Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used by Malaiyali in Pachaimalai Hills Area of Trichirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India

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RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants Used By Malaiyali In Pachaimalai Hills Area Of Trichirappalli District, Tamil Nadu, India

Kannadhasan M.1 Valarmathi S.1 and Raju K.1 1Post Graduate and Research Department of Botany, Kandaswami Kandar’s College, Velur, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India.

ABSTRACTS The selected study area in Pachaimalai Hills situated in Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The study was aimed to document the traditional folklore knowledge of the local people about the use of different plants or their products. A large number of people belonging to various Hindu Malaiyali groups or races were interviewed during field trips and asked questions regarding the traditional use of medicinal plants. The data collected reveals that about 61 plant species belonging to 38 families find use in day to day life including medicinal, aromatic and cultural. The present study also details the herbal cures for different disorders, based on the information obtained from local herbalists or traditional healers. Then collected the medicinal plants are Enumeration of botanical name, Family, vernacular, common name and plant medicinal used. The common diseases treated by the herbal practitioner were asthma, digestive problems, paralyzes, skin diseases, diabetes, jaundice, fever, rheumatism, piles, stomachache and eye disease. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Medicinal plants, Malaiyali tribe, Pachaimalai hills, Tamil Nadu.

I. INTRODUCTION areas for documentation of the hidden knowledge The Indian subcontinent is remarkable for of plants because traditional healers are believed to its exceptional level of biological diversity at broad provide considerable information about the use of habitat level and within these habitats at species many plants or plant parts as medicine. level. About 75 million hectares of the land area in India is forest of various types from dry deciduous II. MATERIALS AND METHODS to evergreen forests and from alpine to tropical Study Area forests (Singh and Viswakarma, 1997). Plants have An ethnobotanical survey was carried out been used in traditional medicine for several in Pachaimalai Hills, Trichirappalli District, Tamil thousand years. The knowledge of medicinal plants Nadu, India. Pachaimalai Hill is a part of Eastern has been accumulated in the course of many Ghats covered with tropical try deciduous centuries based on different medicinal systems vegetation. The Pachaimalai Hill is situated at 933 such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. In India, it is meters above the sea level with a total area of reported that traditional healers use 2500 plant 4532.53 ha. It lies latitude 11°09‟ 00‟‟ and species and 100 species of plants serve as regular 11°27‟00‟‟ North and longitude 78°28‟00‟‟ and sources of medicine (Johnson .,et.,al.,2015; 78°49‟00‟‟ East. The ethnobotanical survey was Anusha.,et.,al.,2012; Pei, 2001;). These medicines carried out among local population and the tribe are safe and environment friendly. Nearly 61% of called Malaiyali living in this area. The tribal the world population depends upon traditional community was met in their residential areas of system of health care (Rajadurai.,et.,al.,2009). particularly there are so many Tribal villages like Tribals provide considerable information about the Thenpuranadu, Vadapuranadu and Aathinadu use of many plants as medicine. According to the around Top Senkattupatti (Amarasuriyan et al., world health organization (WHO) as many as 61% 2013). The forest comprises about nine major types of the world‟s population depend on traditional i.e. evergreen, semi evergreen, dry mixed medicine for their primary healthcare needs. The deciduous, southern thorn scrub, dry savannah, present study aims at documenting the tribal use of southern thorn forest and dry grassland (Soosairaj some of the plants which can prove beneficial for et al., 2007). The soil of these hills ranges from the industry and such plants need to be propagated loam to clay loam and is generally reddish brown on large scale to narrow down the ever increasing to dark yellowish brown in color. The soil depth is pressure on these plants. Efforts were made to meet about a meter and soil reaction is near neutral. The and interact with the elderly people of all these annual rainfall ranges from 610 to 900 mm. These

