Assessment of traditional ethnomedicinal plants species in Coimbatore region – a short review

Abstract

Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been widely employed worldwide to treat medical conditions in humans. Knowledge of ethnobotany can provide a great deal of information about plants and their traditional uses. This study discusses the ethnobotanical survey of plants undertaken in the Coimbatore district. For this study, information on plants was gathered, including their scientific name, family name, habit, parts used and medicinal characteristics. 402 plant species from 93 families and 282 genera were studied during the review. Euphorbiaceae and Fabaceae are the families with the most species, each having twenty. Asclepdiaceae is next with seventeen species, followed by Poaceae and Leguminaceae with sixteen each, Asteraceae with fourteen species and Rubiaceae with thirteen species. With 140 species, herbs constitute the largest portion of the habit, followed by shrubs (111 species), trees (98 species) and climbers (50 species), in that order. For sustainable development, it is crucial to record traditional knowledge. It also makes it easier for researchers to obtain plant samples for additional study. Adopting appropriate conservation tactics, including managed grazing and community replanting, can support the long-term usage of medicinal plants.