MEDICINAL PLANT OF SURU VALLEY Kargil Ladakh II

MEDICINAL PLANT OF SURU VALLEY-PART-II

2)CICER MICROPHYLLUM (Sari)

scientific name  : Cicer microphyllum

Common name  : Wild gram

Local name         : Sari

Found in slope pasture lands in Suru Valley.

3) SEABUCKTHORN(TCHERMANG)

Hippophae rhamnoides 

Common Name     :  Seabuckthorn

Local Name            :  Tchermang 

Family                     :  Elaeagnaceae

Habitat                    : River belts and wastelands in Suru Valley, Drass, Kargil, Leh and Changthang valleys between 2,600-4,000 m altitude.

Plant Characters   : Dwarf to Long upto 20ft. Thorny, perennial shrub or small tree. Stem woody, erect, long upto 10-20 ft with silvery-waxy covering on the old shoots, oblong blunt to green above and silvery scaly on both sides. Flowers very small greenish or yellowish. Berry yellow to reddish, round to oval, small. Flowering and fruiting: June to September.

Ethnobotany:

 The whole plant has got enormous medicinal properties. The fruits, leaves and seeds are considered to have anti-ageing, anti-cold, memory restoration and energy boosting properties. Seabuckthorn is considered as a storehouse of vitamins C,A,B,E,K, and Carotenoids etc. The Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), (DRDO), Leh, has developed, patented and commercialized the fi rst ever multi-vitamin herbal beverage and herbal tea from Seabuckthorn. Besides, the plant has an excellent fodder and fuel value.

4) CODONOPSIS CLEMATIDEA

Scientific name :Codonopsis clematidea belongs to family campanulaceae

DISTRIBUTION: From Afghanistan to Kashmir.

Habitat : Cultivated fields and alpine slopes in Suru valley and many other llaces of Ladakhl

Plant Characters: A strong smelling, perennial herb.

Stem slender, branched from the base, 30-70 cm high. Leaves alternate, hairy, ovate and acute at apex, margins irregularly crenate, base cuneate or rounded. Flowers white, solitary, axillary and terminal peduncles. Capsule cylindrical and often curved.

Flowering and fruiting  : June to August

Ethnobotany: The whole plant is used against 

pain, swelling of joint due to gout, arthritis, stiffening of 

ligaments, nerves, paralysis and even leprosy.