SURVEY OF ETHNO MEDICINAL PLANTS, NILGIRI BIOSPHERE NATURE PARK AT THUVAIPATHY, ANAIKATTI, COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Abstract

An ethno medicinal Survey was conducted to collect information about medicinal plants used by Thuvaipathy tribal village people located in the forest area. About 180 medicinal plants are used in various health problems; Majority of the plant parts are stem, bark and leaves. The most representative families were Caesalpinaceae and Moraceae with 13 species each, Euphorbiaceae, and Mimosaceae with 9 species, Sapindaceae and Bignnoniaceae with 8 species each and Annonaceae and Apocynaceae with 6 species. The other families had 5 and below 5 species each associated with the treatment of the reports. The plants were found to be used in different forms such as juice, extracts, paste, powder, infusion. These ethno medicinal plants were used to treat ailments like cold, cough, headache, stomachache, dysentery, skin disease, poison bites, cut and wounds and diabetes.