Research:2026-04-10/Journal article/ethnobotanical-knowledge-of-tharu-people-living-nearby-koshi-river-and-koshi-tappu-wildlife-reserve-ktwr-easte

ResearchJournal article10 April 2026

Ethnobotanical knowledge of Tharu people living nearby Koshi River and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), eastern Nepal

Durga Kutal, Shreehari Bhattarai, Dipak Khadka, Sandesh Koirala, Rajesh Tamang, Bishal Ghimire, Ripu Kunwar

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Documents plant knowledge among 119 Tharu participants in the Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts of Koshi Province, eastern Nepal, around the Koshi River and the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, recording 113 useful species in 13 use categories. Cannabis sativa, called Ganja, has its leaves used in religious rituals and for diarrhoea (5 use reports, relative frequency of citation 0.05). The authors find knowledge concentrated among elder healers and fewer species in use near the reserve, which they connect with protected-area management and modernisation. Cannabis is one row in a large inventory; it gives a dated attestation of a Tharu name and ritual use.

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DOI10.1186/s13002-026-00886-5

CountryNepal

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2026-04-10 2026-10-15 Ethnobotanical knowledge of Tharu people living nearby Koshi River and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), eastern Nepal Journal article Culture Durga Kutal, Shreehari Bhattarai, Dipak Khadka, Sandesh Koirala, Rajesh Tamang, Bishal Ghimire, Ripu Kunwar Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2026 10.1186/s13002-026-00886-5 https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-026-00886-5 https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13002-026-00886-5.pdf Documents plant knowledge among 119 Tharu participants in the Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts of Koshi Province, eastern Nepal, around the Koshi River and the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, recording 113 useful species in 13 use categories. Cannabis sativa, called Ganja, has its leaves used in religious rituals and for diarrhoea (5 use reports, relative frequency of citation 0.05). The authors find knowledge concentrated among elder healers and fewer species in use near the reserve, which they connect with protected-area management and modernisation. Cannabis is one row in a large inventory; it gives a dated attestation of a Tharu name and ritual use. Nepal