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Food Science 2019
November 11-12, 2019
Food Science and Technology
November 11-12, 2019 | London, UK
3rd International Conference on
Volume 3 Applied Food Science Journal
Appl Food Sci J. | Volume 3
Ethnobotanical and self- medication: Boon or Bane?
Himanshi Upadhyaya
University of Derby, UK
Statement of the Problem: Ethnobotanical medicines have been a source of instant remedy since the ancient times.
Every tribe has had their own source of therapeutic medicines solely prepared from the plants in their surroundings
and therefore, majorly dependent on their geographic location. Although efforts are being made to bridge the gap
between ethnobotanical therapies and clinical medications, we still have a long way to go. With the advent of
technology, humans have moved further away from their natural environment and hence, clinical medications have
become immensely popular. This has given rise to the use of over the counter medications all over the world.
An effort has been made to list down the most commonly used over the counter medications and ethnobotanical
remedies in the Kumaun Himalayas of Uttarakhand, India.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: 200 subjects residing in Almora district, an ancient hilly district located
in the foothills of the Himalayas were interviewed and were asked to fill up a questionnaire pertaining to the
frequent use of such medications. The objective was to ascertain the percentage of people who are dependent on
either ethnobotanical or self-medications in their day to day lives. The purpose was to establish whether or not the
participants or someone they knew had suffered from any side effects after the intake of such medications.
Findings: It was observed that people belonging to the age group of 50-75 and living in remote areas were more
dependent on medicines of ethnobotanical origin while people belonging to 15-30 age group were heavily relying
on over the counter and self- medications.
Conclusion & Significance: It is suggestive of the fact that capitalism about over the counter medications and
change in the lifestyle may have resulted in lesser use of ethnobotanical remedies by younger generation. It was
also observed that people from 30-75 believe that ethnobotanical remedies make for a better option when it comes
to life threatening diseases such as cancer, jaundice and TB. Chronic toxicity is commonly reported after the intake
of both self and ethnobotanical medications.
Biography
Himanshi Upadhyaya has her expertise in forensic toxicology and is focused about working extensively in the field of toxicology and
forensic chemistry. Her work is based on unmasking the truth behind the use of ethnobotanical as well as over the counter medications.
Her work is an output of in- depth interviews and personal visits to remote parts of Kumaun Himalayas, Uttarakhand in India. Her aim
is to bridge the gap between the belief and reality of ethnobotanical and over the counter medications and to showcase the merits and
demerits of the same. Her attempt to shed light on this incredible topic of interest might bring changes in our casual attitude towards
such medications.