Plant Science Research, Vol. 36, 2014

Traditional uses of some medicinal plants of Kendrapara district of Odisha

Kendrapara district in the state of Odisha is a storehouse of rich indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants. Past floristic studies conducted in the district suggest that this coastal district was much richer in terms of medicinal plant diversity and the rural people possess fairly good knowledge on uses of locally occurring medicinal plants for various ailments. With urbanization and access to modern medicine, the rich traditional knowledge base on indigenous medicine is fast eroding. During the present investigation, through extensive fieldwork, the traditional knowledge on medicinal plants of this district has been documented. About four hundred medicinal plants have been collected and identified from different areas of this district. The urgent need for documentation of local knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants have been emphasized.