Wild medicinal plants in Indian Folk Life-A Historical Perspective Plants of over 3500 wild species are used to cure ailments in man and his domesticated animals : Plants in folk medicine of the Himalaya The Himalayan ranges are inhabited by a large tribal population, often with their distinct way of life, traditions, dialects and cultural heritage. The Himalaya have bestowed them with vast, varied and even endemic plants. The tribals have learnt to utilize local herbs for different ailments after centuries of trials, often at the risk of loss of human life. Many tribal beliefs forbid them to unravel the virtues of the plants to outside world. But, it is also true that till recent little concerted effort had been made to document this knowledge by detailed ethnobotanical surveys.

Recently, checklists of Ayurvedic and Yunani treatises have been published (Anonymous, 1963 and Tripathi et al., 1978). A list of some of the important Indian treatises is presented in Table 1. References to the trees and flowers are found profusely in folk song, particularly in songs of worship of plants. Folk songs in praise of Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schard. ex. J.C.Wendl), Basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn.), and Amaltas (Cassia fistula Linn.) are sung, believing these plants are the abode of several Gods and Goddess (Agarwal, 1997).

Scientific Name Sida cordifolia Linn. Family Malvaceae Used Part Seeds Distribution Area Common Uses .Considered useful in sexual debility and spermatorrhoea. Used in drugs for sexual strength. Roots, leaves and seeds are slightly bitter in taste and are used in medicine. The juice of the plant is mixed with the juice of Borassus flabellifer for local use in elephantiasis. The mucilaginous leaves are used as a demulcent and their infusion is given in fever as a refrigerant. They are reported to be used against dysentery and for poulticing ulcers. A decoction of the leaves is said to possess emollient and diuretic properties. In Cambodia and China, root is considered to possess astringent,

Natural drugs obtained from plants and animals are called drugs of biological origin and are produced in the living cells of plants or animals. Pharmacognosy is the study of crude drugs obtained from plants, animals and mineral kingdom. Even though the science of pharmacognosy is practised since a very early period, the term pharmacognosy was first used by Seydler, a German scientist, in 1815 in his book Analecta Pharmacognostica. It is derived from two Latin words pharmaka (a drug) and gignosco (to acquire a knowledge of). It means a knowledge or science of drugs.

Rajasthan : Hadoti Plateau Ethnobotanical studies in Rajasthan were conducted by Singh and Pandey (1980), Joshi (1982, 1995), Katewa and Arora (1997), Singh and Pandey (1998) and Sharma and Dadhich (2002). Plants: 1. Acacia nilotica (L). Willd. (Mimosaceae) Babool or Barodi kikar. A moderate – sized tree, pinnae 4-9 pairs, stipular thorns long, heads yellow, pods stalked. Loc. Jhirniya Flowering and Fruiting : October – February. Medicinal Use : Comparatively younger and softer twigs of the tree are used for massage of gums and cleansing of teeth. Paste of stem bark is applied locally for abdominal pain. 2. Azadirachta indica (A.Juss.) (Meliaceae). Neem or Neemda.

Action plan for ECO-restoration of holy city of AJMER.