ABSTRACT
Ethnopharmacology involves the observation, description, and experimental investigation of indigenous medicines and their biological activities as an approach to drug discovery. This chapter deals with some ethnomedicinal plants used by various tribal communities of the district of Jashpur, Chhattisgarh, India. Medicinal plants and knowledge of their use provide a vital contribution to human and livestock health needs throughout the world. Phytotherapy has been practiced by the greater percentage of the world's population through the use of plants or their derivatives, and occupies a significant and unique position. Herbal medicine is the mainstay of about 75%–80% of the world's population, mainly in the developing countries, for primary health care because of better cultural acceptability and better compatibility with the human body. Plants have been used to treat common illnesses such as paralysis, epilepsy, tuberculosis, tetanus, snakebite, cancer, and arthritis.
