Traditional Medicine among the Palliyars of Palani Hills, Western Ghats, India

Abstract

From the advent of humankind, plants have been employed in traditional medicine for several thousand years. An ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to gather information from Palliyars on the use of medicinal plants in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. The indigenous knowledge of local traditional healers and the native plants used for the medicinal purposes were collected through questionnaire and personal interviews. A total of 48 plant species belonging to 39 families were used to treat various ailments. The information gathered from the Palliyars were arranged by ailments followed by plant botanical name as well as local names along with family, parts used, method of preparation of medicine, dosage, and ingredients were documented in study area. The phyto-ethno-restorative overview of Palni hills gives significant benchmark information of therapeutic plants in the region for future protection perspectives.