Common and Cultivated Medicinal Plants and their Utilization by Villagers in Southern Districts of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Medicinal plant survey was carried out in remote villages of Madurai, Dindigul and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu, India. The study revealed that there are many plant species traditionally used by the villagers. Among these, 59 species of 53 genera from 28 families of medicinally important plants were identified and their uses were described in this article. Among the species Azadirachta indica, Cardiospermum halicacabum, Erythrina indica, Gloriosa superba, Jatropha curcas, Moringa oleifera, Phyllanthus amarus, Sesbania grandiflora, Tamarindus indica, Tridax procumbens and Vitex negundo are off the used medicinal plants in their day-to-day life, while Aloe vera, Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, Emblica officinalis, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Gloriosa superba, Moringa oleifera, Ricinus communis, Sesamum indicum, Sesbania grandiflora, Solanum americanum, Tamarindus indica and Zingiber officinale are commonly being cultivated by the farmers in the area.