An ethnomedicinal study was conducted in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya situated in the north-eastern region of India during 2016-2019, to document the traditional method of preparation of medicines for treating bronchial asthma, as well as to identify the different plants used for its treatment by the traditional healthcare practitioners (THPs) belonging to the Garo tribe. Over fifty THPs were identified following extensive field survey in different villages and towns of the West Garo Hills district using snowball technique. The selected respondents were interviewed using pre-tested interview schedule. Out of the 50 THPs, only nine THPs were found to offer treatment against bronchial asthma. Information collected revealed that 29 medicinal plants belonging to 20 families were used for treatment of bronchial asthma by the Garo THPs. Highest use-value was recorded in Piper nigrum (0.55), Piper longum (0.44), Ocimum sanctum (0.33) and Zingiber officinale (0.33). This paper also presents a detailed description of the preparation method of eleven different indigenous medicines used for treatment of bronchial asthma by the Garo THPs.
Key words: Ethnomedicine, Traditional medicine, Herbal medicine, Bronchial asthma, Garo tribe, Pulmonary disease.
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