Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 2(4), October 2003. pp. 378-382 Ethnomedicinal plants from Katepurna wildlife sanctuary of Akola district S P Rothe Department of Botany, Shri Shivaji College of Arts, Commerce and Science, A kola 44400 I Received 30 July 2002 ; revised II March 2003 The present paper deals with selected 24 species of wild plants used as medicine by tribals in th e Katepurna wildlife sanctuary of Akola district, Maharashtra. Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Wildli fe sanctuary, Akola di strict. Natural products as medicines although information on less known and neglected in the recent past are gaining unrecorded uses of plants. Saxena & popularity again. Besides Ayurveda, the Vyas 7 have reported on infectious other di sciplines, viz. Unani and Siddha diseases fro m tribal area of Banda of the Indian system of medicine district. Chute & Tiwari8 have reported on advocate the use of medicinal plants. indigenous ethnomedicinal plants fro m Drugs of pl ant origin occupy an important tribal region of Bhandara and Gadchiwli position in different pharmacopoeias. di strict of Maharashtra. Many of th e life saving drugs in present The present investi gation is the fi rst day all opathi c system are obtained fro m attempt in thi s sanctuary based on Andh naturally growtng plants. Tribal tribal community. Kamble & Pradhan9 population provides considerable worked out the flora of Akola district. In informati on on the use of many plants or all 640 species of flowering plants have plant parts as medicine. There is a been reported. There is no ethnomedicinal conspicuous trend to shift to natura l drugs study on the tribals of Akola district. and to avoid synthetics in many coun tries. Hence, this study was undertaken to Much data on the plant uses including the record the traditional usage of plants by medicinal ones have been systematicall y the tribal people of this district. gathered and compiled by many workers, 1 2 including Dastur • Gadgil & Vartak -4 Study area and ethnology studied most of the plants from sacred Akola is the no rthern district of groves of th e Western ghat. Godbole et Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. Its total a/5 studied vegetable drugs. Recently area is about 10,606 sq km. It has about workers like Jain6 have laid more 8 12 sq km area of reserve forest. The emphasis o n certain interesting and useful notified area of sanctuary is 73.69 sq km ROTHE: ETHNOMEDrCINAL PLANTS FROM KATEPURNA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY 379 which lies between the meridians of the Botany Department, Shri Shivaji longitudes 77°7'41" and 77°12'36" East College, Akola. and between the parallels of latitude 19°22'14" and 19°29'77" North. The Results climate is dry with maximum temperature Plant species used by the tribes are of 45°C and minimum of 21 °C. The mentioned in Table l with their vegetation of sanctuary is dry deciduous vernacular name, botanical name, family, type, while the slopes of the sanctuary parts used or sold and uses. Asterisk mark have thickly forested dense vegetation indicates plant species recorded for the pockets, where the wild animals like deer, first time. hyena, leopard, chitta!, rabbit, neelgai, porcupine, wild boar, sloth bear are found in large number. In this area tribals like Discussion and conclusion Andh, Bhil, Halba, Pawra are dispersed in A perusal of literature indicates that small pockets where adequate formal Akola district of Maharashtra is medical facilities are not available even botanically underexplored or certain areas today. They depend solely on of it remain unexplored. The peculiar ethnomedicines for the treatment of geographical pos1t10n and physical different diseases. The estimated tribal features of the district explain to a large population of the sanctuary is 9658. extent the extreme isolation of tribes. The ethnic people or aborigines subsist on Materials and methods limited agriculture and local plant An extensive ethnomedicinal survey products. Their immediate contact and was conducted in the rural and tribal dependence on nature has led to the pockets of Katepuma wild life sanctuary development of a curious knowledge which included places like Dhotarkhed, which ultimately is reflected in their Fetra, Kasmar, Wastapur, Deodari, Bhur, traditional culture, religion, local belief, Yedshi. The roadside localities were folklore, taboos and dialects, and found to covered by vehicle to study the plants, be very interesting ethnobotanically. while places like Dhotarkhed, Fetra, Keeping all these aspects in view as also Wastapur, Deodari were travelled on foot. dearth of published work containing The data presented are based on first hand complete data, the present study on information collected during July 1998 to ethnomedicinal plants from Katepuma June 2001. The information