Abstract

Johnsy G.*, Beena S. and Kaviyarasan V.

Traditional uses of medicinal plants in healthcare practices are providing clues to new areas of research; hence their importance is now well recognized. However, information on the uses of indigenous plants for medicine is not well documented from many rural areas of Tamil Nadu including Kanyakumari District. The study aimed to look into the diversity of plant resources that are used by local people for curing diarrhea and dysentery. Questionnaire surveys, participatory observations and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various plants. It was found that 50 plants species are commonly used by the local people for curing diseases. In most of the cases (27.57%) leaves were used. The knowledge on the total number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by the interviewees was positively correlated with people’s age, indicating that this ancient knowledge tends to disappear in the younger generation.