Ethnic Medicinal Knowledge: An Ancient Knowledge for the Healthcare and Livelihood of the People of Indian Himalaya

Indigenous or traditional medicine plays an important role since time immemorial. The use of indigenous knowledge is being practiced by several communities and tribal groups in different parts of the Hindukush Himalayan region. The Shivalik Himalaya is the newest mountain chain of the world and having very rich biodiversity. There are several ethnic groups present in this region with their diverse knowledge about the medicinal plants and having their own medicinal system, however much of the information is diminishing rapidly as most of the older people are no more and the next generation is not keen to know this valuable knowledge. The review focuses on the importance of the ethnomedicinal knowledge and the studies carried out in the Himalayan region specifically Indian Himalayan region. The Intellectual property right is also a major concern with respect to the ethnomedicinal knowledge. There is an urgent need of the conservation of the high valued medicinal plants as the exploitation in this area is being done rapidly and the conservation is still a need of the hour. The ethnomedicinal knowledge could serve as the precursor for the Drug discovery process and requires a scientific standardization and validation for their quality and efficacy.