Shashi Mountains - An unexplored Major Plant Biodiversity Hotspot of Trans-Himalayan Region of District Kargil (Ladakh)

Shashi is a mountainous region in the Kargil district of Ladakh, which is rich in medicinal plants. This paper is concerned with the exploration of the new major biodiversity hotspot of the Trans Himalayan region of district Kargil (Ladakh) and its ethnobotanical study. Among few biodiversity hotspots of Trans Himalayan Ladakh, Shashi mountains are the most important biodiversity hotspot which gives a lifeline to the region in the form of hundreds of medicinal plants having multi-usage like health tonic, a cure for digestive problems, leprosy, liver and kidney problems, cold cough, respiratory problems, etc; besides these, it can also be used as a vegetable, fuel, and fodder. In this research paper, we evaluate 50 genera of 24 families of medicinal plants from the Shashi mountain region. This research aimed to explore the new medicinal hotspot to minimize the stress of overharvesting and documentation of medicinal plants of this region.