An inventory of medicinal plants used in traditional healthcare practices in Buxar District of Bihar, India

This paper presents the results of a study on traditional healthcare practices of local herbal healers known as Vaidhy and other knowledgeable people of Buxar district of Bihar. Since knowledge of traditional uses of various medicinal plants is limited to mostly traditional herbal healers, it is of extreme importance to compile and document this heritage for coming generations. In the present study, 65 plant species belonging to 36 families are used traditionally for the curing of more than 35 ailments and diseases. Among all the plant species, herbaceous plants found to be most dominant (37%) followed by tree (35%), shrubs (19%) and climbers both annual and perennials (9%). The highest number of medicinal plants were recorded in three families viz., Caesalpiniaceae (5 species), Euphorbiaceae and Solanaceae (4 species). The traditional medicinal plants were, mostly used to cure dysentery, diarrhoea, fever, skin diseases, wounds, rheumatism, piles, and digestive disorders, etc.