నైరూప్య

A Review of Folk (ethnic) Medicines in Shopian

Abid Hussain Haji

Folk medicines are commonly used by the rural inhabitants of Kashmir since the times immemorial for the treatment of various diseases. This practice of treatment owes to the absence or less availability of modern healthcare system in the remote areas of the study area and the presence of rich variety of medicinal plants therein. Presently the folk medicinal practitioners play a very important role in the healthcare system in developing countries and the case of district Shopian is not different: more than three-fourths of the total population of the world (approx. five billion) are partially or fully dependant on traditional folk medicine mainly obtained from the plants, grown in wild forests or cultivated locally. In this paper an attempt had been made to highlight the role of folk/ethnic medicine in the healthcare system of district Shopian.