Medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Kancheepuram District of Tamil Nadu, India

Springer Science and Business Media LLC - 2006
Chellaiah Muthu1, Muniappan Ayyanar1, Nagappan Raja2, Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu1
1Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai 600 034, India
2Department of Applied Biology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

Tóm tắt

Abstract An ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect information from traditional healers on the use of medicinal plants in Kancheepuram district of Tamil Nadu during October 2003 to April 2004. The indigenous knowledge of local traditional healers and the native plants used for medicinal purposes were collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during field trips. The investigation revealed that, the traditional healers used 85 species of plants distributed in 76 genera belonging to 41 families to treat various diseases. The documented medicinal plants were mostly used to cure skin diseases, poison bites, stomachache and nervous disorders. In this study the most dominant family was Euphorbiaceae and leaves were most frequently used for the treatment of diseases. This study showed that many people in the studied parts of Kancheepuram district still continue to depend on medicinal plants at least for the treatment of primary healthcare. The traditional healers are dwindling in number and there is a grave danger of traditional knowledge disappearing soon since the younger generation is not interested to carry on this tradition.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Abu-Rabia A: Urinary diseases and ethnobotany among pastoral nomads in the Middle East. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2005., 1:4: [http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/1/14]

Pei SJ: Ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicine srudies: Some experiences from Asia. Pharmaceutical Biology 2001, 39: 74-79.

Lev E: Ethno-diversity within current ethno-pharmacology as part of Israeli traditional medicine – A review. Journal of Ethnobiology and ethnomedicine 2006., 2:4: [http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/2/1/4]

Gazzaneo LR, Paiva de Lucena RF, Paulino de Albuquerque U: Knowledge and use of medicinal plants by local specialists in an region of Atlantic Forest in the state of Pernambuco (Northeastern Brazil). Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2005., 1:9: [http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/1/1/9]

Al-Qura'n S: Ethnobotanical survey of folk toxic plants in southern part of Jordan. Toxicon 2005, 46: 119-126. 10.1016/j.toxicon.2005.04.010

Hanazaki N, Tamashiro JY, Leitao-Filho H, Gegossi A: Diversity of plant uses in two Caicaras communities from the Atlantic forest coast, Brazil. Biodiversity ands Conservation 2000, 9: 597-615. 10.1023/A:1008920301824

Rossato SC, Leitao-Filho H, Gegossi A: Ethnobotany of Caicaras of the Atlantic forest coast (Brazil). Economic botany 1999, 53: 387-395.

Azaizeh H, Fulder S, Khalil K, Said O: Ethnomedicinal knowledge of local Arab practitioners in the Middle East Region. Fitoterapia 2003, 74: 98-108. 10.1016/S0367-326X(02)00285-X

Khan AU: History of decline and present status of natural tropical thorn forest in Punjab. Pakistan Biological Conservation 2002, 63: 210-250.

Diallo D, Hveem B, Mahmoud MA, Berge G, Paulsen BS, Maiga A: An ethnobotanical survey of herbal drugs of Gourma district, Mali. Pharmaceutical Biology 1999, 37: 80-91.

Principe P: Monetising the pharmacological benefits of plants. US Environmental protection Agency, Washington, D.C.; 1991.

Busia K: Medical provision in Africa – Past and present. Phytotherapy Research 2005, 19: 919-923. 10.1002/ptr.1775

Jain SK: Dictionary of Indian Folk Medicine and Ethnobotany. Deep publications, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi.; 1991.

Saikia AP, Ryakala VK, Sharma P, Goswami P, Bora U: Ethnobotany of medicinal plants used by Assamese people for various skin ailments and cosmetics. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006.

Chhetri DR, Parajuli P, Subba GC: Antidiabetic plants used by Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayan tribes, India. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2005, 99: 199-202. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.01.058

Harsha VH, Hebbar SS, Hegde GR, Shripathi V: Ethnomedical knowledge of plants used by Kunabi Tribe of Karnataka in India. Fitoterapia 2002, 73: 281-287. 10.1016/S0367-326X(02)00078-3

Natarajan B, Paulsen BS: An ethnopharmacological study from Thane district, Maharashtra, India: Traditional knowledge compared with modern biological science. Pharmaceutical Biology 2000, 38: 139-151.

Maruthi KR, Krishna V, Manjunatha BK, Nagaraja VP: Traditional medicinal plants of Davanagere district, Karnataka with reference to cure skin diseases. Environment and Ecology 2000, 18: 441-446.

