Abstract BACKGROUND: Documentation of traditional knowledge is essential as it can contribute in healthcare management for bio-prospecting novel phytochemical compounds. Plant-based traditional medicinal practices are widespread among indigenous people of the Punajur forest area as they inhabit in floral diversity-rich area. The study was designed to document the local profile of the traditional medicinal plants used by native inhabitants and to verify the frequency of plant usage in treating various ailments. METHODS: Field visits were carried out from October 2022 to November 2023 to collect the data through one-to-one interviews, group discussions, and conversations with respondents using semi-structured questionnaires. Snowball sampling approach was employed to document the medicinal knowledge of respondents. Use values (UV), informant consensus factor (F ic ), and fidelity level (FL) were analyzed. RESULTS: The study revealed 106 plant species belonging to 50 families and 94 genera. Fabaceae was found to be the dominant family with 12 species, and leaves (45.68%) were frequently used plant part in formulations. Aloe vera holds the highest UV among reported plants. Dermatological ailments had the highest use reports of 102, liver ailments had high F ic value (0.81), and 100% FL was reported for 14 species. CONCLUSION: The present study serves as a valuable document emphasizing the importance of local medicinal plants. Most of the plants are endemic to the study area and may serve as a store-house for bio-prospecting bioactive compounds for human welfare. Furthermore, pharmacological validation of species with high UV and FL could contribute finding novel bioactive compounds for various human ailments.
Mahadevaswamy et al. (Sat,) studied this question.