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

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.

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“…Daun kering digunakan untuk mengusir serangga. Zat aktif dari daun digunakan untuk mengusir dingin, batuk, diare, dispepsia, perut kembung, gonoroe, dan kusta (Muthu, Ayyanar, Raja, & Ignacimuthu, 2006). Bunga malapari digunakan untuk mengobati diabetes, akar untuk membersihkan gusi, gigi, bisul dan kulit kayu untuk pendarahan yang menggumpal.…”

Herbal medicines used by Bapedi traditional healers to treat reproductive ailments in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…The reasons being their close proximity (Muthu et al, 2006), the high cost of western pharmaceuticals and health care, and because traditional medicines are more acceptable from a cultural and spiritual perspective (Cunningham, 1988). According to King and Homsy (1997), traditional healers provide client-centred, personalized health care that is culturally appropriate and tailored to meet the needs and expectations of the client by paying special attention to the social and spiritual concerns of the client.…”

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“…13 The decoction of leaves of Catharanthus roseus were used to treat diabetes mellitus (In the Kancheepuram, a District of Tamil Nadu, India). 14 …”