Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by Malayali tribes in Jawadhu hills of Eastern Ghats, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out to collect information from the Malayali tribes of Jawadhu hills, Thiruvannamalai district, Tamilnadu, India from August 2016 to July 2017. A total of 63 plant species belonging to 32 families were distributed into 55 genera, which were commonly used by the local Malayali tribes for the treatment of various diseases such as headaches, fevers, asthma, coughs, colds, wounds, snake bites, piles, stomach disorders, skin diseases, gastric ulcers, kidney stones, urinary infection, diabetes, jaundice, inflammation etc. In the present study, Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Asclepiadaceae are the most dominant families used in the treatment of various ailments. Generally, leaves are used to prepare herbal medicine. The ethnomedicinal plants used by the Malayali tribes were arranged alphabetically followed by botanical name, family, local name, medicinal uses and mode of administration.

Ethnopharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants in the Rawamerta Region Karawang, West Java, Indonesia

“…Local people's knowledge of plant and animal species used for medicine is studied specifically in the field of ethnopharmacology. Ethnomedicine is concerned with the study of the relationship between humans and plants [2]. Plants are an important resource in herbal medicine preparation and they play an important role in the survival of tribes and indigenous peoples around the world.…”

“…Tribes and indigenous peoples have a strong belief in herbal medicine to cure diseases. In general, each tribe possesses extensive ethnomedicine knowledge to identify medicinal plants as well as unique and different techniques to apply them for treatment purposes [2]. Ethnomedicine has contributed tangibly to the health-care system since ancient times.…”

Ethnopharmacological importance of commonly used folk medicinal plants among the Malayali tribal community in Jawadhu Hills, Tamil Nadu, India: A review

“…Acalypha indica L (Euphorbiaceae), Kuppaimeni. Uses: Whole plant decoction is taken orally to cure throat pain (David & Sudarsanam 2011), antidote for insect bites (Prabu et al 2014); leaf paste is applied topically to treat skin diseases (Rajkumar et al 2012) and to get relief from headache and healing of wounds (Magendiran & Vijayakumar 2022); leaf decoction is taken orally to get relief from cough and cold (Senthilkumar et al 2014).…”

“…Achyranthes aspera L. (Amaranthaceae), Nayurivi. Uses: Inflorescence and seeds are ground to paste and applied topically to treat poisonous insect bites, twig juice is applied over gum to relieve toothache, root decoction is taken orally to treat night blindness (Sekharan & Jagadeesan 1997); decoction is orally consumed in empty stomach to relieve joint pain (Ravikumar & Sankar 2003); leaf paste applied externally for dog bite (Suresh 2010); whole plant decoction is used to treat skin diseases (David & Sudarsanam 2011); leaf paste is applied topically to treat cuts and wounds (Rajkumar et al 2012); leaf extract is taken orally to treat scorpion sting (Senthilkumar et al 2014); freshly prepared inflorescence paste is applied topically for insect bites (Magendiran & Vijayakumar 2022).…”

“…(Amaranthaceae), Sirupeelai. Uses: Juice of whole plant is taken orally to treat cough, sore throat and wounds (Rajkumar et al 2012); plant extract with Cuminum cyminum seeds and sugar is given for 10-15 days to treat kidney stone problem (Senthilkumar et al 2014); root paste is taken internally to treat piles (Magendiran & Vijayakumar 2022). 9.…”