37

Original Article

Ethnobryology – Seeking More Deserving Future

Amal K. Mondala, Sanjukta Mondal

b¶

aPlant Taxonomy, Biosystematics and Molecular Taxonomy Laboratory,

Department of Botany, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore – 721 102, West Bengal, India

bLady Brabourne College, Kolkata – 700 017, West Bengal, India

Received 8th

October, 2009; accepted 16th

December, 2009

Abstract

In India, survey of ethnobotanical plants used in curing various ailments have received much attention of Pharmacologists. But bryophytes have been

largely neglected from this point of view. An enthnobotanical survey of the Eastern Himalayan region and adjoining areas recorded seven medicinally

important genera among the liverworts. These include Conocephalum, Dumortiera, Frullania, Marchantia, Reboulia, Riccardia and Riccia. The

present paper provides information on their distribution, uses and present status regarding their dominance.

© 2009 Journal Publisher. All rights reserved.

Cite as: Front. Biol. 2010; 1(1): 31–36.

Keywords: Liverworts; Ethnobryology; Medicinal importance

Introduction

Although man’s endeavour has always been to exploit plants to

his maximum benefit, this is true largely for the vascular plants.

Bryophytes have been least exploited and information about

their diversified role in the welfare of mankind is meagre and

scanty. Besides providing a landscape beauty to the rocky hills

and other moist and shady habitats by forming a mantle of

beautiful green thalloid and foliose forms, these bryophytes have

a multifarious utility in modifying the microclimate of the area,

check soil erosion on hilly slopes, conserve moisture etc.1 The

utility of the bryophytes is only being recently recognized on a

global basis and numerous works are in progress unraveling

consolidated information about the utility of bryophytes. Recent

research on the biology of bryophytes and progress in analytical

¶Address for correspondence:

Dr. Sanjukta Mondal, Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata – 700 017,

India.

E-mail: sanjuktaparui@gmail.com, spm_govt@yahoo.co.in

Tel: 09477268586, 09434636647 © 2009 Journal Publisher. All rights reserved.

techniques has also resulted in a deeper knowledge about the

chemical constituents of bryophytes, although our understanding

of their biochemical processes, especially biosynthetic pathways,

compared to vascular plants, is still rather poor.2 Due to this,

although pharmacologists and other pharmaceutical companies

have given a lot of effort on the survey of ethnobotanical plants

used in curing various ailments, they have largely overlooked the

bryophytes from this point of view. Yet these plants have

numerous medicinal uses, which has been recognized by

herbalists, tribals and peasants in Asia, Europe and North

America from very ancient times.3 According to Crundwell,

1970, the best way to stimulate research in this group would be

to discover antibiotics in them, to prove that smoking them cures

lung cancer, or to eat them with gusto in front of a television

camera.4

Liverworts, like other bryophytes, are small herbaceous plants of

terrestrial ecosystems. They share, with the mosses and

hornworts, a heteromophic life cycle in which the sporophyte is

comparatively short lived and nutritionally dependent on the

free-living gametophyte. There are an estimated 6000 to 8000

38

species of liverworts, of which at least 85% are leafy

Jungermannioids.5 Pande and Bharadaj, 1952 reported about 550

species of liverworts from India.6 The richest territory of

bryophytes in India is considered to be the eastern Himalayas,

followed by South India and western Himalayas.6 Pande, 1936

reported 338 hepatic taxa from the eastern Himalayan region and

according to him the number of liverwort taxa is almost double

in Sikkim (121 taxa) as compared to any other locality at the

corresponding height in the west, e.g. 36 taxa in Nepal and 44

taxa in Bhutan.7

The present paper reports some medicinally important liverworts

growing in the eastern Himalayan region, with their uses and

also the present status of these plants.

Methods

The plants were collected after regular field trips to various parts

of the eastern Himalayas and its adjoining areas for proper

identification with the help of available literature and matching

with herbaria including the Botanical Survey of India, Shibpur.

Relevant information regarding medicinal values and other

ethnobotanical information were documented.

Medicinal Liverworts and their uses

1. Conocephalum sp.

Uses:

i) Decoction of this plant is effective

• in healing cuts, boils, eczema, burns, scalds,

factures and swellings when mixed with vegetable oils

• in poisonous snake bite

• in curing gall stones.

ii) Has antipyretic and antidotal activity.

iii) Has antimicrobial and antifungal activities.

iv) Sesquiterpenoids isolated from this genus show

antitumor properties. Growth inhibitory substances like

tulipinolide and zaluzanin have been extracted from C.

conicum.1

2. Dumortiera sp.

Uses:

i) Has antimicrobial properties.

3. Frullania sp.

Uses:

i) Has antiseptic activity

ii) Sesquiterpenoids isolated from various species of this

genus showed anti-tumor activities.8,9

4. Marchantia sp.

Uses:

i) Decoction or extracts from this plant is effective

• in all inflammations of liver

• in curing jaundice and pulmonary tuberculosis

• in healing cuts, open wounds, scabies, skin flakes,

burns and small pox marks when applied

externally after mixing with honey.

