Guardians at the Edge of Wilderness

Traditional Veterinary Wisdom of Jammu’s Gujjar Bakarwal Tribes

Who are Gujjar Bakarwal?

The Gujjar Bakarwal are a major nomadic tribe in Jammu & Kashmir, tending goats, sheep, buffalo all year round. They migrate seasonally summering in high

altitude meadows, wintering in foothills while also maintaining thier rich cultural traditions.

A Treasure Trove of Medicinal Plants

A landmark ethnobotanical survey from Poonch documented 31 medicinal plant species used by shepherds to treat diverse livestock ailments like wounds, digestive issues, reproductive problems, fever, and more, of these 71 % were herbs and 35% were roots and 32% leaves.

Herbal Remidies 

1)Rumex nepalensis: Antiseptic and anti‑wound care, applied as paste or decoction to clean and heal cuts.

2)Allium cepa: Employed to prevent  snakebites.

3)Smoke smudging ritual:Burned powders (e.g., Rumex, Juniperus, Morus) are smoked around livestock pens to ward off illness,old yet effective quarantine method.

4)Artemisia scoparia: Anti inflammable paste, ground herb mixed with mustard oil, rubbed on swollen joints and wounds.

Rumex nepalensis

            

Ethno‑scientific Strength

These practices aren't superstition they demonstrate community consensus: use-values (UV) ranged 0.03–0.72; informant consensus factors (ICF) spanned 0.81–1.00, indicating shared trust and widespread.

with new veterinary uses were newly recorded: Aconitum violaceum, Arisaema jacquemontii, Bistorta amplexicaulis, Clematis grata, Ranunculus bulbosus, Ulmus villosa, and Viburnum grandiflorum.

Why It Matters

Preserving oral traditions,

This knowledge is rapidly fading with modernization, migration, and limited documentation and limited govt backing and with decreasing forest area and increasing global warming.

Scientific & pharmaceutical value

Documenting these remedies opens doors for isolating bioactive compounds and developing new veterinary drugs.

Sustainable, eco‑friendly medicine

These herbal treatments are natural, with minimal side effects and no resistance issues—unlike synthetic drugs .