Ethno-veterinary Survey of Medicinal Plants in Kovilpatti Taluk, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu, India

Siva et al.,

Ethno veterinary medicinal plants | Folk medicine

Vol: 2; Iss: 9; Sep 16 | ISSN: 2454-5422

The present documentation study constitutes an important contribution to the knowledge of biological resources used in ethnoveterinary practices (EVPs) in Kovilpatti Taluk, Tuticorin district, Southern Tamil Nadu, India, a territory with clear cut information on the subject. Field work was conducted from 2013 -2014 and 18 informants between the ages of 25 to 78 were interviewed. First, detailed unstructured interviews and group discussions were done with key informants and second, successive oral free listing and semi-structured interviews were performed. The veterinary diseases as described by the informants were categorized according to the symptoms they cause and the organs they affect. A total of 24 plant species from 23 genera of 18 families were found to cure 14 common ailments of milk yielding animals. EVPs in southern Tamil Nadu involve a high number of species and conditions are strongly linked to folk tradition. Unfortunately, some evidence of their slow disappearance has been found. Hence we have to prevent the priceless medicine in the field of fold medicines.