Table 1.
List of 24 ethnomedicines used by the Zemithang Monpa people and the associated medicinal plants documented in this study.
| Number | Name of the Ethnomedicines (in Monpa Tribal Language of Zemithang Dialect) | Type of Medicines | Name of Medicinal Plants Used for Ethnomedicines | Proportion of Used Plant Parts (Bray in local language is a Buddhist prayer bowl. It could be made of gold, silver, brass, copper, stone, or wood and is often used for religious offerings. 1 bray can contain approximately 900 g of grain). | Mode of Preparations | Medicinal Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkadamasisi | paste | Crawfurdia speciosa Wall. | 1/4 bray of dried root + 1/8 bray of dried flower | dried roots and flower crushed together to prepare powder and then mixed with water to prepare paste | paste is applied externally for healing wounds |
| 2 | Baribama | decoction | Aristolochia griffithii Hook.f. | 1/8 bray of raw washed roots | roots are boiled with water to prepare a decoction | decoction is taken as blood purifier and purgative |
| 3 | Blenga | pills | Hedychium spicatum Buch.-Ham. | 1 bray of washed raw roots | raw roots are crushed and small round pills are prepared and sun dried | pills are taken orally for treatment of dysentery, chest pain, cough and cold |
| 4 | Bomdeng | paste | Cirsium falconeri Hook.f., Cirsium verutum D. Don and Onopordum acanthium L. | 1/2 bray of washed raw root of C. falconeri + 1/2 bray of washed raw root of C. verutum + 3/4 bray of washed raw root of O. acanthium | raw roots are mixed together and crushed to prepare paste | paste is applied externally to treat arthritis |
| 5 | Bragen | syrup | Bergenia stracheyi Hook.f. & Thorns. | 1 bray of washed fresh leaves | clear fresh leaves are crushed to prepare paste and mixed with 1/4 bray local millets wine to prepare syrup | syrup is taken for treating rheumatic pains |
| 6 | Bukbukpa-khaksa-chandongbra | paste | Campanula latifolia Linn., Codonopsis clematidea Schrenk. and Codonopsis viridis Wall. | 1/2 bray of washed fresh leaves and 1/4 bray of fresh flowers of each species + 1/4 bray of conch powder + 1/4 bray of water | leaves and flowers are crushed together and mixed with conch powder and water to prepare paste | paste is applied externally to treat herpes |
| 7 | Chandoo-konghlin-bhor | powder | Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser., Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle, Aconitum hookeri Stapf., Geranium polyanthes Edgeworth & J. D. Hooker, Geranium wallichianum D. Don and Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle ex Benth. | 1 small dried root from each plants of A. ferox, A. heterophyllum and A. hookeri (total 5 g mixture of three plants) + 3 bray of dried root of G. polyanthes and G. wallichianum + 1 bray of dried root P. kurrooa | all ingredients are mixed together and crushed to prepare a powder | powder is taken orally to overcome poisoning effects |
| 8 | Chhalachhusar | syrup | Meconopsis grandis Prain and Meconopsis paniculata D. Don | 1/2 bray of dry leaves from each plant + 1/2 bray of dy flowers from each plant | dried leaves and flowers are mixed together and crushed to prepare powder, and a small amount of powder (5 g) is mixed with 1 bray of water to prepare a syrup | syrup is taken to treat sexually transmitted diseases |
| 9 | Chhurchu doho keusheng | pills | Rheum australe D. Don, Rheum nobile Hook.f. & Thoms. and Bistorta affinis D. Don | 1/2 bray of fresh roots from each species + 1/4 bray of dried flowers from each species | fresh roots and dried flowers are crushed together to make a paste, then small round pills are prepared and sun dried | pills are taken orally to overcome poisoning effects |
| 10 | Comrep | syrup | Rubus ellipticus Smith and Rubus paniculatus Smith | 1/2 bray of fresh ripe fruits from each plant | roots are mixed together and crushed to prepare a thick syrup | syrup is used for treatment of cold and cough |
| 11 | Darshek sheng nye putpoo | decoction | Pieris formosa (Wallich) D. Don; Vaccinium nummularia Hook.f. & Thoms. | 1/4 bray of fruits of P. formosa + 1/4 bray of fruits of V. numularia + 1/2 bray of fresh roots of P. formosa + 1/2 bray of fresh roots of V. numularia | mixture of all fresh fruits and roots along with water is boiled to prepare a decoction | decoction is taken to cure oedema |
