Abstract

MEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE SYSTEM OF SIKKIM: A REVIEW

Mingma Thundu Sherpa, Abhishek Mathur and Sayak Das,*

ABSTRACT

Sikkim doctrines the aboriginal religious practices, culminates indigenous traditions associated with religion and faith based healing therapies and is a natural hub of traditional medicine. Faith healers and occupational folk medicine therapeuticians acts as alchemists. In this unfathomed virgin and picturesque state of pulchritudinous blooming orchids, rural population are directly depended upon the traditional medicines prescribed by the faith healers and the traditional occupational folk medicine doctors for their basic health issues and amenities. The knowledge of herbs or plant based panacea is a part of indigenous knowledge which has been snowballed from generation and ages since primordial origin. On the basis of proper signs and symptoms of the diseases, these herbal medicines are chosen. Their choice of medicine also depends upon the availability, particular geography; faith associated belief and cost effectiveness. This practice is on the verge of extinction as The Himalayan belt is prone to natural catastrophes like earthquake, flashfloods, incessant rainfall, landslides etc and the availability of the medicinal flora is on decline. It is the precise time to amalgamate the documentation process of the traditional medicine of Sikkim for future references. In this paper, a total of 123 medicinal plants have been discussed which are prescribed or used by the traditional medicine system of Sikkim (Amchi, Jhankri, Ayurveda, Tibetan and Lama/Pandit).

Keywords: Sikkim, medicinal plants, traditional medicine, Jhankri, Amchi, Boomthing, Fedongma