www.ijera.com 1|P a g e Kannadhasan M..et al. Int. Journal of Engineering Research and Application www.ijera.com ISSN : 2248-9622, Vol. 6, Issue 7, ( Part -5) July 2016, pp.01-05 hills receive maximum rainfall during the months species, it have highest number of species in of September, October and November through the collected plants and climbers occupied only 6 Northeast monsoon. The hills receive rainfall in the species, it lowest numbers of species in collected months of June and August through Southwest plants (Fug- 1). The totally collected 61 plant monsoon. species belonging to 38 families (Table-1) find use in day to day life including medicinal, aromatic and Data collection cultural. The four plants family list of The field visit was conducted several Euphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Solanaceae, and times during the periods of studies September 2015 Astraceae. The three plants family Malvaceae and to March 2016. The survey of Pachaimalai hills, Moraceae. The two plants family list of Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. Ethnomedicinal Ascleptaceae, Capparidaceae, Verbinaceae, information was gathered from the local Hindu Poaceae, Lilliaceae, Meliaceae and Momosaceae. malaiyalis and herbalists, through personal The finally single family list of Amaranthaceae, communication, who accompanied as local guides Aroideaceae, Rutaceae, Acanthaceae, Annoceae, in the field. Each of the plant material was Pappavaraceae, Aristolachaceae, Nyctaginaceae, assigned field book number and documented as to Cuttiferaceae, Musaceae, Sapindaceae, Caricaceae, scientific name, family, vernacular name (Tamil), Ceasalpinaceae, Apiaceae, Vitaceae, common name and medicinal uses, plant parts that Apocyanaceae, Convolvulaceae, Rubiaceae, were identified as having use in Ethnobotany were Sapotaceae, Aizoaceae, Cactaceae and collected and compressed. Plant species collected Cambretaceae. 61 Angiospermic plants were were identified with the help of flora books enumerated with their medicinal importance. Tribal (Hooker, 1884; Gamble, 1936; Henry et. al., 1987; population has good knowledge about the use of Matthew, 1983). This medicinal uses decoction, many plants. They believe that all afflictions are infusion, paste, powder and juice) form of usage caused by supernatural forces. They were using with fresh or dried mixture of other plants used as these plants to cure diseases like skin problems, ingredients were also the collected medicinal body pain, cough, cold, fever, asthma, kidney plants. The more dominant species is Acalypha problem, tonic, stomach problems, ulcer, sore indica L., Leucas aspera., Datura metal L., throat and typhoid. So, The Malaiyali tribes of Eclipta alba., Ficus religiosa L. various Nadu shared knowledge of the ethnomedicinal plants to use „Neenda ayil‟, III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION which translate to “living long healthy life”. The During the present observation and Malaiyalis are also being lives in spiritualism for interaction with the village (Malaiyali) dwellers, which they utilize many ethnomedicinal plants. The the herbal medicine practioners and other Most demand of ethnomedicinal plants and have traditional healers of Pachaimalai Hills. The been motivation and conservation of these plant collected plants are divided into four criteria on the species (Vaidyanathan., et.,al.,2014). Due to more bases habitat of following groups Herbs, Shrubs, demand of ethnomedicinal plants and more profit, Clambers and Tree, herbs have 23spieces, shrubs local villagers have been motivated for have 14 species, Climber have only 6 species and conservation and cultivation of these plant species. trees have 18 species. Hear herbs are occupied 23

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Enumeration of Ethnomedicinal plants: uses are described with details such as the part(s) The plant species are arranged in used singly, combination with other ingredients or alphabetical order. Each plant is followed by its mixed with other plants, methods of preparation scientific name, family, vernacular name (Tamil) and mode of administration. The following is the and common name, medicinal used. The medicinal list of 61 plants studied.

Table-1: study in medicinal plants in Pachaimalai hills, Eastern ghats, Tamil Nadu, India.

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IV. CONCLUSION Coimbatore for the taxonomic identify of the The people of Pachaimalai Hills, Tamil medicinal plants. The authors are also grateful to Nadu has been using numerous herbs of therapeutic Hindu malaiyalis Pachaimalai hills, Eastern Ghats purpose since time immemorial. Villagers chiefly of Tamil Nadu, India for providing us the depend on the herbs for all diseases. They are maximum details regarding the collection and aware of the plant remedies for common ailments identification of medicinal plants. like diarrhea, jaundice, rheumatism, dyspepsia, asthma, diabetes, dysentery, antipyretic, gonorrhea REFERENCE and skin diseases. [1]. Anusha Bhaskar and Lalit R. Samant.,(2012)., Traditional Medication ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of Pachamalai Hills, Tamilnadu, India., The authors are very grateful to Dr. K. Global Journal of Pharmacology 6 (1): 47- Raju, Associated professor, Post Graduated and 51, 2012. Research Department of Botany, Kandaswami [2]. C. Amarasuriyan, K. Raju, A. Raja and V. Kandar‟s College, Velur, Namakkal District, the Kadirvelmurugan (2013). Traditional scientific incharge of the Botanical Survey of India, Herbal Remedies among the Tribes of

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