Traditional Medicinal Plants of Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India
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American Journal of Ethnomedicine, 2015, Vol. 2, No. 6 ISSN: 2348-9502 Available online at http://www.ajethno.com © American Journal of Ethnomedicine Traditional Medicinal Plants of Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India S. Rajagopal Reddy1, A. Madhusudhana Reddy*1 and M. V .Suresh Babu2 1Department of Botany, Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa-516003, Andhra Pradesh, India 2Department of Botany, Govt. College for Men (Autonomous), Kadapa-516004, AP, India *Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The present study explores the traditional medicinal plants of Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Objective: The prime objective of the study is to document the traditional medicinal plants used by tribal people inhabiting the sanctuary. Methods: The ethnobotanical studies carried out during 2013-15. The information was collected through interviews, discussions and observations. Many tribal pockets were visited to interact local people and gathered information about medicinal plants. Results: The present investigation revealed the medicinal properties of 96 species belonging to 88 genera under 47 families. The most cited family was Apocyanaceae (9) followed by Lamiaceae (6), Fabaceae (6), Malvaceae (5), Capparaceae (4), Rubiaceae (3), Combretaceae (3), Menispermaceae (3), Asteraceae (3), Convolvulaceae (3), Moraceae (3), Verbenaceae (3), (3), Euphorbiaceae (2), Amaranthaceae (2), Liliaceae (2), Caesalpinaceae (2), Cleomaceae (2), Solanaceae (2), Loganiaceae (2) and remaining families contributed one species. Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a urgent need to conserve the plant resources of study area from over exploitation and illegal trade of rare plants like Red sanders. Keywords- Traditional plants, Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary, Phytomedicine, Ailments. Page 379 www.ajethno.com American Journal of Ethnomedicine ________________________________________ ISSN: 2348-9502 INTRODUCTION redefining it is modern medicines. Traditional medicine has a long history of Traditional medicine has been serving peoples all over the world. The defined as the sum of the knowledge, skills ethnobotany provides a rich resource for and practices experiences indigenous to natural drug research and development. In culture used in the maintenance of health as recent years, the use of traditional medicine well in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment information on plant research has again of physical and mental health. In developing received considerable interest. The Western countries especially rural areas the people use of such information has also come under depends mainly on traditional medicine for increasing scrutiny and the national and their primary healthcare. The indigenous indigenous rights on these resources have knowledge of medicinal plants has been well 1 become acknowledged by most academic documented in ancient Indian literature . and industrial researchers. According to the Traditional knowledge on medicine since World Health Organization (WHO) 80% of the time of great sage Charaka has led to the World population are relied on traditional discovery of many important drugs of 5 2 medicine for primary healthcare . However, modern age . Charakasamhitha and only 25% of modern medicines are derived Susruthasamhitha written by Charaka and from plant products6.Even in USA, use of Susrutha respectively have information plants and phytomedicines has increased regarding traditional medicinal plants and 3 dramatically in the last two decades. It has their therapeutic values . In the modern days been also reported that more than 50% of all there has been increase in the demands of modern drugs in clinical use are of natural herbal products and plant based drugs across products, many of which have been the world resulting in the over exploitation recognized to have the ability to include of medicinal plants. Habitat degradation, apoptosis in various cancer cells of human unscientific harvesting and over exploitation origin7. to meet the demands of medicinal plants India is rich in biological diversity have led to the extinction of plant species in and nearly 550 tribal communities the world. pertaining to 227 ethnic groups are According to report of all India inhabited. About 26 tribal communities are Ethnobiological survey accomplished by inhabiting in Andhra Pradesh. Different Ministry of Environment and Forests workers have explored and documented the (MoEF), Government of India, there are ethnobotanical information from different over 8000 plant species that are being used parts of Andhra Pradesh. For the first time, by the local people. These plants are used