Medico-Religious Monocot Plants of Motihari

Abstract: Plants are considered as prime importance to human life since time immoral who depend onthem for food, shelter, clothing and tools for fulfilling spiritual needs. Ayurveda is closely connected withthe Vedic culture which is believed to have developed after the onset of Aryans in India. Man is usingplant as source of medicine since ancient times. The plants like Asparagas racemosus (LILIACEAE),Crinum asiaticum (AMARYLLIDACEAE), Curcuma longa (ZINGIBERACEAE), Cynodon dactylon(POACEAE), Dendrocalamus strictus (POACEAE), Desmostachya bipinnata (POACEAE), Saccharumoffcinarum (POACEAE), contain effective amounts of active principal of pharmaceutical uses.

INTRODUCTION

Plants as distinct life-forms on the planet represent a huge pool of natural resources that can produce various products and chemicals for the welfare of human beings. In the present study seven monocot plant species found growing at Motihari are sacred to the local people and duly used in the treatment of various human ailments. These plants are also called as medico religious plants (= Nakshatra plants) (R.C. Srivastava, 2006; N.K. Sharma, 2004; S.K. Jain and Rao, R.R. 1997; Nadkarni, AK, 1954)

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Excursion trips were organized to visit Motihari for collecting monocot plant species belonging to different families. The collected plant species were dried under herbarium press for one week under dried exposed environmental conditions. The dried plant species were poisoned with 5% mercuric chloride solution and mounted on herbarium sheet measuring 42 X 28 cm with the help of fevicol.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The mounted plant species were identified with the help of available literatures e.g. Botany of Bihar and Orissa, I-VI volumes (1921-1924); Flora of Delhi by J.K. Maheshwari, 1963; Herbaceous Flora of Dehradun by C.R. Babu (1977). The details of all seven medico religious plants have been included in table-I below —

Table-I: Showing details of 7 medico-religious plants.