The Himalayan region is among the largest mountains systems of the world
with uncounted unique medicinal plants resources. The lesser Himalayas
ranges are the extension of Greater Himalayas. They have unique ecology,
vegetation and diversity of medicinal flora due to tremendous variation
in the altitude, climate and associated wildlife.
The utilization of medicinal plants in medicine suffers from the fact
that although plants are used to treat diseases, scientific evidence is
lacking in many cases. Different societies of the world use the plants
according to their own beliefs and knowledge and previous experiences.
Their knowledge about the use of the plants is usually not known to the
other world or science. This book provides a brief introduction of
Lesser Himalayas, ethnobotanical aspects, marketing and anthropogenic
pressure on medicinal flora. It comprises one hundred medicinal plant
species including Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms (Monocots
and Dicots) along with their scientific description and traditional
uses.