Table 1

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.

Ignacimuthu et al. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2006 2:25 doi:10.1186/1746-4269-2-25