Ethnomedicinal importance of some bee floral resources of Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh: A review

Due to favorable climatic and topographical circumstances, the forests of Himachal Pradesh are home a wide variety of plants, particularly angiospermic plants having a significant herbal potential. The honey bees visit certain plants in the Shivalik hills to gather pollen and nectar and make honey. This state is known as one of the states that acts as “Honeybasket” due to the existence of these plants, which are named as bee floral resources. The plants such as Acacia catechu, Argemone mexicana, Bauhinia Vahlii, Butea monosperma, Cassia fistula, Erythrina suberosa, Helianthus annus, Impatiens balsamina, Lantana Camara, Moringa oleifera and Opuntia dillenii etc. are found in Shivalik hills of Himachal Pradesh and these plants act as source and contributor in the production of honey. In addition to serving as a source of honey, these plants are traditionally utilized by rural peoples, who reside nearby or in the vicinity of these hills to make herbal or plant-based medications for treating a variety of illnesses common in the studied region.