Ethnoveterinary Important Plants of Bamsan, Distt. Hamirpur(HP), India

Ethnoveterinary is a holistic interdisciplinary study of indigenous knowledge, skills, methods, practices and management methodologies pertaining to the healthcare of animals. Like all other traditional knowledge systems, ethnoveterinary medical practices are handed down verbally from one generation to the another, and are on the verge of extinction due to the advent of modern civilization and changes in sustenance economy. Many indigenous veterinary beliefs and practices persist in a wide majority of stock raisers and farmers, particularly in the developing countries where allopathic veterinary medicines are often beyond the reach of livestock producers. Ethnoveterinary practices (EVPs) are widely adopted for the maintenance of good animal health in developing countries. In the context of Indian Himalaya in general and North West Himalaya in particular, available information on ethnoveterinary medicine are scant. Excepting some cursory observations on ethnoveterinary medicine among the Gaddi tribe of Kangra valley, Himachal Pradesh, the state remains largely unexplored in respect of this aspect of ethnobotany. Therefore, the present study is initial step in this direction.