Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Ethnobotanical wealth of the Indian Himalaya: A synthesis of useful species, traditional knowledge and conservation priorities

Dangwal, Bhawana1; Arya, Dhani1; Bhatt, Indra D2; Rana, Suresh K3

Published Sep 14, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cnp5hqcmw

Data files

Sep 14, 2026 version files 564.18 KB

Click names to download individual files

Abstract

Background: The Himalaya constitutes one of the significant repositories of traditional plant knowledge maintained by indigenous communities over centuries. Its systematic synthesis is critical for conservation, drug discovery, and reversing loss of biocultural heritage. This study aimed to evaluate trends in utilization of plant resources by the indigenous communities across the Indian Himalaya. 

Results: A total of 5,404 useful species were documented, constituting 90% angiosperms and 4.5% fungi. Herbs were the prominent life form (49.3%), and medicinal plants were most prevalent (96.4%), followed by human food (49%) and material use (36.6%). Raw species totals were highest in Uttarakhand (45.2% of the flora), Himachal Pradesh (34.5%) and Arunachal Pradesh (31.3%), but these rankings largely track research effort: the number of source studies alone explained 86.6% of the variance in state-level richness (log–log regression, R² = 0.866, p < 0.001). After standardizing to a common effort of 57 publications, Arunachal Pradesh ranked highest (941 species, 95% CI 662–1,255), ahead of Uttarakhand (590, 310–1,047) and Himachal Pradesh (551, 281–879), and Chao2 estimates indicate that no state is more than 69% inventoried. Leaves were the most frequently utilized plant part (51.2%), followed by whole plant (30.4%), fruits (27.4%), and roots (26.1%); 51.3% of species had at least one part whose collection is potentially destructive. Medicinal plants were used to cure more than 3,000 ailments, with the highest literature-based use values for Acorus calamus, Centella asiatica, Phyllanthus emblica, Cannabis sativa, and Picrorhiza kurroa.

Conclusions: The Indian Himalaya harbors an extraordinary and largely untapped reservoir of ethnobotanical knowledge. The breadth of medicinal applications, the multi-functional use of plant resources, and the identification of high-use-value species provide a robust evidence base for prioritizing conservation interventions and phytochemical research. The strong dependence of recorded richness on research effort further identifies the eastern Himalayan states as the highest-return targets for future primary fieldwork.