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Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 1401-08, 2009. Indigenous
Knowledge on Medicinal Plants Among the Local People of Puducherry Region (Union
Territory), India M. Udayakumar, M. Ayyanar and T. Sekar* Division of Biodiversity and Biotechnology,
Post Graduate and Research Department of Botany, Pachaiyappa�s College,
Chennai � 600 030, Tamil Nadu, Issued �November 01, 2009 Abstract A survey on the use of medicinal plants by local traditional healers was
carried out in Puducherry ( Keywords: Indigenous
knowledge; Medicinal plants; Puducherry; south India. Introduction According to World Health Organization (WHO, about 65�80% of the world�s population in developing countries, due to the poverty and lack of access to modern medicine, depended essentially on plants for their primary healthcare (Calixto, 2005). The primary benefits of using plant derived medicines are that they are relatively safer than synthetic alternatives offering profound therapeutic benefits and more economical (Iwu et al, 1999). Ethnic and indigenous people who reside in the forest and villages bordering the forest mainly depend on plant resources; and they possess rich knowledge on medicinal values of plants and their uses. This knowledge is passed orally from generation to generation (Ayyanar and Ignacimuthu, 2005). Methods Study area The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises
four regions namely Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which are not
geographically contiguous. Puducherry is located in the East Coast, about 162
kms. south of Chennai (Figure. 1). Puducherry is the largest among the four
regions and consists of 12 scattered areas interspersed with enclaves of
Villupuram and Cuddalore Districts of Tamil Nadu. The Union Territory of
Puducherry is 479 square kilometer in area and has a population of 9,74,345
according to the 2001 census. The rural population is 3,25,726 persons
(33.43%) whereas the urban population is 6,48,619 persons which constitute
66.57% of the total population (Puducherry Government website). Figure
1.
Map of Puducherry (
Patches of
tropical dry evergreen forests (TDEF) found in the coastal areas of Union
Territory of Puducherry contain a great variety of medicinal plants which are
used by the local traditional healers (Parthasarathy et al., 2008). Various types of
soil found in the Ethnobotanical survey The local people having the indigenous
knowledge of the medicinal plants were contacted through frequent field
visits in various villages of Puducherry with the help of village head and
local traders. Traditional healers from the villages of Periya Mudhaliar Chavadi, Poornankuppam, Embalam, Seliamedu, Kanimedu
and Kollumedu gave information regarding the medicinal plants used by them
for the treatment of various diseases. The information was collected by group
discussions and interviews with them in their local language (Tamil). Along
with the medicinal uses, availability of the plants, local name, parts used,
mode of preparation and mode of administration, dosage and ingredients added
while preparing the medicine were documented in the field datasheets. Each
plant species collected was given a voucher specimen number and was identified
taxonomically using the floras such as Flora of Presidency of Madras (Gamble,
1936), Flora of Central Tamil Nadu (Matthew, 1991) and Flora of Tamil Nadu
(Henry et al., 1983). The voucher specimens and documented indigenous
knowledge were preserved at the Division of
Biodiversity and Biotechnology, Post Graduate and
Research Department of Botany, Pachaiyappa�s College, Chennai � 30, Tamil
Nadu. Results and Discussion A total of 24 medicinal plant species
distributed in 22 families were collected from the study area with the help
of traditional healers. Medicinal plants used by them are given below with Latin
name, family, local name, parts used, mode of preparation and medicinal uses. 1. Albizia lebbeck (L.) Willd., Mimosaceae, Vaagai maram. Dried bark is made into powder and used as tooth powder to get relief from dental problems. 2. Mangifera indica L. Anacardiaceae, Maa-maram. Ash that obtained from the burned leaf is mixed with coconut oil and applied on the wounds until cure. 3. Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle,�� Rutaceae, Elumicchai. Juice of the fruit with few drops of pure honey is administered orally to get rid of from throat infection. 4. Leucas aspera (Willd.) Link., Lamiaceae, Thumbai. Powder thus obtained from shade dried flowers is mixed with sesame oil and applied topically on the forehead to get relive from headache. 5. Moringa pterygosperma Gaertn., Moringaceae,� Murungai maram. Shade dried leaves are ground into powder and mixed with table salt. The mixture thus obtained is taken orally along with hot water to cure the diarrhoea. 6. Aristolochia bracteolata Lam., Aristolochiaceae, Aduthinna palai. Fresh leaves are ground in to a paste and mixed with butter milk and applied topically on the itches and rashes until cure. 7. Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.,�� Fabaceae, Agatthi. Juice of fresh leaves is mixed with coconut milk and the mixture thus obtained is applied topically on skin diseases until cure. 8. Ferula asafoetida H. Karst., Apiaceae, Perungayam. Asafoetida and dried ginger are mixed and ground in to a paste with water. The paste thus obtained is applied externally on the swellings to get relieve from pain. 9. Piper nigrum L., Piperaceae, Milagu. Dried fruits are made into powder and applied topically on the fresh cuts and wounds until cure. 10. Pandanus odoratissimus L.f., Pandanaceae, Thaazhai. Few drops of juice thus obtained from the fresh leaves are poured in to the ear to get relief from earache. 11. Phyllanthus amarus Schum. & Thonn., Euphorbiaceae, Keezha nelli. Fresh leaves and dried rhizome of turmeric are mixed and ground into a paste and applied externally on the cracks on the foot until cure. 12. Heliotropium indicum L., Boraginaceae, Thel kodukku. Juice thus obtained from the fresh leaves is poured in to the eyes to get rid of from irritation. 13. Tinospora cordifolia Miers., Menispermaceae, Seenthil kodi. Shade dried leaves are ground into powder and mixed with hot water and the mixture is taken orally in the treatment of diabetes. 14. Solanum torvum Sw., Solanaceae, Sundai-kaai. Powder thus obtained from the shade dried leaves is mixed with hot water or cow�s milk and administered orally to get relief from cold and cough. 15. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L., Malvaceae, Semparutthi. Root is boiled with water and the decoction thus obtained is taken orally to cure throat infection. 16. Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees., Acanthaceae, Nila vembu. The powder thus obtained from the shade dried leaves is mixed with hot water and taken orally to cure beetle bites. 17. Allium cepa L., Alliaceae, Vengayum. Juice thus obtained from the bulbs is applied topically on the cuts and wounds until cure. 18. Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Fabaceae, Vendhayum. Powder thus obtained from the seeds is mixed with pepper and rhizome of Acorus calamus and boiled with sesame oil. The mixture thus obtained is applied topically on the head to get rid of human louse. 19. Thespesia populnea (L.) Soland ex Correa., Malvaceae, Poovarasu. Powder thus obtained from the shade dried leaves is mixed with coconut oil and applied topically on the area of irritation and ring worm until cure. 20. Mimusops elengi L., Sapotaceae, Sapota. Leaves are boiled with water and the decoction thus obtained is used as a cleansing agent for mouth to cure diseases of the gums and teeth. 21. Enicostemma littorale Blume, Gentianaceae, Vellarugu. Powder of the shade dried leaves is mixed with hot water and taken orally to cure itches. 22. Myristica fragrans Houtt., Myristicaceae, Jathikaai. The dried fruit is ground into powder and mixed with castor oil and administered orally to cure stomach ulcer. 23. Ichnocarpus frutescens (L.) R.Br., Apocynaceae, Udarkodi. Latex of the plant is applied topically on painful tumours to reduce pain and retard growth. 24. Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae, Koyya maram. Young leaf buds are ground into a paste and mixed with hot water. The mixture thus obtained is administered orally to cure diarrhoea. To cure various diseases local traditional
healers were using leaves (14) most commonly followed by fruit (3) and bark
(1). This observation concurs the findings of the earlier investigators (Pattanaik
et al., 2008; Everest and Ozturk, 2005; Ghorbani, 2005; Lev and Amar, 2000;
Katewa et al., 2004). Mostly, fresh parts of the plants were used. Three
plants were used for wound healing; two each to cure pain (tumor and muscle
pain), throat infection, diarrhea, itches, wounds
and skin diseases; one plant each to cure head ache, stomach ulcer, tumor,
ear ache, foot cracks, eye pain, diabetes, cold and cough. Six species were
found to be used alone without any additives while 18 plants were used with
additives such as oil (sesame, castor and coconut), milk and milk products
(butter milk and ghee), common salt, jaggery and honey. Conclusion The
present study shows that to cure various ailments the local people who live near
the forest habitats of the study area still depend on medicinal plants available
in their environs. It is observed that the traditional acquisition of
knowledge of medicinal uses of plants from previous generation decreased among
present generations and alarmingly the traditional knowledge is very much lost
or ignored. Hence, a need for detailed study and documentation of ethnobotanical
knowledge possessed by local traditional healers is required before such
valuable knowledge get lost for ever. Acknowledgement The authors are thankful to the local people who shared their invaluable knowledge on medicinal plants and for their assistance during the present study. We are grateful to Prof. K. Ajithadoss for his constant support and also for correcting the manuscript. References Ayyanar, M. and Ignacimuthu,
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