**1.1 Ethnobotanical terms and concepts**

The word ethnobotany was first announced by American botanist John Harshberger in 1896 as "the study of interaction of human beings with flora." Ethnobotany is a life science which studies the interaction between human beings and flora in particular and broadly deals with the investigations, observations, and identifications of botanical diversity used for the prevention and treatment of human and livestock ailments [1]. It also studies about the indigenous people knowledge, beliefs, and practices (i.e. it may be cultural and religious practices) related with medicinal plants. Also it includes how human beings categorize, isolate, and associate with floras besides with joint relationships of floras and human beings. The ethnobotanists should have to discuss with native community to share their routine life and to respect their cultures in order to obtain valuable information about the plants used for the medicinal purpose. Ethnobotanists have an obligation both to the scientific civic and the native principles. The field of ethnobotany is a much comprehensive discipline

which is concerned in all studies about the interaction between human and floras. In addition to medicinal plants, ethnobotany also give emphasis on other natural products including food, plants used in rituals, coloring agents, fiber plants, poisons, fertilizers, building materials for houses, household items, boat, etc. [2].

**Botany** is the science which deals with floras including physiology, morphology, genetics, ecology, distribution, taxonomy, and economic importance. Occasionally, fungi are included in botany [3]. **Ethnobiology** is a multidisciplinary ground that deals with the interaction of human with living things including plants and animals. Ethnobotany might be considered as a particular subdivision of ethnobiology. There is numerous specific division of ethnobotany that emphasizes one specific characteristic of the field [4]. **Ethnomedicine** focuses on complementary and alternative medicine including diagnostic and therapeutic along with herbal remedies. It is generally the comparison of the traditional medicines practiced by various ethnic groups, especially by indigenous people [5]. **Ethnopharmacology** is the study of the purposes, mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of drugs which is herbal or plant origin, and it may include both stimulants and centrally active herbal remedies [6]. **Economic botany** emphasizes applied economic, agricultural, or marketable features of a plant that are used by people but does not intensely discover customary beliefs, the "ethno" side of ethnobotany. Economic botany deals with the aim of discovering novel products which are plant origin and which might be or might not be related with indigenous practices, while ethnobotany studies are documenting traditional use practices of plants by the indigenous people without considering the economic value of the plants. Ethnobotanists use different methods and materials for their ethnobotanical studies, including ancient writings, surveys, discussions with key informants, and field investigations of the relationship between the plants and human beings. They typically work together with native people or traditional healers who have knowledge about the plants to record the indigenous biodiversity including plants, and also for the identification of botanical diversity, parts used for the treatment of human and livestock diseases, and method of preparations and applications [7]. **Biocultural diversity** is the entire diversity demonstrated by the world's natural and cultural arrangements. It includes both the **biodiversity index** (the variety of florae, faunae, territories, and ecologies) and the **cultural diversity index** (variety of people customs and languages). Biodiversity is calculated by sharing the amount of diverse species in specific habitat by the entire digit of persons living in that specific habitat. Cultural diversity can be measured by dividing the quantity of diverse languages, religions, and tribal groups in specific habitat by the quantity of whole persons living in that specific habitat [8].

Ethnobotany covers various disciplines, including botany, biochemistry, pharmacognosy, toxicology, medicine, nutrition, agriculture, ecology, evolution, comparative religion, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, cognitive studies, history, and archeology, due to the fact that plants have significant purpose in day-to-day activity of human beings. The multidisciplinary habit of ethnobotany permits a widespread range of methods and uses and leads to the investigation of plants in various ways by the researchers [9]. But plants with medicinal importance are usually the focus area for the investigator under the field of ethnobotany, and the study of these medicinal plants has essential role for the development of ethnobotany field [2]. It is obvious that interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary methods can lead to further productive, comprehensive, and systemic guesstimates in the investigation of the relationship between the plants and humans. Regardless of its various bottlenecks, ethnobotany becomes an attractive and hopeful area of research [9].
