Folk Herbal Practices Among Toda Tribe of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Objectives: To examine ethno-medicobotany of Toda tribe in the Nilgiri hills of South India. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical field survey and personal discussion methods have been made use of in the collection of data. Results and discussion: A list of 32 botanicals (30 dicots and 2 monocots) plants belonging to 31 genera, 29 families and 32 species are employed for therapeutic purposes by the Toda tribe of Nilgiri hills, South India. The Parmelia caperata a type of moss paste is applied to wounds caused by animal bites for healing. In analyzing ethno-medicobotanical information, we present here data on various ethnomedicinal claims and method of applications to treat a host of ailments are underlined here. A short description of plants, their habitat, family and local names are also summarized here.