280 Survey of ethnomedicinal plants and its uses by the konyak tribe in Mon district, Nagaland, India Alih N Wangcha 1 , Zenwang Konyak 2* 1 Department of Pharmacy, Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Science (Ripans) Zemabawk, Aizawl, Mizoram, India 2 Department of Botany, Nagaland University Lumami, Zunheboto, Nagaland, India Abstract The main objective of the study is to collect the information relating to traditional medicine and healing practices of the Konyak tribe in Nagaland, India. This study mainly focuses on different types of traditional medicine that has been used by the ethnic group of the Konyak Naga tribe for years. The Konyak people of this hilly region are mainly dependent on the forest, as forest plants are gathered for food, herbal medicine, spices, fuel, etc, which have built up their socio-economic and cultural life. An extensive collection of verbal information was conducted on the usage of various species of plants that are used by the local people of Mon district. This paper highlights the ethnomedicinal uses of 54 different species of plants used by the Konyak tribe. Keywords: ethnomedicinal plants, konyak tribe, Mon district, Nagaland Introduction The knowledge of the traditional medicine and healing practices is as old as the humanity as dates back to the beginning of the civilization and has been an integral part of semi-nomadic and agricultural tribal societies, although the archaeological evidence dates back to around 6000 BC only [13] . Traditional knowledge may compliment scientific knowledge by providing practical experience living within ecosystems and responding to its change [1] . Konyak is one of the major tribes of Nagaland predominantly inhabit in the Mon district of Nagaland, India. Mon district has an area of 1,786 sq km with population of about 2, 50,671 as per 2011 Census of India. Mon district comprises of northern Tropical wet evergreen forest type and the forest resource constitutes about 89 percent of total geographical area of the district. People in the district are highly dependent on forest and its produce; people have been preserving and utilizing various extracts and medicines from forests for their daily needs [14] . The people mostly depend on agriculture for their livelihood and the major crops grown and cultivated are rice, maize, and millets of which rice is the staple diet of the people [15] . The people have an aged old unique food habits for their nutritional support and healthcare. There are varieties of medicinal herbs and shrubs, eatables plants which are of great botanical value. The selection and utilization of different plant species for healthcare is very diverse and unique among the communities with rich culture and traditional knowledge system related to the used of medicinal plant. There are various reports on treating ailments in Naga society [2-12] . Although the used of different medicinal plants has been reported in this study, many more ethno medicinal plants used by the Konyaks are yet to be explored. Materials and Methods Mon district is the northernmost district of Nagaland. It is bounded by the state of Arunachal Pradesh to its north, Assam to its west, Myanmar to its east, Longleng district to its south-west and Tuensang district to its south. Information about the plants were recorded with regards to their vernacular names, plant parts used, process of preparation of medicine, either individually or in combination with other plant parts, and modes of application were also collected. Enquiry were made to document the traditional uses of the herbs, purpose of its uses and the parts of the plants used, and also information relating to their habits and mode of usage were also recorded, along with different pictures of the plant. For triangulating the data collected, all discussions were audio-taped. The prior informed consents were obtained from the village/community heads while documenting the traditional medicinal uses. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences www.ecologyjournal.in Online ISSN: 2664-7133; Print ISSN: 2664-7125; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.28 Received: 08-01-2021; Accepted: 23-01-2021; Published: 13-02-2021 Volume 3; Issue 1; 2021; Page No. 280-285