Ethnobotanical
Leaflets 14: 136-60, 2010.
Traditional
Knowledge on Medicinal Plants Used by the Irula Tribe of Hasanur Hills, Erode
District, Tamil Nadu, India
P. Revathi and T. Parimelazhagan*
Bioprospecting
Laboratory
Department of
Botany, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore,
641 046, India
*Corresponding
author E-mail: drparimel@gmail.com
Issued:
Ferbuary 01, 2010
Abstract
An
ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the ethnic groups (Irula) in
Hasanur Hills (Southern Western Ghats). The
tribal communities of Irulas nurture rich knowledge about medicinal plants
and its uses.� Therefore, we have done
an exhaustive ethnobotanical survey in this area.� In this present investigation, it is
observed that the tribal�s use 70 wild valuable plant species belonging to 42
families were identified with relevant information and documented in this
paper with regard to their botanical name, family, local name, parts used and
utilization by the local tribal people for different human ailments. The common
diseases treated by the herbal practitioner were asthma, digestive problems,
paralyzes, skin diseases and diabetes.�
Keywords: Hasanur Hills; Irulas;
Medicinal plants; Traditional use.
Introduction
����������� Plants
have been used in traditional medicine for several thousand years. The
knowledge of medicinal plants has been accumulated in the course of many
centuries based on different medicinal systems such as Ayurveda, Unani and
Siddha.� In India,
it is reported that traditional healers use 2500 plant species and 100
species of plants serve as regular sources of medicine (Pei, 2001).
�During last few decades there
has been an increasing in the study of medicinal plants and their traditional
use in different parts of the world (Lev, 2006).� Herbal remedies are considered the oldest
forms of health care known to mankind on this earth.� Prior to the development of modern
medicine, the traditional systems of medicine that have evolved over the
centuries within various communities, are still maintained as a great
traditional knowledge base in herbal medicines (Mukherjee and Wahil,
2006).� Traditionally, this treasure of
knowledge has been passed on orally from generation to generation without any
written document (Perumal Samy and Ignacimuthu, 2000) and is still retained
by various indigenous groups around the world.
Documenting the indigenous knowledge through ethnobotanical studies is
important for the conservation and utilization of biological resources.� Ethnobotanical survey has been found to be
one of the reliable approaches to drug discovery (Fabricant and Farnsworth,
2001). Several active compounds have been discovered from plants on the basis
of ethnobotanical information and used directly as patented drugs (Carney et al., 1999). As indigenous cultures
are closely maintained by the tribal and other forest dwellers throughout the
world, the ethnobotanical investigation is a prerequisite for any
developmental planning concerned with the welfare of tribal and their environment.� It is an urgent, necessity to record as
quickly as possible all information about plants and the role of tribes in
conserving them. The main focus of the present study is to ascertain the
detailed information on the use of plants and their therapeutic practices
among Irula tribals of Hasanur Hills, Tamil Nadu.
Methodology
����������� An ethnobotanical survey
was carried out in Hasanur Hill area, which is found in Sathyamangalam forest
sanctuary, Erode District, Tamil Nadu (Fig 1).� Sathyamangalam forest is a part of Western Ghats covered with mixed deciduous
vegetation.� The Hasanur Hill is
situated at 933 meters above the sea level with a total area of 4532.53
ha.� It lies 77�3�42� N longitudes and 11�40�16� latitude.�
It includes almost all types of vegetations and one river named
Binahanalli. The ethnobotanical survey was carried out among local population
and the tribe called Irulas living in this area.� The tribal community was met in their
residential areas.� The field visit was
conducted several times to the study area.
Ethnobotanical data were collected according to the methodology
suggested by Jain (1964) through questionnaire (Appendix A), interviews and
discussions among tribal practitioners in their local language.� Our questionnaire allowed descriptive
response on the plant prescribed, such as part of the plant used, medicinal
uses, and detailed information about mode of preparation (i.e., decoction,
paste, powder and juice) form of usage either fresh or dried and mixtures of
other plants used as ingredients.
