NOPR Collection:

Use of plants as Colour material in Pytkar and Jadopatia folk arts of Jharkhand

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Use of plants as Colour material in Pytkar and Jadopatia folk arts of Jharkhand Authors: Kumar, Sanjeev Abstract: The present paper is an outcome of study of ethnobotanical aspect of folk and tribal art of Jharkhand. It was observed that the people use plants not only for their requirement of food, medicine, shelter, clothing etc, but also to express their feelings through colours and brushes. Jadopatia of Santhal Pargana, Pytkar of East Singhbhum, Khovar and Soharai of Hazaribagh are important forms of such paintings. Festivals and rituals based on forests and nature get prominent place in their theme People practicing these art forms still use natural colours prepared from plants and minerals. Such painting can be called as ethnopainting. In this paper fourteen plants have been described which are used in the preparation of colours with the help of other natural ingredients. Use of natural colours to paint subjects related to nature is an honour to nature. Page(s): 202-207

Quality control analysis of Didymocarpous pedicellata R. Br.

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Quality control analysis of Didymocarpous pedicellata R. Br. Authors: Ahmad, Wasim; Zaidi, S M Arif; Ahmad, Sayeed Abstract: Standardization and quality control of the herbal drugs used in Unani system of medicine is essential for their acceptance in the international as well as local markets. Here, an attempt has been made for pharmacognostical standardization of dried leaves of Didymocarpous pedicellata R. Br. (Gesneriaceae) a Unani drug for the first time. The study includes macroscopic, microscopic evaluation along with estimation of its physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical screening as well as fingerprint profile by HPTLC and HPLC. It also includes quantification of some of the constituents like phenolics and flavonoids. The quality control parameters in present study reveals standardization profile of Didymocarpous pedicellata which would be of immense value in botanical identification and authentication of plant drug as well as may be helpful in preventing adulteration. Page(s): 175-180

Pattern of traditional medicine usage in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Pattern of traditional medicine usage in East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya Authors: Lyngdoh, J P; Syiem, D; Mao, AA Abstract: The present paper reports the usage trend of traditional medicine among the indigenous Khasi population of East Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya. The study recorded a high percentage of usage of herbal home remedies for common and minor ailments. Between the C & RD blocks, there is some difference with respect to usage. Further, for all three blocks studied distance and literacy did not influence usage of herbal medicine. A highly significant difference (p< 0.01) was observed on the frequencies of herbal medicine consultation per year, by the respondents. A large majority of the respondent shows duality vis-à-vis allopathic versus local health practices. Allopathy comes into play when home remedies fails. The difference in the preferences of respondents between these two systems of medicine is significant at p<0.01. Amongst the different population categories consulting the LHPs, adults record the maximum number, in all the three C & RD blocks. The difference between the three population categories is significantly high (p<0.01) in Mylliem block whereas the difference are insignificant (p>0.01) in Mawkynrew and Shella-Bholaganj blocks. Page(s): 164-170

Inventory of the traditional rice varieties in farming system of southern Assam: A case study

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Inventory of the traditional rice varieties in farming system of southern Assam: A case study Authors: Das, Tapasi; Das, Ashesh Kumar Abstract: Farmers in the rural parts of the North eastern region are still known to retain traditional rice varieties in their farming systems. In the present study, an attempt was made to inventorise the traditional rice varieties cultivated in a village in Barak Valley, North east India. A total of 18 rice landraces were collected from the study site retained by the farmers because of their dietary, cultural and social value. The traditional rice varieties possess several stress tolerant properties. Such properties act as positive factors in the retention of the rice landraces in the face of the increasing propaganda for cultivation of high yielding rice varieties. Traditional rice varieties represent important genetic reservoirs with valuable traits and there is an urgent need to provide proper incentives and encourage the farmers to cultivate rice landraces to help in the in situ conservation of this important gene pool. Page(s): 157-163