Investigation into Ethnomedicinal Plants in the Karur District of Tamil Nadu, Southern India

The present study investigates the use of plants in traditional herbal medicine for treating diverse human ailments among local communities in Karur district.It aims to evaluate the consistency of knowledge among informants concerning medicinal plants suitable for various ailment categories and identify the most commonly used plant species for each category within the study area.Field research conducted between May 2014 and March 2015 involved documenting ethnomedicinal practices through interviews with local traditional healers, utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire to collect information on plant names, parts used, preparation methods, and other ingredients.Analysis using factors like Informant Consensus, Use Value, Fidelity Level, Relative Importance, and Novelty Index revealed a total of 65 medicinal plant species from 60 genera across 34 families, with herbs being the most common (46%), followed by trees and shrubs (21.5%).Leaves were the primary plant part used (69%), with paste being the prevalent method of preparation.These plants were employed to treat ailments categorized under 17 disease categories, with gastrointestinal ailments having the highest number of species used (22).Notably, Boerhaavia diffusa, Citrullus colocynthis, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Cocculus hirsutus, and Corallocarpus epigaeus were identified as the most frequently used medicinal plant species in the study area, indicating their popularity among local communities.