�There were 23 informant between the ages of
35 to 68 in the study area.� Among them
5 were farmers and 18 were regular herbal practitioners.� They were accompanied us to the forest area
where they showed us plants that are used in their traditional medicines
����������� The collected plant specimens were carefully identified
with the help of experts in the Botanical Survey of India, Coimbatore. The specimens were properly
processed and finally deposited in the herbarium of Department of Botany, Bharathiar University.� Details regarding their uses, medicinal
importance, mode of administration and their local names were recorded. The
Flora of Presidency of Madras was used to ascertain the nomenclature. Data
are tabulated with plant name along with family, local name, parts used,
method of preparation and utility (Table 1).

Fig. 1 Location map for the ethnobotanical survey of the
folk medicinal plants in Hasanur Hills.
Results
The result of this study have revealed 70 plant species belonging to 42
families that are used for various purposes by herbalists, traditional
healers and tribal people of Hasanur Hills (Table 1). Seed and tender twigs were
recorded as the least used plant parts.�
However, leaves were found most frequently used part and constituting
45% followed by root (14%), fruit (10%), and bark (8%) (Fig.2). Maximum use
of leaves medicinal purpose indicates either these plants are easily
availability or they may have strong medicinal properties.
The methods of preparation fall into seven categories.� The plant parts applied as a paste (44%),
boiled (14%), decoction (12%), juice extracted from the fresh plant parts
(7%), powder made from dried plant parts (7%), Fumigate (4%), Infusion (3%),
and others (9%) (Fig.3). Paste is the main methods of preparation, either for
oral or for external administration. The underground parts viz. roots,
rhizomes, tubers, etc. were preferably harvested either at the time of
senescence or before dormancy break to retain maximum potency of crude drug.
The mode of administration of these formulations is concerned about 41
preparations were prescribed to consume orally and 26 formulations were
reported for external use only.���
Largest number of remedies are skin diseases (29%) followed by
digestive problems (27%), respiratory disorders (17%), diabetes (5%),
paralyze (7%), genital disorders (10%), snake bite (3%), toothache (2%)
(Fig.4).� Common health ailments in the
study area were skin problems such as wounds, boils, psoriasis and the larger
number of the remedies were used to treat these ailments.� Common medicinal plants such as Achyranthus aspera, Lantana camera, Indigofera aspalathoides, Terminalia
bellarica are used for skin diseases.���
Among the plants surveyed, Ocimum
basilicum, Adhatoda vasica are
used frequently for the preparation of medicines for the treatment of
respiratory disorders.� The result
showed that Cassia tora, Solanum xanthocarpum are weeds, which
is used as a vegetable.� Fruits of Flacourtia ramontchi, Zyzyphus oenoplia, and root of Hemidesmus indicus are used as edible
by the tribal people.� The tribal
people mostly eat vegetables of leafy varieties which grown as wild weeds.
Fig. 2. Plant parts used by Irula
tribes for various ailments.
Fig. 3. Drug preparation methods for
various ailments.
Fig. 4. Percentage of the plants having different
pharmacological actions
Table 1. Medicinal
Plants used by Irula Tribe of Hasanur Hills, Erode District, Tamil Nadu.
S.
No
|
Botanical name
|
Family
|
Local Name
|
Habit
|
Parts used
|
Method of
preparation and mode of usage
|
Ailments treated
|
01.
|
Adina
cordifolia Hk.� f.
|
Rubiaceae
|
Manjal Kadambai
|
Tree
|
Bark
|
Fresh bark is ground with brown sugar and cumin. The
paste of this mixture is taken internally to treat female asthenia.
|
Body Weakness and Uterus related problems
|
02.
|
Toddalia
asiatica Lamk.
|
Rutaceae
|
Masiha chedi
|
Herb
|
Bark
|
Paste is prepared form fresh stem bark and it is taken
internally as well as topically to cure paralyzes
|
Paralyzes
|
03.
|
Strebulus
Asper Lour
|
Moraceae
|
Kembara
|
Shrub
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste is applied topically to treat measles like swellings
on the skin
|
Skin diseases
|
04.
|
Asparagus
racemosus Willd.
|
Liliaceae
|
Neermuthi
|
Shrub
|
Leaf and Root
|
Leaf and root powder is mixed with breast milk.� The paste is taken internally to improve
immunity of children
|
Weakened immunity
|
05.
|
Cardiospermum
helicacabum Linn.
