Ethno - Medico - Religious Plants of Assam. 2019. ca. 100 col. photogr. XIV, 160 p. Hardcover.

It has found that in Assam about 205 species belonging to 178 genera under 72 families are being used in various cultural and religious practices. Moreover, it has also been recorded in the present book that the most frequently used plant families in religious practices are Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rubiaceae, Verbenaceae, Zingiberaceae, and Leguminosae. Leaf, seed, fruit, bark, wood, flower, roots, whole plant, Rhizome, and Bulb are used for various religious purposes by the ethnic communities of Assam
It is apparently evident from above work that the tribal people have played a significant role in conserving biodiversity and managing environmental management and development process in and around localities of their natural habitat since the beginning of their civilization, an act that has been very useful for the eco-restoration and socioeconomic development of the area. However, during recent times the plant diversity and tribal communities in India are at peril on account of percolation of modernization in tribal areas, over-exploitation, and indiscriminate destruction of natural forest cover for meeting the multiple requirements of the ever-growing population. Consequently, many important plants species are becoming rare and critically endangered and some of them have even gone extinct These extinctions are irreversible, and in view of our dependence on food crops, medicines, and other biological resources, pose a threat to our own well-being. The vast majority of important plants are still conserved by tribal people in different bio-geographic zones of India and awaiting attention for their conservation and sustainable utilization.

This work also provides an account of religious and cultural ways of conserving biodiversity for exploring the possible ways and means of conserving sacred groves, individual trees, shrubs, and herbs with the help of local communities. Supernatural belief in plants is an exploration to the ancient ways of honoring and using plants of power. Plants of power support the evolution of consciousness and spiritual growth. The tribal people believe that the plants have grace, wisdom, and love owing to their healing properties. In this way, a large number of plants are conserved and maintained by indigenous people since ancient time. Such traditional beliefs and taboos have helped in enforcing rules and regulations for environmental preservation. This book in particular highlights the important role of these practices in conserving biodiversity.