Ethnobotanical diversity, phytochemical characterization, and pharmacological validation of medicinal plants used by indigenous communities of Tripura, Northeast India

Manabendra Debnath, Rupajit Bhattacherjee*, Sayantika Chaudhuri, Kuntal Manna, Subrata Das, Priyanka Majumder, Chiranib Bhattacharjee

Department of Pharmaceutics, Bir Bikram College of Pharmacy, Old Agartala, Tripura, India

Refer this article

Anushka Jain, Prachi Srivastava, Prekshi Garg, 2026. Role of next-generation sequencing in the discovery of mutational biomarkers. Journal of medical pharmaceutical and allied sciences, V 15, I 3, Pages 42 – 48. Doi: https://doi.org/10.55522/jmpas.V15I3.7031.

ABSTRACT

Tripura, part of the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot in northeastern India, hosts around 2,400 angiosperm species, many used medicinally by its 19 Scheduled Tribe communities. Its rich ethnomedicinal diversity arises from a favourable subtropical climate, varied topography, and extensive indigenous knowledge. However, a comprehensive multidisciplinary review integrating ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Tripura’s medicinal plants remains lacking. To provide an integrated review of the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and documented pharmacological activities of the most therapeutically significant plant species used by indigenous communities in Tripura; to identify critical research gaps; and to assess prospects for phytopharmaceutical development in an ethically and conservationally responsible framework. A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Indian botanical and pharmacological journals (1980–2024) was conducted and synthesized with primary ethnobotanical field data collected across all eight districts of Tripura (2019–2024; n = 212 informant interviews). Species selection was based on frequency of citation (FCI), strength of pharmacological evidence, and therapeutic relevance. Quantitative ethnobotanical metrics—use value (UV), informant consensus factor (ICF), and fidelity level (FL)—were calculated using established methods. Tripura’s medicinal flora, represented by fifteen species across diverse families like Zingiberaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, Moraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, and Menispermaceae, demonstrates significant therapeutic potential, particularly in anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective activities. This is supported by a rich diversity of phytoconstituents such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and tannins. However, major research gaps and increasing conservation pressures highlight the urgent need for integrated approaches involving phytochemical analysis, pharmacological validation, and collaboration with indigenous communities to fully harness this underexplored resource.

Keywords:

Ethnobotany, Tripura, Medicinal plants, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Biodiversity hotspot, Indigenous knowledge.

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