Ethnobotanical Survey of the Most Threatened Medicinally Important Asclepiads of Indian Thar Desert

An ethno-botanical survey of some threatened & endangered medicinal plants of milkweed family was undertaken by means of oral questionnaire. The aim of present survey is to collect information about these valuable plants of Asclepiadaceae used in the treatments of various ailments and to spot the knowledgeable traditional healers among different communities in rural areas of Bhilwara, Ajmer, Udaipur and Jodhpur districts from Rajasthan, India. Local people were interviewed on the medicinal uses of various parts of these plants. The survey was made during January 2014-January 2015. A total of 08 plant species belonging to 03 genera of the family Asclepiadaceae have been reported to be in use among the rural people of different community of the study area. These species are frequently used for a variety of health problems. Due to overgrazing, encroachments, unsustainable utilization and other developmental activities in the regions, several persistent medicinal plant species are on the verge of extinction. The survey provides a veritable source of information for traditional medical practitioners and medicinal plant researchers and help in developing strategies for future conservation.