Abstract

The village Nemna is situated in the southern part of district Sonbhadra of the UP state of India. Since time immemorial, it has been famous for its elegant environment and forest products. Several tribal communities like Kol, Gond and Baigas dwell in the forest area and utilize a wide variety of plants for food, fodder, fuel, medicine, dye, gum, tannin and household and farm implements. Nowadays, NTPC Rihand and its associates have opened the doors for employment, all for good but as the young generation is seeing a shift in their income pattern, it is feared that the vast expanse of ecological knowledge the Baigas had mastered would be lost for ever. An ethnobotanical study was carried out with a view to properly document the human plant interaction which was till now propagated orally only from generation to generation. The first hand information on medicinal uses of plants by Baiga tribes senior medicine men viz. mode of preparation, administration, duration of the treatment etc. was collected using a questionnaire. The study revealed that the Baigas of Nemna are rich in ethnobotanical diversity. For treating Bilani, a disease of the eyes, they use Mangifera indica. Sihula, a skin disease is treated using the bark of Kurli. Sarphonk is effective against snakebite while Gainthi increases immunity. The bark of Koraya is used thrice a day to cure malaria. As a custodian of these and many more practices the traditional knowledge of the Baigas need to be conserved. Let us save them both- the Baigas and these plants.