Traditional Uses and Conservation Status of Ceropegia Species in Satana Tehsil of the Northern Western Ghats

Abstract

India has a diverse basin of flowering and medicinal plants with four biodiversity hotspots. The use of plants as medicine was traced to the Vedic period. From ancient times,the value of Plants shows an enormous ability to tackle diseases. Humans are dependent on medicinal plants for various purposes, such as medicines,cosmetics,and other resources. In modern days, tribal communities like Kokana, Bhilla, Koli, and others are completely reliant on medicinal plants to fulfill theirdaily needs.

Ceropegia L. belongs to the family Asclepiadaceae, native to Africa, Southern Asia, and Australia. It is a botanically curious genus, mainly distributed in the Western Ghats. The genus comprises 200 species found throughout the world, mainly distributed in subtropical and tropical Asia. In India, 55 species are reported, of which 28 are endemic to Peninsular India.A total of 6 species and 2 varieties of this genus have been recorded in the Nashik district.The pharmacological importance of the genus is mainly due to the presence of ‘cerpegin’, a pyridine alkaloid, apart from the different potential phytoconstituents such as steroids, terpenoids, anthocyanins, anthracene glycosides, coumarins, flavonoids, fatty acids, phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and carotenoids.The given study explores the important ethnobotanical uses of the genus Ceropegia.