• in curing inflammation of the mucous membrane

when boiled in wine and held in mouth

• in poisonous snake bite

ii) Has antipyretic antidotal and diuretic activity

ii) A sesquiterpenoid marchantin A isolated from

Marchantia showed cytotoxicity against human

epidermoid carcinoma (KB cell culture)10

and

intense 5-lipoxygenase and calmodulin inhibitory

activity.

5. Reboulia sp.

Uses:

i) Decoction used to cure blotches on skin, external

wounds and bruises.

ii) Has haemostatic effect

iii) Has antimicrobial activities.11

6. Riccardia sp.

Uses: i) The sesquiterpenoid riccardin isolated from this plant

showed cytotoxicity against human epidermoid carcinoma

(KB cell culture).10

7. Riccia sp.

Uses:

i) Decoction applied externally to cure ringworm.

Mondal et al.

39

Table 1

Distribution of medicinally important liverworts in the Eastern Himalayas and adjoining areas.

Name of the species Present status Distribution

Conocephalum sp. C. conicum Common Darjeeling, Sikkim

C. supradecompositum Endemic and Endangered Darjeeling

Dumortiera sp. D. hirsuta Common Darjeeling, Sikkim

Frullania sp. F. gollani Common Sikkim

F. grevilleana Rare Sikkim, Darjeeling

F. himalayensis Rare Sikkim, Darjeeling

F. muscicola Rare Darjeeling, Sikkim, Manipur

F. pyriflora Endangered Darjeeling, Gangtok

F. retusa Rare Darjeeling, Lava

F. squarrosa Common Gangtok, Darjeeling

F. udarii Common Meghalaya, Assam

Marchantia sp. M. assamica Rare Khasi hills

M. germinata Rare Sikkim, Darjeeling

M. linearis Rare Khasi hills, Sikkim, Darjeeling

M. nepalensis Endemic & Rare Darjeeling, Lava, Lebong, Ghoom

M. paleacea Common Sikkim, Khasi hills

M. palmata Common Darjeeling, Sikkim, Manipur

M. papulosa Endangered Sikkim, Gangtok

M. polymorpha Common Darjeeling, Karshing, Kalingpong, Sikkim

M. simlana Endangered Sikkim, Gangok

M. subintegra Rare Sikkim, Assam

M. togashi Endangered Assam, Sikkim, Lava, Lolegaun

Reboulia sp. R. hemispherica Common Throughout the hill of eastern Himalaya. Widely

distributed from 5000-12000 feet particularly, Lava,

Lolegaun, Gangtok, Sandakphu, Phalut, Tigerhill and

Ghoom.

Riccardia sp. R. cardalii Endemic Sikkim

R. sikkimensis Endemic and Rare Sikkim

R. villosa Endemic and endangered Tanglu, Darjeeling

Riccia sp. R. billardieri Rare Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Assam

R. crystallina Endangered Darjeeling, Sikkim

R. discolor Rare Gauhati, Shillong, Jorhat, Jalpaiguri, Gangetic plains

R. fluitans Common Shillong, Assam, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri

R. frostii Endangered Jalpaiguri, Manipur, Assam

R. glauca Endemic and Rare Gauhati

R. himalayensis Common Darjeeling

R. huebeneriana Rare Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam

R. melanospora Endangered Darjeeling

Ethnobryology – seeking more deserving future

40

Fig 1. A. Whole thallus of Conocephalum sp., B. the entire thallus of Conocephalum sp with archegoniophore

Fig 2. The entire thallus of Dumortiera sp. Fig 3. The entire plants Frullania sp.

Fig 4. A. The entire thallus of Marchantia sp, B & C. the whole thallus of Marchantia sp with prominent gamma cups.

A B

C

A. B.

Mondal et al.

41

Fig 5. The entire thallus of Reboulia hemisphaerica

Fig 6. The entire thallus of Riccardia sp

Fig 7. The entire thallus of Riccia sp

Results and discussion A thorough survey of the eastern Himalayan region and its

adjoining areas recorded seven medicinally important genera of

the liverworts. The various species growing in this region have

been presented in Table-I showing their distribution and the

present status. Although bryophytes have been least exploited by

the pharmaceutical industries unlike other vascular

ethnomedicinal plants, where large scale depletion of natural

stocks of plants have posed a serious threat to the genetic

resources, natural calamities particularly due to the fragile

Himalayan terrain leading to frequent earthquakes and landslides

besides rapid urbanization and anthropogenic activities are

posing a serious threat to several rare and endangered species

growing in this region. Hence the first priority would be

conservation as well as propagation of these species. With over

more than 200 novel compounds been isolated from bryophytes,3

the vast array of the organic compounds like terpenoids,

flavonoids, lignin, growth hormones, antibiotics, lipids, proteins,

carbohydrates, etc. found in the bryophytes surely offers a vast,

largely untapped, source of bioactive substances for the benefit

of mankind, other animals and plants. Hence ethnobryology

promises to open up entirely new vistas in the fields of medicne

and pharmacology.

Acknowledgement

The author is indebted to the University Grants Commission,

New Delhi for financially supporting the present work in the

form of Minor Research Project. Thanks are also due to the

Director of BSI, Shibpur for giving me permission to refer to for

searching the literature available.

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Mondal et al.