Work

Indigenous medicinal plant knowledge among the Meitei community of Salungpham village, Thoubal district, Manipur, India

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants represents a vital resource for healthcare, cultural preservation, and scientific exploration. Passed down through generations, this knowledge remains integral to many communities around the world. In Salungpham village of Thoubal district, Manipur, the Meitei community maintains a rich heritage of using medicinal plants in their healing practices. Despite the spread of modern medicine, villagers continue to depend on these traditional remedies-much of which remain undocumented. This study records traditional medicinal practices by collecting ethnomedicinal data from informants in Salungpham village, Thoubal district, Manipur, through open-ended and semi-structured questionnaires. All the diseases and the treated ailments revealed by the informants were categorized according to the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). The ethnobotanical data were analysed using a variety of quantitative indices, including informant consensus factor (ICF), use value (UV). There were 130 medicinal plant species belonging to 114 genera and 58 families, mostly Lamiaceae and Zingiberaceae. The most widely used plant part was the leaf, and the most popular ways to use it were by oral administration and decoction. High ICF values indicated strong agreement on plant use against ailments, where the respiratory category had the highest ICF treated by 32 plant species with 587 use reports. Some of the high-use-value plant species are Alpinia galanga, Arundo donax , and Neptunia oleracea . This study highlights the continued reliance on medicinal plants and the importance of documenting these knowledge practices. It provides recognition and opens new avenues for pharmacological research for improved healthcare.

Source: Trees Forests and People

DOI: 10.1016/j.tfp.2026.101193