Samvatsar S, Diwanji VB: Plant sources for the treatment of jaundice in the tribals of Western Madhya Pradesh of India. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2000, 73: 313-316. 10.1016/S0378-8741(00)00274-9

Kala CP: Ethnomedicinal botany of the Apatani in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. Journal Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2005., 1:11: [http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/1/1/11]

Hebbar SS, Harsha VH, Shripathi V, Hegde GR: Ethnomedicine of Dharwad district in Karnataka, India–plants used in oral health care. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2004, 94: 261-266. 10.1016/j.jep.2004.04.021

Viswanathan MB: Ethnobotany of Malayalis in the Yelagiri hills of Vellore district, Tamil Nadu. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 1989, 13: 667-671.

Viswanathan MB: Ethnobotany of Malayalis in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, India. Ethnobotany 1997, 9: 77-79.

Dwarakan P, Ansari AA: Ethnobotanical notes of Valikadupatti and surroundings of Kollimalais of Salem district, Tamil Nadu. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany Additional Series 1992, 10: 495-499.

Ramachandran VS, Nair NC: Ethnobotanical observations on Irulars of Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 1981, 2: 183-190.

Annamalai R: Tamil Nadu biodiversity strategy and action plan – Forest Biodiversity. Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Government of India, Chennai 2004.

Gateway to Kancheepuram District[http://www.kanchi.nic.in/profile.htm]

Jain SK: The role of botanist in folklore research. Folklore 1964, 5: 145-150.

Jain SK, Rao RR: A handbook of field and herbarium methods. Today and tomorrow printers and publishers. New Delhi; 1976.

Gamble JS: The Flora of the Presidency of Madras. Adlard & son, LTD, London 1935.

Matthew KM: The Flora of the Tamil Nadu Carnatic. The Rapinat Herbarium, St Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, India;; 1983.

Chah KF, Eze CA, Emuelosi CE, Esimone CO: Antibacterial and wound healing properties of methanolic extracts of some Nigerian medicinal plants. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006, 104: 164-167. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.070

Ayyanar M, Ignacimuthu S: Traditional Knowledge of Kani tribals in Kouthalai of Tirunelveli hills, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2005, 102: 246-255. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.06.020

Harsha VH, Hebbar SS, Shripathi V, Hegde GR: Ethnomedicobotany of Uttara Kannada District in Karnataka, India--plants in treatment of skin diseases. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2003, 84: 37-40. 10.1016/S0378-8741(02)00261-1

Ghorbani A: Studies on pharmaceutical ethnobotany in the region of Turkmen Sahra, north of Iran (Part 1): general results. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2005, 102: 58-68. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.05.035

Coon JT, Ernst E: Andrographis paniculata in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections: a systematic review of safety and efficacy. Planta Medica 2004, 70: 293-298. 10.1055/s-2004-818938

Ignacimuthu S, Ayyanar M, Sankarasivaraman K: Ethnobotanical investigations among tribes in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2006., 2:25: [http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/2/25]

Estomba D, Ladio A, Lozada M: Medicinal wild plant knowledge and gathering patterns in a Mapuche community from North-western Patagonia. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006, 103: 109-119. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.07.015

Tapsoba H, Deschamps JP: Use of medicinal plants for the treatment of oral diseases in Burkina Faso. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2006, 104: 68-78. 10.1016/j.jep.2005.08.047

Sandhya B, Thomas S, Isabel W, Shenbagarathai R: Ethnomedicinal plants used by the valaiyan community of Piranmalai hills (Reserved forest), Tamil Nadu, India – A pilot study. African journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines 2006, 3: 101-114.

Ayyanar M, Ignacimuthu S: Ethnomedicinal plants used by the tribals of Tirunelveli hills to treat poisonous bites and skin diseases Indian. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 2005, 4: 229-236.

Ganesan S, Suresh N, Kesavan L: Ethnomedicinal survey of lower Palni Hills of Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 2004, 3: 299-304.

Ignacimuthu S, SankaraSivaraman K, Kesavan L: Medico-ethnobotanical survey among Kanikar tribals of Mundanthurai Sanctuary. Fitoterapia 1998, 69: 409-414.

Rajan S, Sethuraman M, Mukherjee PK: Ethnobiology of the Nilgiri Hills, India. Phytotherapy – Research 2002, 16: 98-116. 10.1002/ptr.1098

Udayan PS, Sateesh G, Thushar KV, Indira B: Ethnomedicine of Chellipale community of Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 2005, 4: 437-442.

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Thông tin tác giả