Table 1.
Ethnomedicinal plant species, plant parts used and ailments cured by the Paliyar tribes in Madurai District of Tamil Nadu, India
| Therapeutic indication and associated plants | Local Name | Family | Parts used and Ethnomedicinal preparation |
| Asthma | |||
| Solanum trilobatum L. | Thoodhuvalai | Solanaceae | Juice of leaves is taken orally for seven days. |
| Adhatoda zeylanica Medicus. | Adathodai | Acanthaceae | Leaf paste is taken orally. |
| Cold | |||
| Adhatoda zeylanica Medicus. | Adathodai | Acanthaceae | Leaf powder is mixed with water and taken orally in the morning. |
| Boswellia serrata Roxb. Ex Colebr. | Kungiliyam | Burseraceae | Powdered resin is sprayed on burning charcoal & the smoke is inhaled. |
| Plectranthus coleoides Benth. | Omavalli chedi | Lamiaceae | Juice of leaves is taken internally. |
| Solanum trilobatum L. | Thoodhuvalai | Solanaceae | Juice of leaves is taken orally for seven days early morning until cure. |
| Terminalia chebula Retz. | Kadukkai maram | Combretaceae | Powdered fruit is mixed with water or cow's or goat's milk and taken internally. |
| Vitex negundo L. | Notchi | Verbenaceae | Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled twice a day. |
| Cough | |||
| Adhatoda zeylanica Medicus. | Adathodai | Acanthaceae | Leaf powder is mixed with water and taken orally in the morning. |
| Terminalia chebula Retz. | Kadukkai maram | Combretaceae | Powdered fruit is mixed with the water or cow's or goat's milk and taken internally. |
| Vitex negundo L. | Notchi | Verbenaceae | Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled twice a day. |
| Diabetes | |||
| Andrographis lineata Wallich ex Nees. | Siriyanangai | Acanthaceae | Leaf powder is mixed with cow's or goat's milk and taken orally. |
| Costus speciosus (J. Koen.) Smith. | Koshtam | Zingiberaceae | Powdered leaves are taken internally with cow's milk. |
| Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. ex Roem. & Schult. | Sirukurinjan | Asclepiadaceae | Powdered leaves are mixed with cow's milk and boiled rice, kept over night and taken internally twice a day. |
| Diarrhoea | |||
| Cipadessa baccifera (Roth.) Miq. | Pulippan chedi | Meliaceae | Paste of leaves is mixed with the cup of water or milk and taken orally. |
| Dysentery | |||
| Acalypha fruticosa Forsskal. | Chinni chedi | Euphorbiaceae | Decoction of leaves taken orally. |
| Eye infections | |||
| Alangium salvifolium (L.f.) Wangerin. | Alinji | Alangiaceae | One or two drops of fruit juice is poured in the eyes. |
| Fever | |||
| Adhatoda zeylanica Medicus. | Adathodai | Acanthaceae | Leaf decoction is taken internally twice a day until cure. |
| Hemidesmus indicus H.f. | Nannari | Asclepiadaceae | Decoction of whole plant is taken internally. |
| Terminalia chebula Retz. | Kadukkai maram | Combretaceae | Powdered fruit is mixed with the water or cow's or goat's milk and taken internally. |
| Vitex negundo L. | Notchi | Verbenaceae | Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled twice a day. |
| Headache | |||
| Ceropegia candelabrum L. | Perun kodi | Asclepiadaceae | Paste of leaves is applied on forehead. |
| Pergularia daemia (Fors.) Chiov. | Veli parutthi | Asclepiadaceae | Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled. |
| Vitex negundo L. | Notchi | Verbenaceae | Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled twice a day. |
| Heel cracks | |||
| Asparagus racemosus Willd. | Thanneer vittan kilangu | Liliaceae | Paste of tender and mature leaves is applied topically on the heels before going to bed. |
| Drymaria cordata (L.) Roem. & Schult. | Kodi charai | Caryophyllaceae | Paste of leaves is applied over the heels before going to bed regularly till cure. |
| Rubia cordifolia L. | Kalutharupan chedi | Rubiaceae | Root paste is applied topically on heel before going to bed. |
| Jaundice | |||
| Centella asiatica (L.) Urban. | Vallarai | Umbelliferae | Juice of leaf is mixed with equal amount of goat's milk and taken orally for seven days. |
