The International Journal Of Engineering And Science (IJES) ||Volume||2 ||Issue|| 5 ||Pages|| 55-61||2013|| ISSN(e): 2319 – 1813 ISSN(p): 2319 – 1805
Ethnomedicinal Investigation of Medicinal plants of Sovva panchayat, Dumbriguda Mandalam, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh. 1, 1, 2,
S. B. Padal, B. 2,Sandhyasri
Department of Botany, Mrs. A.V.N. College, Visakhapatnam. Department of Botany, Mrs. A.V.N. College, Visakhapatnam.
--------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------------An ethnomedicinal survey was conducted among the tribal community residing in Sovva panchayat, Dumbriguda Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh. Although the tribe is fast losing their traditional customs, their traditional medicinal practitioners still exist although the traditional medicinal wisdom of the Sovva tribes has not been previously documented. In the present ethnomedicinal survey, it was observed that sovva tribal traditional medicinal practitioners use medicinal plant parts for treatment of ailments. A total of 124 plants were used by the tribal healers in their medicinal formulations. These plant species were distributed into 43 families. Of the 124 plants the ailments treated with medicinal plants by the tribal healers were quite limited. A review of the available scientific literature suggests that many of the medicinal plants used by the tribals can be validated scientifically in their traditional uses based on reported pharmacological activities present in those plants. It would be of interest to examine the plants parts used by the tribal healers in a scientific manner towards discovery of useful drugs.
KEY WORDS: Ethnomedicinal investigation, medicinal plants, tribal people of sovva panchayat, dumbriguda Mandalam, Visakhapatnam district. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of submission: 25,April,2013 Date of publication:20.May,2013 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I.
INTRODUCTION
Traditional medicine is the sum total of all knowledge and practices whether explicable or not used in diagnosis, prevention and elimination of physical, mental or social imbalance and relying exclusively on practical experience and observation transferred by individuals from generation to generation. India is one of the world’s 12 mega diversity centers with 47000 plant species. About 600 to 700 species are in much use mostly by the tribal’s and rural populations and nearly 200 species are used medicinally and commercially on fairly large scale. The plants have degraded rigorously due to changing life perception and socioeconomic transformation on a global scale. Plants are diminishing at an alarming rate due to lack of organized and sustainable cultivation based on scientific data and lack of awareness of society influencing plant use. About 60% of the population of world and 80% of population in developing countries rely on traditional medicine and mostly plant drugs for their need of primary health care. An account of 70% of the population of India is dependent traditional plants based medicines. Biodiversity is the basis of human survival and their economic well being and constitutes the resources upon which families, communities, nations and future generation depends. The ethnic people of the districts are quite aware of the uses of the plant species having ethnobotanical values. Very few works have been reported on ethno-botanical uses of plant species found in coastal area. The current deforestation scenario which threatens the existence of medicinal plants encourages for conservation of plants in coastal area. Therefore, an attempt has been taken to document the ethnomedicinal plants and their indigenous knowledge prior to its extinction. Krishnamurthy (1958) published a paper on the tribal people of Rampa and Gudem agency of Godavari lowers Division, East Godavari district. Banerjee (1977) & Gupta et al. (1997) has reported the ethnobotany of Araku valley in Visakhapatnam district. T.A. Reddy (1980) note down some medicinal plants of Polavaram Agency, West Godavari district. Nisteswar & Kumar (1980, 1983) reported the phytomedicine from Rampa and Addateegala Agency, East Godavari district. Rao & Harasreeramulu (1985) described the selected medicinal plants of Srikakulam district. Sudhakar & Rao (1985) enlisted the medicinal plants of East Godavari while Aruneekumar et al. (1990) enumerated the medicinal plants of Kakinada. The medicinal plant wealth of Krishna district was described by Venkanna (1990). Hemadri (1991) made a note of the medicinal flora of Srikakulam district.
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