The plants samples collected from the field were identified with the voucher specimens at ICFRE-Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla, herbarium and available floras (Collett, 1921; Chowdhery and Wadhwa 1984). 

The present investigation revealed that people of the watershed are immensely dependent upon the plant wealth present in their surroundings. During the survey, total 70 plants species of 65 genera belonging 44 botanical families of ethno medicinal importance were observed from the Watershed (Table 1) (Fig. 2). The dominant families are Asteraceae (07 species) followed by Lamiaceae (06) and Rosaceae (06) having highest ethnomedicinal uses by the local people. Out of 70 plant species, maximum herbs (32 species) followed by shrubs (20) and trees (13) species were recorded (Fig. 3). The most commonly plants parts used was leaves (31) followed by roots (12), whole plant (09), flowers (08), bark (06), fruit (06) and stem (02) (Fig. 4). The plant parts are commonly used for treating a wide range of conditions such as stomachache, gastric problems, wound healing, pain relief and digestive issues. 

Various medicinal plants have been used since ancient times with modern scientific approaches have been used to observe their efficacy in treating various ailments (Kumar et al., 2022). The elder people in the area have extensive knowledge about the use and locations of certain species in the wild, have been using these resources for generations without written documentation. This traditional knowledge has been passed orally and local inhabitants have collected these species from surrounding villages, forests, and from alpine areas (Jishtu et al., 2021). People said that their ancestors were having more knowledge of traditional medicinal plant species. However, the preservation of this traditional wisdom is decreasing and facing challenges due to various reasons. Similar studies were reported on the traditional uses of ethnomedicinal plants in the state of Himachal Pradesh by Kumar et al. (2021); Prakash et al. (2021); Radha and Puri (2018); Kumari and Verma (2022); Sharma (2022); Lata and Paul (2024); Thakur et al. (2024); Sharma et al. (2024). The study reveals that most plants, including jaundice, fever and dysentery are used in their natural form for treating various ailments. Since it has been demonstrated that these plants are effective in treating a variety of illnesses, including fever, dysentery and jaundice. The documentation of ethno-medicinal knowledge is crucial, especially considering the significant reliance of rural populations on medicinal plants. A systematic enumeration of the plant species is given in alphabetical order of their botanical names along with their local name, families and uses.

Table 1:  List of ethno-medicinal plants used by local people of Upper Giri Khad Watershed in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh.

Fig. 2. Dominant families utilized for different purposes.

Fig. 3. Percentage of different habit forms utilized by the locals.

Fig. 4. Usage of plants with respect to plant part used (percentage).

Ranjeet Kumar, Rahul Kumar, Dushyant, Pravin Rawat and Swaran Lata  (2024). Ethno-medicinal Uses of the Floristic Wealth of Upper Giri-Khad Watershed, District Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, North-Western (NW) Himalaya. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 16(12): 130-138.