|
Sapindaceae
|
Thatu putu
|
Climber
|
Leaf
|
Paste of leaves with onion and coconut oil is taken
orally for joint pain
|
Arthritis
|
06.
|
Randia dumetorum Lamk.
|
Rubiaceae
|
Kaarai kai chedi
|
Shrub
|
Seed and Fruit
|
Fruits are rubbed on hard substances and paste is
applied topically to cure skin diseases
|
Dermatitis
|
07.
|
Andrographis
paniculata Nees.
|
Acanthaceae
|
Periaa nangai
|
Shrub
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste is taken orally for snake bite and to reduce
pain
|
Snake bite,
Chikun kunai
|
08.
|
Ziziphus oenoplia Mill.
|
Rhamnaceae
|
Churipala chedi
|
Shrub
|
Fruit and Bark
|
Bark and Fruit paste along with cumin is taken
internally to treat diarrhea
|
Diarrhoea
|
09.
|
Caesalpinia
sepiaria Roxb.
|
Caesalpiniaceae
|
Intha chedi
|
Shrub
|
Leaf
|
Leaves are cooked and taken orally with food for
digestion problems
|
Stomach disorder
|
10.
|
Amaranthus
spinosus Linn.
|
Amaranthaceae
|
Mullu Keerai
|
Herb
|
Leaf and Root
|
Leaf paste along with lemon juice is taken with food to
cure stomach ulcer
|
Stomach ulcer
|
11.
|
Acacia
torta Craib.
|
Mimosaceae
|
Seeva keerai
|
Climber
|
Leaf and Young twig
|
Leaf is cooked with onion and taken with food. It facilitates
the expulsion of gas.
|
Stomach disorder
|
12.
|
Zizyphus
mauritiana Linn.
|
Rhamnaceae
|
Kodithotti maram
|
Tree
|
Leaf
|
Paste of leaf
along with the leaves of Ailanthes
excelsa Roxb. is taken internally as well as topically to treat
paralyze
|
Paralyze
|
13.
|
Sida acuta
Burm.
|
Malvaceae
|
Kala karandai
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Crush the fresh
leaves and the juice is applied topically to treat boils
|
Boils
|
14.
|
Spilanthes acmella
Murr.
|
Asteraceae
|
Manjal Poo chedi
|
Herb
|
Flower
|
Flowers are
crushed and applied on the site of toothache
|
Toothache
|
15.
|
Ailanthes excelsa Roxb.
|
Simarubaceae
|
Peevari maram
|
Tree
|
Leaf
|
Decoction is prepared
from leaves and taken internally to treat paralyze
|
Paralyze
|
16.
|
Hemidesmus indicus
R. Br.
|
Asclepiadaceae
|
Nannari
|
Climber
|
Leaf
|
Root and Leaf
decoction is taken orally to regulate digestion
|
Stomach disorder
|
17.
|
Argemone mexicana Linn.
|
Papaveraceae
|
Manjal Paal chedi
|
Herb
|
Latex
|
Latex of the plant is applied topically on the site of
boils
|
Boils
|
18.
|
Mimosa
pudica Linn.
|
Mimosaceae
|
Thotta sinungi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Root and Leaf infusion is applied on the wounds
|
Wound healing
|
19.
|
Leucas
aspera Spreng.
|
Lamiaceae
|
Kennathumbai
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste or crushed leaf is taken both externally
& internally to treat snake bite, It is also applied topically on the
forehead to cure one side headache
|
Snake bite, One side headache
|
20.
|
Ruellia
patula Jacq.
|
Acanthaceae
|
Puni chedi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste is applied topically all over the body to
treat children fever
|
Children fever
|
21.
|
Cissus
quadrangularis Linn.
|
Vitaceae
|
Perandai
|
Lianas
|
Stem and leaf
|
Paste of stem and leaf is taken orally with food for
easy digestion and to increase appetite
|
Stomach disorder
|
22.
|
Achyranthes aspera
Linn.
|
Amaranthaceae
|
Nauruvi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Paste of leaf with onion is applied externally on the
bitten site of dog and to cure skin diseases
|
Rabies, Skin diseases
|
23.
|
Syzygium
cumini Linn.
|
Myrtaceae
|
Naval� palam
|
Tree
|
Seed
|
Seed powder mixed with either hot water or cow�s milk are
taken orally in empty stomach to treat diabetes
|
Diabetes
|
24.
|
Abrus
precatorius
Linn.
|
Fabaceae
|
Vellai kundu
mani
|
Climbing shrub
|
Seed
|
Decoction of seed is taken orally to increase sperm
count and to treat stomach pain
|
Stomach problems and sexual disorder
|
25.
|
Lantana
camera Linn.
|
Verbanaceae
|
Unichedi
|
Shrub
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste is applied topically to treat wounds
|
Wound healing
|
26.
|
Solanum
nigrum Linn.
|
Solanaceae
|
Chukuti chedi
|
Herb
|
Leaf and Fruit
|
Leaves and fruits are chewed and swallowed to cure mouth
ulcer
|
Mouth ulcer
|
27.
|
Sesbania.
aegyptiaca Pers.
|
Fabaceae
|
Sitha
hathi
|
Shrub
|
Tender twig and seed
|
Tender twig and seeds are infused with coconut oil and applied
topically on the hair regularly for healthy and black hair
|
Problems in hair growth and body heat
|
28.
|
Tridax procumbens Linn.
|
Asteraceae
|
Mookuthi chedi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf juice is applied topically on wounds
|
Wound healings
|
29.
|
Phyllanthus amarus
Linn.
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Keela nelli
|
Herb
|
Root and fruit
|
Roots and fruits are crushed and mixed with goat�s milk.
The mixture is taken orally to cure jaundice and liver problems
|
Liver problems
|
30.
|
Euphorbia
Hirta Linn.
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Ammaan pachcharsi
|
Herb
|
Leaf and fruit
|
Leaf and fruit powder is mixed with cow�s milk and taken
orally to treat Leucorrhoea and to keep the body cool
|
Leucorrhoea
|
31.
|
Jatropha
curcas Linn.
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Katta amankku
|
Shrub
|
Bark and latex
|
Decoction prepared from bark and mixed with water. The
water is used to take bath for the treatment of stomach problems during
pregnancy.� Latex is taken orally for
same purpose
|
Stomach related problemsduring pregnancy
|
32.
|
Bauhinia
retusa Ham.
|
Fabaceae
|
Aathi
|
Shrub
|
Leaves and fibres
|
Leaves are fumigated and s inhaled to get relief from
fever.� The stem fibres are used in
coir production.
|
Fever
|
33.
|
Azima tetragantha Lamk.
|
Salvadoraceae
|
Mullu
kuthi chedi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Decoction prepared from leaves and is taken orally to
treat cold and cough
|
Cold and cough
|
34.
|
Flacourtia
ramontchi �L�Herit.
|
Bixaceae
|
Kejalika chedi
|
Herb
|
Fruit
|
Ripened fruits are taken orally to keep the body cool
|
Body heat
|
35.
|
Cassia
tora Linn.
|
Fabaceae
|
Thahara chedi
|
Herb
|
Shoot tip
|
Tender twigs are cooked with onion and taken with food
|
Used as a vegetable
|
36.
|
Solanum
xanthocarpum Schrad
|
Solanaceae
|
Kandan kattiri
|
Herb
|
Fruit
|
Unripe fruits are cooked and taken with food
|
Used as a vegetable
|
37.
|
Solanum
indicum Linn.
|
Solanaceae
|
Mullu chundal
|
Herb
|
Fruit
|
Unripe fruits are cooked and taken with food to expel
tapeworms. These fruits are used to preparing pickles
|
Expelling worms
|
38.
|
Ficus
retusa Linn.
|
Moraceae
|
Athi maram
|
Tree
|
Leaf and fruit
|
Paste of Leaf along with their fruit combined with cumin
is taken orally to cure swellings, Lung blockage.� It is best for treat diabetes and applied
topically over the fractured bones.
|
Diabetes,�� bone
fracture , cold, swellings
|
39.
|
Spilanthes
calva Wt.
|
Asteraceae
|
Vettu marunthu chedi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf paste is applied directly on wounds
|
Wound healings
|
40.
|
Capparis
sepiaria Linn.
|
Violaceae
|
Thotti chedi
|
Herb
|
Fruit and Root
|
Leaves are pasted with lemon juice and are applied
topically to treat swellings. The fruits are edible.
|
Swellings
|
41.
|
Launaea
pinnatifida cass.
|
Goodeniaceae
|
Kaatu thumbi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf decoction is taken internally to get relief from
fever
|
Fever
|
42.
|
Oxalis
Corniculata Linn.
|
Oxalidaceae
|
Puliyarai
|
Small herb
|
Root
|
Paste of Root is
taken orally to treat common fever
|
Fever
|
43.
|
Euphorbia
heterophylla Linn.
