Abstract

Sacred groves serve as the conservation pockets of local biodiversity, medicinally and economically important plants for future uses. Ethnobotanically (Medicinal value), these areas remain unexplored and no comprehensive account on local traditional knowledge is available. In order to explore the medical values of the sacred groves an ethno-floristic survey in sacred groves was done to identify medicinal plants used by folklore and rural communities in Pudukottai District, Tamil Nadu. The Result revealed with a total of 89 species of medicinal plants belonging to 51 families. Fabaceae was dominant family with 5 species fallowed by Mimosaceae, Apocynaceae, Lamiaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Solanaceae families with 4 species each. Among these, 6 species are used to treat Eczema, 3 species to cure cut and wounds, 2 species to cure Hepatitis, 2 species are used in treatment of Jaundice and one species (Azadirachta indica) for curing mumps. Apart from these species, several other species are known to be used in various treatments like healing wounds, throat infection, diarrhea, itches, skin diseases, cure headache, stomach ulcer, tumor, ear-ache, eye pain, diabetes, colds and coughs in general. Scared groves remain unexplored and no comprehensive studies in ethno-botanical issues, so the conservation of medicinal plants diversity of these groves is therefore most important.

Key words: Ethno medicine, medical plants, folk medicine, sacred groves, indigenous knowledge, Pudukottai.