IJBPAS, November, 2013, 2(11): 2148-2156 ISSN: 2277–4998 2148 I JBPAS, November, 2013, 2(11) ETHNOBOTANICAL ASPECTS OF AEGLE MARMELOS: A REVIEW SHARMA N * AND DUBEY W School of Pure and Applied Sciences, JECRC University, Jaipur, Rajasthan *Corresponding Author: E Mail: Sharma.nidhi0789@gmail.com ; Tel: - 9413967584 ABSTRACT Aegle marmelos of family Rutaceae is an important plant for mythological and ethnobotanical purposes. It has a wide range of habitat and can be cultivated on wastelands. In this study, origin of ethnobotanical studies and various traditional and ethnomedicinal uses of A. marmelos (Bael) by indigenous people from different regions of India and some other countries have been discussed. Through this review, it has been found that not only the fruit of the tree but the other parts such as, roots, leaves, stem and bark are also being used for ethnobotanical and medicinal purposes. It is an economically important tree to be cultivated by poor and landless farmers, as it can tolerate a wide range of climatic conditions and can easily grow on wastelands. Keywords: Aegle marmelos, Mythological, Ethnobotanical, Ethnomedicinal, Indigenous People INTRODUCTION The term ‘Ethnobotany’ was first coined by Harshberger in 1895. It deals with anthropology, archaeology, botany, ecology, economics, medicinal, religious, cultural and several other disciplines [1]. It is the study of interaction between local people and their natural environment [2]. This interaction was classified by Jain (1996), ‘father of Indian Ethnobotany’, into two categories [3]. One is ‘abstract’ that includes taboos, avoidance, sacred plants, worship and folklore. The other category is ‘concrete’ which deals mainly with the material use and the acts of domestication, conservation, improvement or destruction of plants. Mostly the tribal population is involved in its practical application in areas such as biodiversity prospecting and conservation biology. Men from time immemorial have been dependent on the plant world for innumerable needs. This dependency on plants urged him to identify