Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Karayar tribal village, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India

M. Priyadharshana 1, V. Smitha 2, P. Sheela 2 and V. Vadivel 2, *

1 Department of Botany, The Standard Firework Rajaratnam College for Women (Autonomous), Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India.
2 Department of Botany, V. O. Chidambaram College, Thoothukudi – 628 008, Tamil Nadu, India.
 
Research Article
Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 10(01), 038–045
Article DOI: 10.30574/msarr.2024.10.1.0175
Publication history: 
Received on 16 November 2023; revised on 05 January 2024; accepted on 08 January 2024​
 
Abstract: 
This research aims to document and evaluate the traditional medical practices and the use of ethnomedicinal plants by the Kani tribal healers living in Karayar, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, India. The study documented 67 plant species from 59 genera and 35 families. Sixty-seven medicinal plants are used to treat thirty-one ailments, with the most common use of plants being for the treatment of cough (7 plants). Fabaceae has the highest number of species (10 species). The leaves of 23 species are used for medicinal purposes. This documentation can be valuable for pharmacologists, foresters, conservationists, researchers, and those interested in herbal medicine.
 
Keywords: 
Kani tribe; Ethnomedicinal plants; Tribal healers; Herbal medicine
 
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