Ethnomedicinal uses of biological products by indigenous inhabitants in Southern Banke, West Nepal

Natural remedies and traditional treatment practices are well recognized among various ethnic communities in Nepal. However, many of these communities have abandoned traditional healthcare systems due to the availability of modern medical facilities, posing a threat to the preservation of ethnomedicinal knowledge. Such knowledge represents a valuable source of therapeutic information. Despite being one of the major communities in the lowland areas of Nepal, the Madhesi people have limited documentation of their ethnomedicinal practices. Therefore, the present study aimed to document the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and animals used by the local people of Janki Rural Municipality in Western Nepal. A total of 40 respondents were purposively selected and interviewed individually, and two focus group discussions were conducted to compile a list of medicinal plant and animal species, the parts or products used, and their methods of application for treating various ailments. The documentation revealed 61 plant species belonging to 36 families and 30 animal species from nine taxonomic categories, which were used to treat 78 different ailments. These ailments were grouped into 14 major categories for clarity, considering both plant- and animal-based remedies. The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) ranged from 10% to 40% for different species used to treat specific ailments. Similarly, the informant consensus factor (ICF) values ranged from 0.28 for cardiovascular problems to 1.00 for fever and weakness. The highest number of species was recorded for the treatment of gastrointestinal problems (n = 65), while the fewest were reported for ophthalmological treatments (n = 3). This study adds several species to the existing list of ethnomedicinal plants and animals used by the study community. Developing commercial and standardized protocols to utilize this valuable knowledge could contribute to the discovery of new allopathic drugs and promote both regional economic development and the livelihoods of local people.