Abstract

The present paper aimed to document traditional herbal drugs in the treatment of human and veterinary ailments by the tribal communities residing in Vythiri taluk of Wayanad district, Kerala in India. An ethno-medico-botanical survey was carried out in 6 randomly selected panchayaths of Vythiri taluk of Wayanad district, Kerala investigating the tribal healing systems and herbal treatments used for various ailments. Semi structured questionnaires were used for data collection. A total of 67 medicinal preparations involving 67 species belonging to 44 families, used by the Kurichia, Kuruma, Adiyan, Kattunaika and Paniya tribes to treat 33 human and 7 veterinary ailments were documented. Among these, the use of dried powdered corm of Amorphophallus paeoniifolius and the leaf powder ofMemecylon umbellatum as an antidiabetic drug and the whole plant of Hydrocotyle javanica for the treatment of fits and asthma are noteworthy. The plants used for the same disease is distinct from one tribe to another of the same locality. The documentation of this information will be vital in future for sustainable utilization and conservation.

Key words: Ethno botany, Kerala, traditional healers, tribes, Wayanad.