Exploring the Ethano-Medicinal Use of Piper Longrum in Association with Other Plant Species by Various Ethnic Tribes of Assam, India

Assam is situated in northeast India, primarily within the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots, and is recognized as one of the country's richest biodiversity regions. Its landscapes encompass grasslands, tropical rainforests, wetlands, and riverine ecosystems that support a vast array of flora and fauna. Alongside this ecological wealth, Assam is renowned for its tribal and ethnic diversity, including communities like the Bodo, Mising, Karbi, Ahom, Deori, and others. These tribes possess profound ethno-medicinal botanical knowledge, using diverse plants often in combinations to treat various diseases and ailments. A prominent example is longum, widely employed across these groups for remedies against cough, cold, ulcers, diabetes, dysentery, and more. The present study documents the folklore medicinal practices associated with Piper longum and its associate plants among 15 different tribal communities of Assam.