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Paal Poodu
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf is cooked with coconut oil and onion.� It is taken with food for stomach
problems and to treat dysentery
|
Stomach problems and dysentery
|
44.
|
Ocimum basilicum
Linn.
|
Lamiaceae
|
Thiruneetru pachai
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Dried leaves are
kept in fire and the smoke is inhaled to cure Asthma
|
Asthma and other breathing problems
|
45.
|
Croton
sparsiflorus Morang.
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
Sinathamani chedi
|
Herb
|
Latex
|
Plant latex is applied externally on the site of wasp
sting
|
Wasp sting
|
46.
|
Cocculus hirsutus Diels.
|
Menispermaceae
|
Vella katha kodi
|
Climber
|
Leaf
|
Paste is prepared from leaves and it is administered
orally to treat Leucorrhoea
|
Leucorrhoea
|
47.
|
Abutilon indicum
G. Don.
|
Malvaceae
|
Thuthi
|
Herb
|
Leaf
|
Leaf is cooked with onion and taken orally to treat
piles
|
Piles
|
48.
|
Eclipta prostrate Linn.
|
Asteraceae
|
karisalanganni
|
Herb
|
Whole plant
|
The powder of Eclipta prostrata, Leucas aspera
and Phyllanthus niruri are mixed with butter milk and taken orally
to cure jaundice
|
Jaundice
|
49.
|
Lawsonia inermis
Linn.
|
Lythraceae
|
Maruthondri
|
Shrub
|
Leaf
|
The fresh leaves
are ground and gargled to treat mouth ulcer.
|
Mouth ulcer
|
50.
|
Datura metel
Linn.
|
Solanaceae
|
Karu oomathai
|
Leaf
|
Herb
|
The fresh leaves are boiled with gingelly oil and
applied topically on joints to cure swellings
|
Swelling in joints
|
51.
|
Mukia
maderaspatans Linn.
|
Cucurbitaceae
|
Musu musukai
|
Leaf
|
Climber
|
Boil the leaf juice with gingelly oil and applied
topically on the head before taking bath to cure Asthma
|
Asthma
|
52.
|
Trianthema
decandra Linn.
|
Aizoaceae
|
Sathi charanai
|
Root
|
Herb
|
The root of this plant is taken internally to treat
Elephant dialysis
|
Elephantiasis
|
53.
|
Santalum album Linn.
|
Santalaceae
|
Santhana maram
|
Tender twig
|
Tree
|
The paste of tender twig mixed with the juice of Phyllanthus emblica are taken
orally to treat urinary tract infection and it is best for diabetes
|
Urinary tract infection and diabetes
|
54.
|
Indigofera
aspalathoides Vahl.
|
Fabaceae
|
Sivanar vembu
|
Whole plant
|
Herb
|
The ash of the whole plant is added with coconut oil and
applied topically to treat psoriasis
|
Skin diseases
|
55.
|
Plumbago zeylanica
Linn.
|
Plumbaginaceae
|
Kodiveli
|
Root
|
Herb
|
Root is pasted with gingelly oil and applied topically
to cure piles
|
Piles
|
56.
|
Bauhinia tomentosa
Linn.
|
Caesalpiniaceae
|
Mantharai
|
Leaf
|
Shrub
|
The leaf powder is mixed with honey are taken internally
to treat digestive problems and vomiting
|
Digestive disorders
|
57.
|
Rubus ellipticus Sm.
|
Rosaceae
|
Vella mulli
|
Root
|
Climber
|
The root paste is taken internally to treat paralyzes
|
Paralyze
|
58.
|
Cipadessa
baccifera Miq.
|
Meliaceae
|
Seeruholi maram
|
Root, leaf and bark
|
Tree
|
The paste of root, leaf and bark is applied topically to
cure psoriasis
|
Skin diseases
|
59.
