ABSTRACT
Nardostachys jatamansi (N. chinensis Batalin, N. grandiflora DC, and Patrinia jatamansi D. Don) mainly found in the Himalayas from Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Tibet. In India, it is found in Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu, and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Assam (Weberling, 1975; Ved et al., 2003). It is a critically endangered, rhizome-bearing medicinal plant and restricted to specific habitats in the Himalayas and found at 3,000 to 5,000 m height (Airi et al., 2000). It is used in several traditional systems of medicine such as Unani, Ayurveda, Siddha, etc. (Singh et al., 2011). Presently, it is enlisted as a critically endangered category of the IUCN Red List (Mabberley and Noltie, 2014; Ved et al., 2015). It is extensively exploited for its Spikenard essential oil and listed in the top 20 traded plants (Rai et al., 2000; Chauhan et al., 2011; Olsen, 2005). Due to the over-harvesting, it is placed in the category of endangered species used for trading (Burfield, 2003). It is called Muskroot, Indian spikenard, and Indian nard. In India, it has various local names viz. jatamansi, tapaswani, and bhytajata (Sanskrit), jatamansi (Assamese and Bengali), balchara, and 2jatamansi (Hindi), Jatamavshi (Marathi), jatamanji (Tamil), jatamansi, and kalichhad (Gujrati), bhutijata, and kuklipot (Kashmiri), billilotan (Panjabi), haswa, naswa, and jatamasgi in Nepali (Dhiman et al., 2020; Nadkarni, 1996; Anonymous, 1966).
