Ethnnomedicinal Plants of Gopalswamy Hills, Western Ghats, Coimbatore District, Tamilnadu

Author(s): Sathishkumar and Anbarasu

This study was conducted in Gopalswamy hills in the Western part of Southern forest division in the Coimbatore district of the state of Tamil Nadu. This study reveals the important herbaceous ethnomedicinal plants of Gopalswamy hills. A total of 100 species belonging to 42 families and 92 genera’s of plants were recorded as highly useful medicines for local tribal people to cure the various diseases in Gopalswamy hills. Among the families Rubiaceae, Poaceae (9 species in each) were found to be dominant plant families followed by Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae (6 species in each) and Acanthaceae, Malvaceae (5 species in each). Some of the ethnomedicinal plants were used for Diabetes, Skin diseases, Eye diseases, Antisyphitic, Cough and Diarrhoea and they are also very popular with the antidotes for snake bite. This kind of medicinal plant should be conserve in our study area for welfare of our future generation.