ArticleJournal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine2026
Ethnobotanical knowledge of Tharu people living nearby Koshi River and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), eastern Nepal.
Article in Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany indigenous and ethnic communities have been displaced from their ancestral homelands and disconnected from their traditional dependencies on forests and rivers as a result of protected area management of Nepal. Ongoing changes in land use, socio-economy and culture pose additional threats to their livelihoods and knowledge systems. This study aims to document the traditional knowledge and ethnobotanical practices of the Tharu ethnic group living in and around the Koshi River and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) in order to assess whether their culture has been influenced by the recent changes, including interventions associated with KTWR management.
methodData were collected from 119 Tharu participants residing in the Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari districts of Koshi Province. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices were computed to assess the significance and consensus of plant use within the community. Interactions of the Tharu with rivers, forests, and protected areas were also examined.
resultsA total of 2,426 use reports were recorded, documenting 113 useful plant species across 13 use categories. Ficus religiosa emerged as the most frequently cited species with 180 use reports, followed by Ficus benghalensis (156), Piper betle (130), Ocimum sanctum (119), and Mangifera indica (95). All these species were terrestrial and primarily agroforestry-based. Geographically, the highest number of use reports per person (33.16) was recorded in Jhapa district, which is located farthest from both the Koshi River and KTWR.
conclusionThe findings of this study not only document the rich ethnobotanical heritage of the Tharu people but also reveal the vulnerability of this knowledge system to modern pressure and protected area management. The concentration of knowledge among elder healers, the reduced species utilization near KTWR, and the pressures of modernization urge an immediate need for deliberate revitalization of ethnobotanical knowledge. Viable strategies include systematic documentation and intergenerational transmission, community-based biodiversity conservation, and strengthening and restoring traditional cultural practices.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.