Traditional uses of medicinal plants among the tribal people in Theni District (Western Ghats), Southern India

Article history: Objective: To identify the knowledgeable Paliyar and Muthuvar traditional healers in Theni District of Tamil Nadu, Southern India and to explore their indigenous ethnomedicinal knowledge. Methods: With the help of standardized questionnaires, 12 informants were interviewed on the medicinal use of the local flora in various tribal villages of Theni District, Tamil Nadu during August 2008 to July 2009. Results: A total of 86 plant species belonging to 75 genera and 45 families were reported with ethnomedicinal uses. In terms of the number of medicinal plant species, Acanthaceae (6 genera and 7 species, 8% of total collected plants) and Cucurbitaceae (5 species) are dominant families. Among the different plant parts used for the preparation of medicine, the leaves were most frequently used for the treatment of diseases. Conclusions: The use of plants among the Paliyars and Muthuvars reflects their interest in ethnomedicine and further investigation on these species may lead to the discovery of novel bioactive molecules.