| 12 | Dhamrep | paste | Fragaria nubicola Lindl., Geum elatum Wall. and Potentilla peduncularis D. Don. | 1/2 bray of F. nubicola fresh fruits + 1/8 bray of dried roots of G. elatum + 1/4 bray of leaves of P. peduncularis | fresh fruits, leaves, and dried roots are crushed together to prepare a paste | paste is taken orally to treat cold, cough, and fever |
| 13 | Gin sheng | powder | Panax pseudoginseng Wall. | 1/4 bray of dried rhizomes | dried rhizomes are crushed to prepare powder, which is taken with water | used for treating depression and fatigue |
| 14 | Karpo Chiito | paste | Iris clarkei Baker | 1/4 bray of dried flower, leaves, stem, and root | dried flowers, leaves, stem parts, and roots are crushed together to prepare powder and mixed with local millets wine to prepare paste | paste is used externally to treat muscle pain |
| 15 | Lowa bur | pills | Lomatogonium carinthiacum (Wulfen) Rchb. | 1/4 bray of dried roots | dried roots are crushed and small round pills are prepared and sun dried | pills are taken orally to treat cold, cough, and fever |
| 16 | Maraptang | pills | Houttuynia cordata Thunb. | 1/4 bray of dried roots | dried roots are crushed and small round pills are prepared and sun dried | pills are taken orally for treatment of piles |
| 17 | Nyasheng jormu | paste and pills | Viscum articulatum Burm. f. | 1/4 bray of fresh roots + 1/4 bray of fresh leaves + 1/4 bray of fresh stems | fresh roots, leaves, and parts of stem are crushed together to prepare paste; sometimes paste is used to prepare small round pills and sun dried | paste is used to join broken bones, treating pain from swelling of nerves and healing wounds; pills are used for treatment of infertility among women |
| 18 | Pambrey | mixture | Anaphalis monocephala DC., Anaphalis triplinervis Sims., Gnaphalium hypoleucum DC., Leontopodium himalayanam DC., Leontopodium jacotianum Beauv., Tanacetum tibeticum Hook.f. and Tanacetum gracile Hook.f. & Thoms. | 1/2 bray of flowers from each of the plants | flowers are kept in a dark place for two days after plucking and then mixed together | used to treat epilepsy, mildly warm mixtures are applied on the bare head of the patient (two times a day) consecutively for 15 to 20 days |
| 19 | Pangen | pills | Gentiana depressa D. Don, Gentiana ornata Wallich ex G. Don, Gentiana phyllocalyx C. B. Clarke and Gentiana tubiflora Wallich ex G. Don. | 1/4 bray of dried roots from each of the plants | dried roots are crushed and then mixed with 1/4 bray of local millet wine and 1/2 bray of water and small round pills are prepared and sun dried | pills are used to treat cough, cold, and headache |
| 20 | Rah-nya | decoction | Smilacina purpurea S. oleracea and Polygonatum multiflorum Allem. | 1/4 bray of fresh roots from each of the plants | roots are boiled with water to prepare a decoction | is used for the treatment of malaria |
| 21 | Rambhoo tsarphakur | paste | Morina longifolia Wall., Pterocephalus hookeri (C. B. Clarke) Hock. | 1/4 bray of dried flowers, 1/2 bray of fresh roots, 1/4 bray of fresh fruits of M. longifolia + 1/8 bray of dried flower, 1/2 bray of fresh roots, 1/2 bray of fresh fruits of P. hookeri | flowers, roots, and fruits of both plants are mixed together and crushed to prepare paste | paste is applied for healing chest pain |
| 22 | Trahm-Sheng | paste | Corydalis cashmeriana Royle. | 1/4 bray of fresh leaves + 1/4 bray of fresh flower | fresh leaves and flowers are crushed to prepare paste | paste is applied for healing wounds |
| 23 | Wang La | powder | Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Flem.) Karst. and Swertia hookeri C. B. Clarke | 1/2 bray of dried whole plants | dried whole plants are crushed to prepare powder, which is taken with water | powder is used to treat malaria, and is also used as a purgative and laxative |
| 24 | Whan | pills | Lilium nepalense D. Don | 1/2 bray of dried roots | dried roots are crushed and mixed with water to prepare small round pills which are then sun dried | pills are used for treating gastritis and stomachic |