CONVENTIONAL PRACTICES FOR GYNECOLOGICAL WELFARE AMONG INDIGENOUS IRULAR CLANS OF TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

Ethnobotanical knowledge serves as a vital reservoir of culturally rooted health practices, especially among indigenous communities. This investigation explores the medicinal plant usage for gynecological disorders among the Irular tribal population of Anaikatty, Maruthamalai and Theethipalayam areas of Tamil Nadu. A total of 50 informants, primarily above the age of 50, were interviewed using semi-structured methods. The study recorded 31 medicinal plant species belonging to 24 families, predominantly sourced from forest ecosystems, indicating strong ecological dependence. The families Lamiaceae and Fabaceae were most frequently represented. Herbs were the dominant life form (15 species), and leaves were the most commonly used plant part. Decoction emerged as the principal preparation method. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices were calculated to assess the cultural importance of each plant. The informant consensus factor values ranged from 0.55 to 0.85, with Achyranthes aspera L. scoring the highest, indicating substantial agreement on its use for menstrual disorders. Relative frequency of citation values varied from 0.12 to 0.50, while use value ranged between 0.10 and 0.82. The findings reflect a well-preserved traditional pharmacopoeia, despite generational gaps in knowledge transmission. Rapid expansion of the economy, meanwhile, poses an urgent risk to traditional medicinal knowledge and medicinal plant species for numerous reasons. Therefore, it is essential to establish regulations and protocols to safeguard plant wealth and ancient traditions linked to them.