|
Cassia hirsuta
Linn.
|
Caesalpiniaceae
|
Paaparettai
|
Root
|
Shrub
|
The root is pasted with cumin and taken internally to
treat stomach burning after a meal.
|
Digestive disorders
|
60.
|
Glycosmis pentaphylla
correa.
|
Rutaceae
|
Molehulukki
|
Root
|
Shrub
|
The root is pasted with cumin and taken internally to
treat Asthma.
|
Asthma
|
61.
|
Alangium
salvifolium Wang.
|
Alangiaceae
|
Marada kodi
|
Whole plant
|
Climber
|
The fresh plants are fried and taken internally to treat
chest burning
|
Burning sensation
|
62.
|
Grewia tiliaefolia
Vahl.
|
Tiliaceae
|
Thadasu maram
|
Bark
|
Tree
|
The decoction of bark is apply all over the head before taking
bath to treat mental illness
|
Mental illness.
|
63.
|
Terminalia
bellarica Roxb.
|
Combretaceae
|
Thaanthi maram
|
Bark and root
|
Tree
|
The bark and root are grind & took extract, which is
applied topically to treat unnecessary peelings on the skin.
|
Skin diseases
|
64.
|
Curculigo
orchioides Gaetrn.
|
Hypoxidaceae
|
Nilappanai
|
Whole plant
|
Tree
|
The leaf paste taken internally to increase sperm count.
|
Genital disorder
|
65.
|
Rubia cordifolia Linn
|
Rubiaceae
|
Chevvali kodi
|
Leaf
|
Climber
|
The leaf paste is applied topically to scorpion sting
and dizziness
|
Scorpion sting
|
66
|
Boerhaavia diffusa
Linn
|
Nyctaginaceae
|
Saranda kodi
|
Whole plant
|
Herb
|
The plant is pasted with cumin and taken internally to
cure digestive problems
|
Digestive disorder
|
67.
|
Lantana whitiana Wall.
|
Verbanaceae
|
Vella uni chedi
|
Leaf
|
Shrub
|
The leaf is ground with Cipadessa baccifera root,
leaf and bark & applied topically to treat Psoriasis
|
Skin disease
|
68.
|
Adhatoda vasica
Nees.
|
Acanthaceae
|
Adathodai
|
Leaf
|
Shrub
|
The leaf decoction is taken internally to cure cold and
cough.
|
Cold and cough
|
69.
|
Jasminum
angustifolium Vahl.
|
Oleaceae
|
Kattu mallige
|
Leaf
|
Shrub
|
The leaf is boiled in water and taken with food to cure
diahhroea
|
Diahhroea
|
70.
|
Murraya paniculata
(L) Jack.
|
Rutaceae
|
Sedisil maram
|
Leaf
|
Shrub
|
The leaf paste is applied over the wounds to heal
|
Wounds
|
Discussion
Herbal remedies are considered the oldest forms of health care known to
mankind on this earth.� Prior to the
development of modern medicine, the traditional systems of medicine that have
evolved over the centuries within various communities, are still maintained
as a great traditional knowledge base in herbal medicines (Mukherjee and
Wahil, 2006).� Traditionally, this
treasure of knowledge has been passed on orally from generation to generation
without any written document (Perumal samy and Ignacimuthu, 2000) and is
still retained by various indigenous groups around the world. People use more
than one plant either separately or mixed together.� They mix several plants as ingredients to
cure diseases immediately.� Generally,
fresh part of the plant is used for the preparation of medicine.� When fresh plant parts are not used as
simple drugs and some plants are used with some other plant parts. The
information collected from this study is in agreement with the previous
reports (Jain, 2001; Sandhya et al., 2006; Ganesan et al., 2004; Udayan et
al., 2005; Mahapatra and Panda, 2002).
From this survey herbs (46%) were found to be most used plants followed
by shrubs (26%), trees (14%) and climber (14%) in descending order.� Many Species of the family Euphorbiaceae,
Fabaceae, Solanceae and Asteraceae are frequently used in this study
area.� The first two families
contribute to 10 remedies; the information is showed.
The parts of the plant used for medicinal purposes are leaves, root,
stem, fruits, the complete aerial parts, the whole plant, barks (root and
stem) and flowers.� However, leaves
were found most frequently used part.
