Ethnobotany of Bhil Tribe

Book Details

• Author: V.P. Singh & Dinesh Jadhav

• Publisher: Scientific Publishers

• Language: English

• Edition: 1st Edition

• Year of Publication: 2019

• ISBN: 9788172336998

• Pages: 322

• Cover: Hard Bound

• Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.75 inches

• Weight: 720 gm

About the Book
This ethnobotanical study, conducted over several years (2004-2007), presents a comprehensive analysis of the traditional knowledge of plant use among the indigenous people of Ratlam district, located in Western Madhya Pradesh. The authors, V.P. Singh and Dinesh Jadhav, document 210 plant species that are of ethnobotanical importance, divided into categories such as medicinal plants, wild edible fruits, vegetables, and other economically useful plants.

The book provides an in-depth exploration of:

• 186 Medicinal Plants with details about their medicinal properties and uses in traditional healing practices.

• Wild Edible Fruits (36 species) and Vegetables (27 species), offering insights into local diets and food security.

• Fodder/Forage plants (18 species), which play a crucial role in supporting livestock in the region.

• Other economic uses of plants, including fibres, dyes, tannins, and even magico-religious applications.

The plants discussed in the book belong to a diverse range of genera and families, with the majority (180 species) being dicots, and the remainder (30 species) monocots. The plants are categorized by their habits, with a mix of herbs, trees, shrubs, climbers, and even grasses and angiospermic parasites.

The book provides:

• Vernacular names of the plants.

• Taxonomic descriptions.

• Distribution and part usage of each plant.

• Chemical constituents and biological activities.

• Folk uses and traditional knowledge passed down through generations.

This book is an invaluable resource for Botanists, Ethnobotanists, researchers in Ayurveda and Herbal Medicine, as well as students pursuing Botany and BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery). It is also crucial for those working in the pharmaceutical industry and for anyone interested in ethnomedicine and the phytochemical properties of plants.

This work is a must-have for scientific libraries and university libraries in Madhya Pradesh and will be useful for anyone engaged in the study or use of medicinal plants and indigenous knowledge systems.