Observation and Documentation of Medicinal Plant Diversity of Seoni District, Madhya Pradesh Used in Traditional Medicine for Skin Diseases

The paper reports ethnobotanical study based on the traditional medicinal plants used by the local population for the treatment of skin diseases. The main aim of the study was to observe and document medicinal plants of Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh. In the present study exhaustive field exploration and study was conducted to survey medicinal plants originating in eight tehsils of Seoni District from November 2019 to November 2020. The ethnobotanical data was collected using field work and survey method by performing semi-structured interviews and group discussions with the traditional healers and the local population. The ethnomedicinal survey yielded documentation of 97 plant species belonging to 43 families and 90 genera. The most dominant families observed in the study were Fabaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Poaceae, Moraceae, Caesalpinaceae, Rutaceae, Apiaceae, Anacardiaceae, Zingiberaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Rosaceae, Liliaceae, Arecaceae and Malvaceae. The tribals possess tremendous traditional knowledge of medicinal plants that can be used to cure different ailments. However, urbanization and expansion on agricultural practices have become a major threat to the medicinal plants. Hence, it is of utmost importance to preserve the indigenous knowledge of herbal medicines through identification and systematic documentation. The present study also aims to document the use of traditional herbal medicines of Seoni district that are used for curing skin problems. Conservation of the traditionally important plant species with the help of local population will enhance the ethnomedicinal diversity of the place.