Impact of Traditional Herbal Medicine on the Socio-Cultural Life of the Assamese Community, Lakhimpur District, Assam

The district of Lakhimpur, Assam, situated at the far east corner of north-east India is a region of rich biodiversity. Because of its location at the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh, an environment with heavy rainfall and high humidity, conducive for a significant floristic diversity prevails in this region. The native people of this region, the greater Assamese community, therefore depends to a large extent on the varied plant species for food and medicine besides other uses. A survey on the usage of traditional herbal medicine by the native inhabitants of this region, revealed that a total of 59.14 percent of different sections of the community preferred use of traditional medicine during common ailments. This paper deals with the importance of cultivation and preservation of locally available medicinal plants and encourage all sections of the society to preserve the important medicinal plants.