Krishnamachari (1900) documented the use Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy 4 of leaves of Erythroxylum monogynum and Systems of medicine . In other words, there roots of Aloe vera as food during paucity8. are about 300 families of the flowering Hemadri (1976, 1981) reported the plants, at least 250 plants are represented by procurement of raw drug materials and tribal India. Medicinal properties of few such medicine for rheumatism9-10. Hemadri and plants have been reported but a good Rao (1983, 1984) explored the plant species number of plants still used by local people used for leucorrhoea, menorrhagia and are not explored. Ayurveda, Siddha and jaundice11-12. Rao and Sreeramulu (1985) Unani systems of medicine provide good documented 52 ethnomedicinal plants used base for scientific exploration of medicinally by Savaras, Jatapus and Gadabas from important molecules from nature. The Srikakulam District13. Ramarao (1988) rediscovery of Ayurveda is a sense of documented the data on ‘Ethnobotany of Page 380 American Journal of Ethnomedicine ________________________________________ ISSN: 2348-9502 Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh14. Reddy ethnomedicinal plants as remedy for et al. (1991) collected information on 45 jaundice by the tribals of East Godavari plant taxa in traditional system of medicine District33. Raju at al. (2014) documented 90 used by tribals of Kadapa District15. Rao and medicinal plants from hilly tract areas of Prasad (1995) enlisted the ethnomedicine East Godavari District34. Rao at al. (2014) from Andhra Pradesh16. Reddy et al. (1996) observed usage of crude drugs in treatment documented the tribal medicine from of liver diseases by Chenchu tribes in Rutaceae17. Rajendran et al. (1996, 1997) Nallamalais35. Swapna (2015) has explored provided the information on hepatic 30 ethnobotanical plants used by Yanadis stimulant plants of Andhra Pradesh18. Jeevan from Kavali area of Nellore District36. and Raju (2001) described certain potential Mastan et al. (2015) reported 38 liana crude drugs used by tribes of Nallamalai for species from Lankamalleswara wildlife skin diseases19. Reddy and Subbaraju (2005) sanctuary37. Omkar at al. (2015) reported shortlisted the plants used as ethnomedicine 153 medicinal plants from from Maredumilli region of East Godavari Gundlabrahmeswaram wildlife sanctuary, District20. Reddy and Subbaraju (2005) Andhra Pradesh38. But information about studied the ethnomedicine for rheumatic traditional medicinal plants of this study diseases from Eastern Ghats21. Reddy at al. area is not available, therefore the present (2005) reported certain ethnobotanical study was undertaken. orchids of Eastern Ghats22. Reddy at al. (2006a) investigated ethnobotanical uses for STUDY AREA respiratory disorders in Eastern Ghats23. Savithramma et al (2007) reported the The Lankamalleswara wildlife 24 sanctuary is situated between 13º 50´ – 14º ethnobotanical plants used to treat asthma . º º Rao et al. (2007) explored ethnobotanical 20´ N latitude and 77 51´ – 78 50´ E importance of Pteridophytes used by longitude. In this, there are number of hills Chenchus of Nallamalais25. Jeevan et al. possessing diverse plant species. These hills (2007) recorded some rare and little-known are one of the important hill ranges of medicinal plants from Nallamalais of Kadapa District. A large extent of Kadapa Eastern Ghats26 and Reddy et al. reported dry forests include open and scrub forest the traditional knowledge on wild food type (85%), only few undisturbed and plants in the Andhra Pradesh27. Ratnam and protected hill ranges support natural dry Raju (2008a) enumerated the traditional deciduous forests. The vegetation of the medicine used by the adivasis of Eastern study area is varied depending upon the Ghats for bone fractures28. Suneetha and climate, altitude and other factors. Reddi (2011) provided data on the 600 According to Champion and Seth (1968) the ethnomedicinal plants used by tribal people hills include the following forest types. from East Godavari29. Rao et al. (2011) South Indian dry mixed deciduous forest, Red Sanders forest type, Hardvickia forest enumerated the ethnomedicinal properties of 39 62 plant species used by Gadaba tribes of type and Scrub forests . Within sanctuary Visakhapatnam District30. Rajagopal Reddy many streams and canals pass through these at al. (2011) surveyed and reported 60 forest hills. The forests in the fringe areas ethnomedicinal plants from Seshachala hill which are heavily used by human beings for range of Kadapa District31. Savithramma at pilgrimage, livestock grazing, indiscriminate al. (2012) reported 20 medicinal plants from cutting of trees, annual forest fire, soil Penchalakona forest area of Nellore erosion and illegal export of red sanders District32. Suneetha et al. (2013) reported wood, while the interior forest areas