The "Nalike" community, also known as Panar, is one of the tribal communities in the Bantwala taluk in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district. In addition to the practise of ritual dance, the majority of the families in this community embrace traditional medication as a source of income. For the ethnobotanical survey, a total of 25 informants were chosen and documented 160 medicinal plant species from 65 families including their botanical name, trivial name, family name, plant parts used, and medicinal uses. The most frequent families are Leguminosae (17 species), Rubiaceae (9 species), Apocynaceae (7 species), Myrtaceae (7 species), and Lamiaceae (7 species). To cure various disorders, different portions of medicinal plants are employed in the manufacture of various types of traditional medicine such as decoction, infusion, paste, or powder. A total of 39 diseases were identified and classified into nine disease categories. All informants treat paralysis with Syzygium aromaticum, Cinnamomum verum, and Glycyrrhiza glabra, as well as other medicinal plants in various combinations, in the category of neurological illnesses.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the key transmitters of varied life-threatening arbovirus diseases; overuse of synthetic chemicals to target vector-borne diseases has an adverse impact on the environment. Biological agents have proven to be an alternative source to synthetic agents for controlling mosquitoes. In this context, the present study investigated the biosynthesis of ZnO NPs using Solanum lycopersicum leaf extract under the influence of solution combustion synthesis method and assessment of its larvicidal efficacy against Aedes aegypti. Synthesised ZnO NPs were characterised by using UV–vis, FTIR, SEM, EDX and XRD. The physicochemical parameter confirmed the synthesised nanoparticles were highly pure. The UV spectrum showed a strong peak at 352 nm corresponding to bandgap energy 3.01 eV. The SEM indicates the particles were rod-like structures. Further, the EDX analysis primarily confirms the zinc and oxygen without any impurities. The XRD data shows the crystallite size of ZnO Nps was of 40.93 nm. Finally, the aqueous leaf extract and ZnO NPs showed significant (p < 0.05) larvicidal activity at 48 h. However, ZnO NPs revealed high larvicidal effect compared to aqueous extract. From the results, it can be concluded that the bioactive constituents present within the plant extract act as capping and reducing agents for the successful ZnO NPs synthesis and could be used for controlling mosquito vector Ae. aegypti.

Introduction and Aim: An ethnobotanical investigation of the Gowda community in the Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India reveals the diversity of ethnomedicinal plants as well as the wealth of traditional medical knowledge. The Gowda community is one of the indigenous communities.Locals in the remote regions of Sullia taluk still lack access to modern medicine, so they rely on traditional medicine for their healthcare.The aim of the present study was to examine traditional medical knowledge, record the significant knowledge and raise awareness of knowledge erosion.   Materials and Methods: Ethnomedicinal information gathered from traditional healers during semi-structured open-ended interviews. Various qualitative and quantitative indices were used for data analysis, including Cultural Importance Index (CI), Family Use Value (FUV), Family Importance Value (FIV), percentage of habit used, percentage of plant species used, and consensus value for Plant Part (CPP), Fidelity Level (FL), and Informants Consensus Factor (ICF).   Results: A total of 214 plant species from 113 genera and 51 families were recorded and assigned to 13 use categories for diseases. Skin disease has a high ICF value and 61 species extensively used to treat. High FL value plants of Breynia vitis-idaea, Indigofera tinctoria, Plectranthus amboinicus, Sida alnifolia, Cynodon dactylon, Citrus limon, and Oryza sativa are widely used for the treatment of various skin ailments.   Conclusion: Ethnobotanical data showed that the Gowda community has a rich knowledge of traditional therapies for many diseases whose skin problems are mainly treated by healers. The numerous ethnomedicinal plant species showed effective treatment of multiple skin diseases.

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