Ethnobotany of Similipal

India has a rich ethnic heritage with more than 400 distinct tribal groups inhabiting different regions of the country. These ethnic communities possess rich traditional knowledge on indigenous plants. Tribal knowledge is now recognized as an important resource that can be utilized for tribal development, health care and environmentalconservation. Therefore, it becomes a vital necessity for the documentation and preservation of this knowledge before such information is lost forever due to rapid acculturation of tribal communities. Ethnobotanical studies on Similipal reveal the availability of wild and cultivated plant species with potential for resource utilization. Tribals inhabiting Similipal possess specific knowledge about usage of plants unknown to the outside world. Their traditional knowledge about flora and fauna remains fundamental to their physical, spiritual and social well-being. The tribals are still dependent on traditional hunting, gathering, primitive farming for their livelihood. The book presents ethnobotanical spectrum of Similipal in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Indigenous knowledge of 300 species of vascular plants, both wild and cultivated, have been collected, analysed, classified and documented. It is a comprehensive inventory of useful plants in Central India inhabited mainly by the Kharia tribes. This book provides not only as a reference material but also as a practical guide for folk healers, Vaidyas, Hakims, researchers, traditional healers and students working on medicinal plants. We have attempted to make the resource inventory a comprehensive one. We hope that the book will be adored by ethnobotanists, economic botanists, plant collectors, anthropologists, sociologists, policy makers and environmentalists.…