Dr. TAWSEEF A. MIR & DR. MUATASIM JAN
Due to the wide difference in land-scapes, ecoedaphic conditions, forest types, and climatic factors, India’s Northwestern Himalayas is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. It has a wide range of medicinal and aromatic plants, many of which are well-known globally for their ethnobotany, variety of phytochemicals, and pharmacological effects. Unfortunately, due to constant demand from industry and local markets, continual harvesting from the wild has reduced their natural populations over time. In their natural environments, the majority of unique medicinal plants are currently in danger of going extinct.
Identification of these diminishing endangered species of medicinal plants across various geographies is urgently needed in order to start conservation measures.In the past few decades, numerous medicinal plants in the Kashmir Himalayas, including Podophyllum hexandrum, Picrorhizakurroa, Aconitum heterophyllum, Rheum emodi, Arnebiabenthami, and Mecanopsis aculeata, have been classified as either vulnerable, threatened, or critically endangered. Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate the rapidly dwindling populations of these important medicinal plants in India’s Kashmir Himalayas.
One of these Kashmir Valley medicinal plants at very high risk of extinction is Trillium govanianum. It is a medicinal plant that is native to the Himalayas and is found between elevations of 2,500 and 4,000 metres in Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and China. In Kashmir valley, it is known as Tripater and is a member of the Melanthiaceae family. It may be recognized by its single, purple flower in the centre and three leaves arranged in a whorl at the stem’s peak. Leaves are roughly oval, sharp and noticeably stalked. Flowers are brown purple with slender petals. Trillarin, found in roots, is hydrolyzed to produce 2.5% diosgenin (a corticosteroid hormone).
In the rural and isolated sections of Kashmir Himalayas, overuse of this plant in natural habitats to supply the pharmaceutical industry needs has significantly reduced the population of these species. A useful class of pharmacologically active chemicals with antibacterial, antiparasitic, anticancer, antifungal, and analgesic characteristics have been discovered through study on medicinal plants. T.govanianumis a god gifted medicinal plant, having high medicinal properties.Native inhabitants of the hilly region gather Tripater rootstock to treat a variety of ailments, such as joint pain, stomachaches, and wounds, and they also participate in the extraction of the species for commerce.
Humanity has always had access to a variety of services of biodiversity. Among these many components, medicinal plants are a well-known source of income. The residents of the valley rely on the commercial exploitation of T. govanianum for their subsistence. In the last two to three years, this species has been overharvested and over-exploited due to the rise in demand for it in the wild.The native people residing in rural and remote areas are highly dependent on forest andforest resources for their livelihood, primarily the collection of wild medicinal plant species.
Due to less knowledge regarding the proper and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants among the local masses, has led this valuable medicinal plant on the near to extinction. The foremost significant thing is to make awareness and give training to native people about sustainable exploitation of medicinal plant wealth so as to stop its degrading population and to preserve this treasure for our future generations.
(Authors are working as Assistant Professors in Department of Botany/Forestry at BFIT Group of Institutions, Dehradun, India and can be reached at: [email protected]/[email protected])