| Menorrhagia | |||
| Hemidesmus indicus H.f. | Nannari | Asclepiadaceae | Paste of root is mixed with water or cow's milk and taken internally twice a day. |
| Nervous disorders | |||
| Bischofia javanica Blume. | Romaviruksha pattai | Bischofiaceae | Paste of stem bark is applied externally on the affected parts. |
| Blepharis maderaspatensis (L.) Roth. | Vettukaaya pachilai | Acanthaceae | Leaf paste is mixed with the powdered black gram, crushed onion and white yolk of one egg and the mixture is applied topically over the fractured bones. |
| Euphorbia antiquorum L. | Sathura kalli | Euphorbiaceae | Stem latex is applied topically on skin to get relief from body pain. |
| Gymnema sylvestre (Retz.) R. Br. ex Roem. & Schult. | Sirukurinjan | Asclepiadaceae | Paste of leaves is applied externally. |
| Phlebophyllus kunthianum Nees. | Kurinji chedi | Acanthaceae | Fresh leaves and bark are heated with gingelly oil and applied externally on affected part of the body. |
| Piles | |||
| Gmelina arborea Roxb. | Perungilai/Kumilamaram | Verbenaceae | Juice of root bark is taken internally. |
| Pimples | |||
| Acalypha paniculata Miq. | Paruva thazhai | Euphorbiaceae | Leaf paste is applied over pimples regularly once a day until cure. |
| Poison bites | |||
| Andrographis lineata Wallich ex Nees. | Siriyanangai | Acanthaceae | Paste of leaves is applied externally on bitten site of scorpion and snake. |
| Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees. | Periyanangai or Nilavembu | Acanthaceae | Paste of leaves is applied externally on bitten site of scorpion sting and snakebites. |
| Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merr. | Nangilai | Asclepiadaceae | Paste of leaf and root is mixed with equal amount of root paste of Rauvolfia serpentina and applied externally on the spot of snakebite. Leaf juice alone is also taken internally to cure snakebite. |
| Skin diseases | |||
| Acalypha fruticosa Forsskal. | Chinni chedi | Euphorbiaceae | Leaf and root paste is applied topically on the affected places. |
| Anisochilus carnosus (L.f.) Wallich. | Saetthupun thazhai | Lamiaceae | Paste of leaves is applied over the affected places. |
| Balanophora fungosa Fors and Fors. var. indica. | Vaer chedi | Balanophoraceae | Paste of the whole plant is applied over the infected part of the skin. |
| Clematis gouriana Roxb. Ex. DC. | Attumeesai chedi | Ranunculaceae | Paste of leaves is applied topically on affected part of the skin. |
| Excoecaria crenulata L. | Vellai thillai | Euphorbiaceae | Paste of the stem is applied on the affected part of the skin. |
| Lobelia heyneana Roem. & Schult. | Upperi chedi | Lobeliaceae | Leaves and flowers are mixed with water and the paste is applied on skin till cure. |
| Mahonia leschenaultii (Wight & Arn.) Tak. ex Gamble | Mullu kadambu | Berberidaceae | Powdered stem bark is boiled with gingelly oil and applied over the body before bath. |
| Stomachache | |||
| Acalypha paniculata Miq. | Paruva thazhai | Euphorbiaceae | Juice of leaves is taken orally. |
| Dioscorea oppositifolia L. var. tomentosa. | Nurulai/Valli kilangu | Dioscoreaceae | Paste of rhizome is taken internally. |
| Elatteria cardamomum (L.) Maton. | Yelakkai | Zingiberaceae | Dried fruits are taken internally with food. |
| Hemidesmus indicus H.f. | Nannari | Asclepiadaceae | Fresh leaves are taken internally. |
| Plumbago zeylanica L. | Chitthira moolam | Plumbaginaceae | Powdered root is mixed with goat's milk and taken internally. |
| Solanum nigrum L. | Mana thakkali | Solanaceae | Fresh leaves are cooked with onion bulbs and cumin seeds and taken along with food regularly. |
| Terminalia chebula Retz. | Kadukkai maram | Combretaceae | Powdered fruit is mixed with water or cow's or goat's milk and taken internally. |
| Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. | Kindu mullu | Rutaceae | Decoction of leaves is given internally. |
| Throat infection | |||