Common health ailments in the study area were skin problems.� Kani tribals in Tirunelveli Hills of Tamil
Nadu were using 14 plants for the treatment of skin problems (Ayyanar &
Ignacimuthu, 2005).� Tribals of Uttar
Karnataka district used 52 herbal preparations from 31 plants for skin
diseases, a nearest state of Tamil Nadu (Harsha et al., 2003) and people of
Eastern Cape Province, South
Africa used 38 plant species for the
treatment of wounds (Grierson and Afolayan, 1999).
Several studies have enumerated the plants used for wound healing and
skin diseases in various parts of the world (Chah et al., 2006; Ayyanar and
Ignacimuthu, 2005; Harsha et al., 2003). Ghorbani (2005) reported 16 plant
species that were used for respiratory diseases and 48 plants for the
treatment of gastrointestinal disorders in north Iran.� Safety and efficacy of the treatment for
respiratory tract infections were reviewed (Coon and Ernst, 2004).� Traditional healers of Kancheepuram
district used nine plant species to treat stomach problems among them 3
plants to treat stomachache and 6 plants to cure digestive problems (Chellaiah
et al., 2006).� Muthukumarasamy et al.,
(2003) has reported the use of 21 medicinal plants from 20 families to treat
gastro-intestinal complaints by using paliyar community.�
The tribal people of Western Madhya Pradesh of India used 13 plants for the
treatment of Jaundice (Samvatsar and Diwanji, 2000).� In the present study on Phyllanthus amarus and Eclipta prostrate were used for the
treatment of jaundice.� Spilanthes acmella was used to treat
toothache. Syzygium cumini, Santalum album and Ficus retusa are reported to treat
diabetes.�� It is in agreement with
earlier reports in the treatment of oral diseases (Tapsoba and Deschampus,
2006; Hebbar et al., 2004).� Andrographis paniculata, Catheranthus roseus and Gymnema sylvestre were used to treat
diabetes by the local traditional healers (Chellaiah et al., 2006).� The tribal people of Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayan region in India
utilized 37 species of plants belonging to 28 different families as
antidiabetic agents (Chherti et al., 2005).
In this present study ten remedies were used to alleviate problems of
the respiratory system.� Among the
plants surveyed, Ocimum basilicum, Adhatoda vasica are used frequently
for the preparation of medicines for the treatment of respiratory
disorders.� Whereas, 14 remedies were
used to alleviate the respiratory problems, among the plants surveyed, Adhatoda zeylanica and Vitex negundo are used frequently
(Ignacimuthu et al., 2006).
From our survey of ethnomedicinal plants, the results obtained confirm
the therapeutic potency of some plants used in traditional medicine.� In addition, these results form a good
basis for selection of potential plant species for further phytochemical and
pharmacological investigation. The leaf paste of Zizyphus mauritiana along with the leaves of Ailanthes excelsa is taken internally as well as topically to
treat paralyzes.� Andrographis paniculata is used to treat poison bites; Leaf juice
of Mukia maderaspatana with
gingelly oil is applied topically on the head before taking bath to cure
Asthma. Leaf and fruit powder of Euphorbia
hirta is mixed with cow�s milk and taken orally to treat Leucorrhoea, Leucas aspera (headache and snakebite)
and Cardiospermum helicacabum
(Arthiritis) also documented.
Conclusion
The data
collected shows that majority of the remedies are taken orally. Herbal
medicines prescribed by tribal people are either preparation based on single
plant or a combination of several plant parts.� Most of the reported preparations are drawn
from a single plant; mixtures are used rarely. The fresh plant parts are used
for the preparation of medicine.� When
fresh plant parts are unavailable, dried parts are also used.� Generally, the people of the study area
still have a strong belief in the efficacy and success of herbal medicine.
The results of the present study provide evidence that medicinal plants
continue to play an important role in the healthcare system of this tribal
community.�
This study provides an ethnobotanical data of the medicinal plants used
by the tribal people of Irulas to cure different diseases.� Moreover, this study will promote a
practical use of botanicals and must be continued focusing on its
pharmacological validation.� Further
detailed exploration and collection of ethnobotanical information, chemical
studies and screening for medicinal properties will provide cost effective
and reliable source of medicine for the welfare of humanity.
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