Ethno-botanical survey of some anticancer medicinal plants from Garhwal Himalaya (Uttarakhand) India

<p>Ethno-botanical survey of the plants used in the management of cancer was carried out in Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Herbalists, herb sellers and traditionalists living within the study area were interviewed by the administration of questionnaires. This article considers 20 medicinal plants belong to 16 families, and their different parts (root, stem, bark, bulb, leaf, fruit and seed) or the whole plants/herbs are used. The extracts or decoctions of these are generally used in the anticancer recipes. A need for further scientific research based on the findings of this survey is indeed very necessary and recommended so that adequate records of indigenous methods for the management of cancer can be kept for posterity especially in the study area. A need for analytical work on the plants identified as useful for the management of cancer is also necessary in order to determine the actual dosage applicable so that the medicinal value of these plants could be made available to humanity and hence reduce pain, cost and sudden death of the peoples