| Acorus calamus L. | Vasambu | Araceae | Dried rhizome is rubbed on stone with water and one or two drops of watery paste are given orally to the children for clarity of speech. Increased dosage will affect speech. |
| Piper nigrum L. | Milagu | Piperaceae | The dried seeds are taken orally. |
| To increase lactation | |||
| Alstonia scholaris (L.) R.Br. | Paalooram pattai | Apocynaceae | Powdered stem is mixed with water and given orally to the mother. |
| To increase resistance power | |||
| Alpinia calcarata Rosc. | Arathi poo | Zingiberaceae | Dried rhizome is mixed with water and two drops of juice are given orally to children. |
| To induce fertility | |||
| Carmona retusa (Vahl) Masam. | Kurangu vetthilai | Boraginaceae | Juice of leaves is taken internally for three to four months. |
| Toothache | |||
| Solanum erianthum D.Don | Malai sundai | Solanaceae | The ripened or unripened fruits are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled once or twice a week through mouth. |
| Solanum surattrense Burm. f. | Kandankathiri | Solanaceae | Fresh or dried fruits are kept in fire and the smoke is inhaled with mouth. |
| Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam. | Kindu mullu | Rutaceae | Powder of root and stem bark is used as tooth powder. |
| To reduce delivery time pain | |||
| Plectranthus coleoides Benth. | Mudupattan or Omavalli chedi | Lamiaceae | Leaf juice is taken internally by pregnant women. |
| Pterolobium hexapetalum (Roth.) Sant. & Wagh. | Kari indu | Caesalpiniaceae | Decoction of leaves is taken internally by pregnant women. |
| To stimulate appetite | |||
| Asystasia gangetica (L.) T. Anderson. | Valukai keerai | Acanthaceae | Fresh leaves are cooked with cumin seeds and onion bulbs and taken orally with food. |
| To stimulate Hair growth | |||
| Bischofia javanica Blume. | Romaviruksha pattai | Bischofiaceae | Stem bark is mixed with coconut oil and applied over head. |
| Plectranthus coleoides Benth. | Omavalli chedi | Lamiaceae | Juice of leaves is boiled with coconut oil and applied on head. |
| Sida acuta Burm. f. | Pilla valatthi chedi. | Malvaceae | Paste of leaves is mixed with coconut oil and applied on head regularly for killing dandruffs and also for strengthening hair. |
| To stupefy fish | |||
| Catunaregum spinosa (Thun.) Tiruvengadam | Karangai maram | Rubiaceae | Crushed unripe fruits are used. |
| Sapindus emarginata Vahl. | Poondi kottai | Sapindaceae | Unripe fruits are crushed and thrown on the running and stagnant water. |
| Menstrual disorders | |||
| Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Wall. ex Nees. | Periyanangai or Nilavembu | Acanthaceae | Leaf juice is taken orally during menstruation to prevent excessive bleeding. |
| Wounds | |||
| Acacia caesia (L.) Willd. | Nanjupattai | Mimosaceae | Bark is ground with water and applied topically over the affected part. |
| Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd. | Sarayapattai maram | Mimosaceae | Paste of fresh bark is applied topically on cuttings until cure. |
| Anisomeles malabarica (L.) R. Br. Ex. Sims. | Paei miratti | Lamiaceae | Paste of stem is mixed with coconut oil and applied over the affected places. |
| Blepharis maderaspatensis (L.) Roth. | Vettukaaya pachilai | Acanthaceae | Paste of leaves is mixed with limejuice and applied on cuts. |
| Clausena dentata (Willd.) Roem. | Anai thazhai | Rutaceae | Paste of leaves is applied over the affected parts. |
| Cryptolepis buchananii Roem & Schul. | Paalkodi/Karunkodi | Asclepiadaceae | Stem latex (5 – 10 drops) is applied on the affected places. |
| Plectranthus coleoides Benth. | Omavalli chedi | Lamiaceae | Paste of leaves is applied over wounds till cure. |
| Solanum nigrum L. | Mana thakkali | Solanaceae | Fresh leaf paste is applied externally on cuts. |
| Sonchus oleraceus L. | Kaalaadi pachilai | Asteraceae | Leaves are ground with the equal amount of leaves of Smilax zeylanica and applied externally on the cuts once a day till cure. |