Nature always stands as a golden mark to exemplify the outstanding phenomena of symbiosis. In the western world, as the people are becoming aware of the potency and side effect of synthetic drugs, there is an increasing interest in the natural product remedies with a basic approach towards the nature. Throughout the history of mankind, many infectious diseases have been treated with medicinal plants. Ethnobotany is defined the study of the relationship between people and plants and most commonly refers to the study of indigenous uses of plants. According to World Health organization (WHO) nearly 80 per cent of the world population depends on traditional medicines. Recent surveys have revealed that almost 50 per cent of the prescription drugs are based on natural products and raw materials. India and China are the largest users of herbal medicines. India is the largest producer of medicinal plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World". The medicinal plants, besides having natural therapeutic values against various diseases, also provide high quality of food and raw materials for livelihood. These plant resources, therefore, have become important domains of intervention and are increasingly attracting the attentions of public and private sector policy researchers, policy makers and development program implementers. The plants used for medicinal purposes in the primary health traditions are slowly becoming extinct due to development activities, population explosion, impact of tourism, deforestation and many more. The present paper focuses about the indigenous knowledge of different medicinal plants of Uttarakhand region which are used frequently now a days but very little description found in Ayurvedic samhitas.