was collected wild life sanctuary of Akola district was from tribal herbal medicine men. To undertaken. In all 24 plant species know the medicinal properties of plants a belonging to 23 families of discussion with a group of 3-4 male ethnomedicinal interest are recorded after persons in the age group of 45-55 years critical screening with the available was more useful than talking to literature. Uses of seven potential plant individuals. The collected specimens species (asterisk marked) are recorded for have been deposited in the herbarium of the first time. 380 INDIAN 1 TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL 2, No. 4, OCTOBER 2003 Tabl e I- Pl ant s used by Andh tribals of Katepurna wildlife sanctury Local name Botani cal name Family Parts sold Uses or used Pi val a Argemone Papaveraceae Leaves Three drops of leaf juice mixed dhotra mexicana L. and seeds with a cup of cow's milk is taken for three days against jaundice. Seed powder is applied on injury. *Tembharu Diospyros Ebenaceae Young Leaf juice filtered by using musli n exculpta Buch.- leaves cloth is used again st ringworm. Ham. Sakal wei Ventilago Rh amnaceae Leaves Leaf juice mi xed with one spoon demiculata Willd. of salt is given to treat abdominal pain or di gestive di sorders in animals. *Tupwel Derris scandens Fabaceae Young Stem juice mi xed with cow's ghee, Bent h. branches one spoon per day, gives reli ef in di abetes. Sad ada Terminalia Combretaceae Red bark Red bark kept in a cup of water for arjuna (Roxb.) I Y2 hour, taken with cow mil k Wt. &Arn .. cures dysfuncti onal uterine bleeding in women. Bhand gul Dendrophthoe Loranthaceae Leaves Juice of leaves and roots is used falcata (L. f.) and roots against leucorrhoea. Etting. *Nirgudi Vitex neg undo L. Verbenaceae Seed A decoction of seeds of Vitex with Nirgunda Alectra tlw msonii Scrophulari aceae Leaves fresh leaves of Alectra regul ari zes (Hook. f.) Wettst. th e menstrual cycle. Tur Cajanus cajan Fabaceae Leaves Filtered decocti on of leaves of (L.) Milsp. Cajanus and kathbol regul ari ses menstrual cycle. *Kharik Phoenix Arecaceae Fruits In the hole in the stem of dactylifera Roxb. Azadi rachta 21 fruits of Phoenix are put for 21 days and ti ed by using paper and cloth . After 2 1 days fruits are taken out and given to the pati ent of asthma. Gulwel Tinospora Meni spermaceae Leaves A filtered juice of 3-4 leaves is cordifolia applied against mumps. (Willd.) Miers. Takl a C/erodendrum Yerbenaceae Leaves 2-3 drops of filtered juice of 3-4 multiflorwn leaves given to the pati ent thrice in (Burm.f.) O.Ktze. a day against worm infestation. Sagargota Caesalpinia Caesalpiniaceae Seed Seed powder is given to the patient bonduc L. twice a day against guinea worm. Con/d. ROTHE: ETHNOMEDI C INAL PLANTS FROM KATEPURNA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY 381 Table I -Plants used by Andh tribals of Katepurna wildlife sanctury---contd. Local name Botani cal name Family Parts sold Uses or used Nirgunda Alectra thomsonii Scrophul ari aceae Who le A fin e powder is mi xed in sugar and (Hook f.) Wettst. pl ant roasted with wheat fl our and tablets are prepared. Tablets are given to the patient twice a day for three days to reli eve joints pain (arthralgia). Kumbhi Careya arborea Lecythidaceae Fruits Young matured fruits are given to Roxb. animals to cure abdo minal distension. Godnimb Murraya koeniF: ii Rutaceae Leaves Filtered leaf juice is applied (L.) Spreng. against otiti s media. Dahipalas Cordia macleodii Ehretiaceae Root bark Root bark is boi led in 8 c ups of (Griff.) Hook. f. & water to obtain onl y a cup of Thoms. quantity; it is filtered and given to cure piles. Sag wan Tectono grandis L. Verbenaceae Seeds Seed powder re moves the problem of rete ntion of urine. Fanji Rive a Convolvulaceae Leaves Leaf juice is applied to infecti ous hypocrateriformis parts twice a day to cure fungal (Dear) Cho isy. infection of scalp. Bhuiawala Phy/lanthus Euphorbi aceae Leaves 4-5 drops of filtered leaf juice is f ratemus Webs. g iven twice a day again st dysentery. Mirachikand Corallocalpus C ucurbitaceae Roots Root powder is used again st epigaeus (Rottl. & snakebite. Willd.) Hook.f. Talimkhana Hygrophila schulli Acanthaceae Seeds Seed powder is mi xed in a cup of (Buch.-Ham.) cow milk and given to patient for M.R.&S.M. treating semen problem. Almeida *Hi war Acacia Mimosaceae Leaves and A fine powder prepared by leucophloea swoll en out collecting swoll en outgrowth of (Rox b.) Willd. growth stem mixed with leaf juice cures found on abscess and breast di seases. stem *Kapalphuti Cardiospermum Sapindaceae Leaves Leaves of Cardiospennwn and helicacabwn L. roots of Amara111hus are taken in Pandhra Amaranth us Amaranthaceae Roots equal quantity and a powder is moth or spinosus L. prepared which is given for three Kate moth days to cure venereal diseases. *Pimpal Ficus religiosa L.