Methods: The study was undertaken in the Chamoli and Uttarkashi Districts of Uttarakhand for a Doctoral degree thesis. Scheduled, interview techniques have been used in the collection of information. Traditional knowledge of the plants and the way it used by the Bhotiya tribe in the form of medicine or food were documented; the data obtained were analyzed and cross-checked with the codified textbooks on medicinal plants to validate the information provided by the villagers.
Results: The knowledge of ethnomedicinal practices by the Bhotia communities of Garhwal Himalaya, they use different species of trees, herbs, and shrubs as medicine. In different illnesses parts of these plants such as whole plants roots, fruits, stems, barks, rhizomes, seeds, tubers, leaves, and gum, are being used. It is revealed that the people following the traditional healing system of the Bhotiya tribe have a great knowledge of indigenous medicines.
Conclusion: Present study revealed that the Bhotiya have a good knowledge of ethnomedicine and its various beneficial effects on health in sustainable ways, the plants which are used in medicine are wildly grown in their inhabitant areas. Although Bhatia of Garhwal Himalayas has a rich knowledge system of these medicines and their benefits now the community at large is on the path of economic and social development leaving this age-old healing system slowly and gradually.
