580
In e na ional Jou nal o Ad ance and Applied Resea ch
www.ijaa .co.in
ISSN – 2347-7075
Impac Fac o – 8.141
Pee Re iewed
Bi-Mon hly
Vol. 6 No. 40
Sep embe - Oc obe - 2025
E hnobo anical Su ey and Medicinal Plan Conse a ion P ac ices Among
T ibal Communi ies o he Ma a hwada Region, Maha ash a
M . Onka Deshmane
Resea ch Schola ,
Depa men o Bo any
Co esponding Au ho – M . Onka Deshmane
DOI - 10.5281/zenodo.17664085
Abs ac :
T adi ional ibal communi ies possess deep- oo ed bo anical knowledge ha con ibu es o
p ima y heal hca e, ecological sus ainabili y, and biodi e si y conse a ion. The p esen s udy
explo es e hnobo anical p ac ices o ibal g oups in he Ma a hwada egion wi h emphasis on
medicinal plan u iliza ion, mode o p epa a ion, plan pa usage, and conse a ion awa eness. Da a
was collec ed h ough s uc u ed in e iews, ield su eys, and he bal heale s’ consul a ions ac oss
ibal se lemen s o Beed, Nanded, Hingoli, and Pa bhani. A o al o 68 medicinal plan species we e
documen ed, belonging o 37 amilies, wi h Fabaceae, Apocynaceae, Lamiaceae, and As e aceae
eme ging as dominan amilies. Lea es we e iden i ied as he mos commonly used plan pa ,
ollowed by oo s, ba k, seeds, and la ex. The s udy also ecognizes indigenous conse a ion me hods
such as sac ed g o es (De ai sys em), seasonal ha es ing, selec i e up oo ing, and na u al seed
dispe sal p o ec ion. Howe e , inc easing de o es a ion, habi a des uc ion, u ban mig a ion, and
declining in e gene a ional ans e o knowledge h ea en e hnobo anical he i age. The pape
ecommends communi y-based conse a ion p og ams, digi al documen a ion o ibal plan
knowledge, and in eg a ion o e hnobo any in o u al biodi e si y policy ini ia i es.
Keywo ds: E hnobo any, Medicinal Plan s, T ibal Knowledge, Plan Conse a ion, Ma a hwada
Region, Biodi e si y, Indigenous Healing
In oduc ion:
India’s ibal communi ies a e
ecognized as li ing ese oi s o adi ional
knowledge, pa icula ly in plan -based healing
sys ems. Thei dependence on o es s, seasonal
lo a, and wild medicinal he bs has c ea ed a
well-s uc u ed e hnobo anical knowledge
sys em ha p eda es classical Ayu edic and
pha macological documen a ion. This
knowledge is acqui ed in ui i ely, e ined
h ough gene a ions, and applied o healing
pu poses such as e e , diges i e diso de s,
wound healing, skin in ec ions, espi a o y
ailmen s, women’s heal h, and li es ock
diseases. Unlike mode n pha macological
ea men s ha ocus on isola ed bioac i e
compounds, ibal medicine adop s a holis ic
plan -based healing model, whe e
combina ions o lea es, ba k, oo s, esins, and
ui s a e p ocessed h ough decoc ion, pas e,
smoke inhala ion, e men a ion, o di ec
consump ion.
The Ma a hwada egion, al hough
semi-a id, suppo s ich lo al di e si y in i s
o es pa ches, hilly zones, i e ma gins, and
sac ed g o es. T ibes such as Gond, Bhil,
Kolam, Pa dhi, Andh, and Banja as con inue
o p ac ice he bal healing wi h minimal
ex e nal medical dependence. Howe e , he
con inui y o his knowledge aces se ious
IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 40 ISSN – 2347-7075
M . Onka Deshmane
581
challenges due o en i onmen al deg ada ion,
loss o o es co e , indus ial expansion, and
absence o sys ema ic documen a ion. This
s udy a emp s o b idge his gap by p esen ing
an o ganized bo anical eco d along wi h
cul u al and ecological in e p e a ions.
Signi icance o E hnobo anical Knowledge
in T ibal Sys ems:
E hnobo anical p ac ices among ibal
communi ies se e h ee majo oles: (i)
Heal hca e secu i y, whe e plan s become he
i s line o ea men o diseases, inju ies, and
malnu i ion, (ii) Ecological sus ainabili y,
whe e plan ha es ing is egula ed h ough
e hical no ms, seasonal cycles, and spi i ual
belie s, and (iii) Cul u al iden i y, whe e
plan s a e linked o i uals, childbi h p ac ices,
adi ional ce emonies, and sac ed belie
sys ems. Unlike comme cial medicine, ibal
plan usage does no aim a mass ex ac ion
bu balanced coexis ence, ensu ing ha
biodi e si y emains unha med e en a e
epea ed use. This coexis ence model e lec s
deep ecological consciousness d awn om
expe ience a he han scien i ic in e en ion.
Me hodology O e iew:
Field su eys we e conduc ed ac oss
18 ibal hamle s. Da a collec ion was based
on:
Di ec in e ac ion wi h ibal heale s
(Vaidu, Bhaga s, he bal p ac i ione s)
Bo anical iden i ica ion h ough ield
obse a ions and egional lo is ic keys
Documen a ion o plan pa s used,
mode o p epa a ion, and he apeu ic
indica ions
Obse a ion o local conse a ion
adi ions and esou ce managemen
p ac ices
Plan iden i ica ion was alida ed
h ough egional lo a handbooks and
bo anical axonomy e e ences o ensu e
accu acy in species classi ica ion.
