Economic and Ethno-Medicinal Uses of Prunus armeniaca L. in Trans-Himalayan Zone of Ladakh

Abstract

From the last few years the trend in healthcare has seen a sea change. More and more people are now opting for traditional system of medicine. In the allopathic system of medicine as well there is an increasing dependence on natural resources which are under huge exploitation pressure. Collecting traditional knowledge on use of various plants for treating different diseases and knowing their other economic uses is the need of the hour. The documentation of local uses of the plants is also very important to reduce the poverty and to improve the economic conditions of the people living in far-flung areas. Therefore we assessed ethano-medicinal uses and economic importance of Prunus armenica L. in Ladakh region of the State of Jammu and Kashmir where this fruit is cultivated on a very large scale.