Ethnomedicinal exploration of plants utilized by the people of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur District, Nepal

Since time immemorial, people have been utilizing plants as a source of therapeutic agents for human and animal health. Plants have been used as a source of traditional medicine in Nepal. The present study documented the material medica of ethnic people living in different wards of the Suryabinyak Municipality, Nepal. Data was collected by individual interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire survey with the guidance of 58 informants. The Frequency Index (FI) value, linear model regression and Pearson correlation were calculated to determine the relative importance of medicinal plants’ species along with the relation between age groups and number of plants known respectively. Results shown 107 medicinal plants (74 wild and 33 cultivated) species under 54 families were used for the prevention and treatment of 39 different diseases such as jaundice, diarrhea, dysentery, and cancer as well as 46 different distinct health benefits linked to coughing, anti-bleeding, stomachache. Of the 107 plant species documented, herbs were the widely used (n = 64, 59.81%), and leaves (n = 33, 30.84%) were the most utilized plants part. Curcuma longa had the highest FI value of 84.48%. The age of respondents and the number of plants known had a positive association (R 2 = 0.823) according to the linear regression model. Local people of the Suryabinayak Municipality have sound knowledge regarding the traditional utilization of plant species for the treatment and prevention of many health problems.