Obse a ions and E hnobo anical Insigh s:
The ibal popula ion elies on di e se
plan pa s o p epa ing medicines, bu
p e e ence is highly sys ema ic. Lea es a e
mos equen ly used due o hei high
bioac i e compound a ailabili y and
egene a i e na u e, ollowed by oo s o deep
healing po en ial, ba k o an imic obial
p ope ies, seeds o nu i ional and
he apeu ic supplemen a ion, and la ex o
wound healing and in ec ion con ol.
Mode o p epa a ion a ies based on
disease ype and age g oup. Decoc ions a e
p e e ed o e e s and in e nal diso de s, lea
pas es a e applied o wounds and skin
diseases, e men ed he bal ex ac s a e used
o diges ion and immuni y, smoke inhala ion
is used o espi a o y conges ion, and c ushed
ba k o oo s in lukewa m wa e a e used o
an i-in lamma o y o analgesic e ec s.
No ably, heale s a oid up oo ing en i e plan s
unless absolu ely necessa y, e lec ing
sus ainabili y e hics.
Conse a ion P ac ices Obse ed Among
T ibals:
Conse a ion in ibal sys ems is no
ins i u ional bu spi i ual and ecological.
Sac ed g o es known locally as De ai se e
as p o ec ed biodi e si y zones whe e plan
cu ing o ha es ing wi hou i ual pe mission
is p ohibi ed. Seasonal ha es ing ensu es ha
medicinal plan s a e collec ed only du ing
peak ma u i y, allowing na u al seed dispe sal
be o ehand. Knowledge holde s also p ac ice
selec i e plucking, lea ing mo he plan s
undis u bed, while ce ain species a e
in en ionally g own nea homes o con inuous
a ailabili y. These p ac ices e lec a deeply
embedded conse a ion psychology ha
IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 40 ISSN – 2347-7075
M . Onka Deshmane
582
p omo es sus ainabili y wi hou o mal policy
egula ions.
Th ea s o E hnobo anical He i age:
The s udy iden i ies mul iple ac o s
accele a ing decline in adi ional plan
knowledge. Rapid de o es a ion o
ag icul u al and in as uc u al expansion has
educed na u al habi a s. Mig a ion o ibal
you h owa d u ban employmen limi s
knowledge ansmission om elde s o he
nex gene a ion. Inc eased dependence on
pha maceu ical d ugs discou ages adi ional
healing p ac ices. Addi ionally, clima e
i egula i ies and in asi e species challenge
local lo a egene a ion, igge ing silen
e osion o e hnobo anical di e si y.
Recommenda ions:
Only essen ial poin s a e p esen ed in
bulle o m o cla i y:
C ea ion o a digi al e hnobo anical
da abase o Ma a hwada ibal lo a
De elopmen o ibal medicinal plan
conse a ion zones
Inclusion o ibal plan knowledge in
academic and u al policy amewo ks
Es ablishmen o he bal nu se ies
managed by local ibal you h
Collabo a i e esea ch o
phy ochemical and pha macological
alida ion
Conclusion:
The e hnobo anical knowledge o
Ma a hwada ibes is no me ely a medical
al e na i e sys em bu a sus ainable model o
ecological coexis ence, biodi e si y
managemen , and communi y heal hca e.
Thei plan -based o mula ions, ha es ing
e hics, and conse a ion adi ions hold
aluable lessons o mode n bo anical
sciences, pha macognosy, and en i onmen al
sus ainabili y. Howe e , wi hou immedia e
documen a ion and communi y-suppo ed
p ese a ion s a egies, his knowledge isks
disappea ing wi hin a gene a ion. In eg a ing
his wisdom in o ins i u ional esea ch
amewo ks can unlock new possibili ies in
na u al p oduc esea ch, he bal
pha macology, and sus ainable biodi e si y
conse a ion.
Re e ences:
1. Jain, S.K. (2004). E hnobo any and
Resea ch in India. Deep Publica ions.
2. Kala, C. P. (2015). E hnomedicinal
bo any o he Indian ibes. Jou nal o
E hnobiology and Conse a ion, 4(2),
1–9.
3. Ghosh, R. (2018). T adi ional medicinal
plan s in Indian ibal li e. Indian
Jou nal o T adi ional Knowledge,
17(3), 456–469.
4. Sha ma, J., & Kuma , V. (2020).
E hnobo anical documen a ion o
medicinal lo a in ibal egions.
E hnobo any Resea ch & Applica ions,
19, 1–16.
5. T ibhuwan, R.D., & Sha ma, P. (2019).
Sac ed g o es and conse a ion
p ac ices in u al India. Asian Jou nal
o Biodi e si y, 7(3), 33–45.
6. Kshi saga , R., e al. (2021). Plan
conse a ion s a egies among ibal
communi ies o Maha ash a. Jou nal o
Plan Sciences, 9(2), 78–86.
7. Pa il, H.M., & Deshmukh, B.S. (2022).
Medicinal lo a o he Ma a hwada
egion: Dis ibu ion and indigenous
use. Bo anical Su ey Repo s, 14, 112–
125.
