An ethnopharmacological analysis of medicinal plants used by the Adiyan community in Wayanad district of Kerala, India

Introduction: Medicinal plants have been used to treat various ailments since ancient times, as a result ethnobotanical investigations have a major role in pharmacological studies. The present study was conducted among the ethnic population known as the 'Adiyans', located in one of the little explored rich biodiversity areas in the Western Ghats. The aim was to collect and document information on the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants. Methods: The field survey was carried out during August 2015 to July 2016 among the Adiyan people in Chandanatodu, Thavihal and Thirunelly villages of the Wayanad district located in Kerala, India. Ethnomedicinal information was obtained through interviews/discussions and the collected data were analyzed using the informant consensus factor (Fic). Results: Folk medicines practiced by indigenous people in the study area are used for their primary healthcare needs. The data gathered exemplified the knowledge of people using folk medicinal practices. Most of the documented claims used by Adiyans in the present study have not been shown in previous research in the nearby regions of Kerala, India and across the globe. Conclusion: Finding further evidence for medicinal claims used by the indigenous community in this study highlights the need for scientific research to support documented folk use. Of the documented ethnomedicinal plants, Caesalpinia mimosoides, Desmodium triflorum, Elaeocarpus tuberculatus, E. serratus, Hydnocarpus macrocarpa, Pterospermum reticulatum, P. rubiginosum and Zizyphus nummularia have been poorly studied in vitro and in vivo models. It is important to validate their usage in terms of pharmacological activity.