Ethnomedicinal Knowledge among the Local Communities in the Kodaikanal Foothills of the Southern Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, India

India has a rich history of traditional medicine, including Ayurveda, Siddha, and Folk medicines. The Folk system, although not extensively documented, is widely practiced by native communities, with valuable knowledge passed down orally through generations. We carried out an ethnobotanical study from June 2022 to December 2023 in six settlements at the foothills of Kodaikanal, within the Devadanapatti block, an underexplored and biodiversity-rich region in the Western Ghats. The research sought to identify knowledgeable Paliyar tribes and traditional healers in the Kodaikanal foothills of Devadanapatti block in Theni District and document their ethnomedicinal knowledge through open and semi-structured face-to-face interviews. A comprehensive cataloging effort identified 113 plant species spanning 100 genera and 46 families, used for treating various ailments ranging from headaches and skin diseases to kidney stones and viral infections. The most represented families were Fabaceae, Apocynaceae, Amaranthaceae and Solanaceae. The traditional healers stated that the availability of several native medicinal plants, including Acorus calamus, Aegle marmelos, Albizia lebbeck, Phyla nodiflora, Sphagneticola calendulacea, Tabernaemontana divaricata and Thespesia populnea have declined over the years due to over-exploitation. The utilization of plants by local communities underscores their interest in herbal medicine. Further investigations into the pharmacological properties of previously unstudied species may lead to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds.