Ethno Medicines of Kolli Hills | India

Ethno Medicines of Kolli Hills!

Plants have been used in traditional medicine for several thousand years. The knowledge of medicinal plants has been accumu­lated in the course of many centuries based on different medicinal systems such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.

In India, it is reported that tra­ditional healers use 2500 plant species and 100 species of plants serve as regular sources of med­icine. During the last few decades there has been an increasing interest in the study of medicinal plants and their traditional use in dif­ferent parts of the world.

Documenting the in­digenous knowledge through ethno botanical stud­ies is important for the conservation and utiliza­tion of biological resources. Today according to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 80% of the world’s people depend on tradi­tional medicine for their primary healthcare needs.

There are considerable economic benefits in the development of indigenous medicines and in the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of vari­ous diseases. Due to less communication means, poverty, ignorance and unavailability of modern health facilities, most people especially rural people are still forced to practice traditional medicines for their common day ailments.

Most of these people form the poor­est link in the trade of medicinal plants. A vast knowledge of how to use the plants against different illnesses may be expected to have accumulated in areas where the use of plants is still of great importance.

In the developed countries, 25 per cent of the medical drugs are based on plants and their de­rivatives.

A group of World Health Organization (WHO) experts, who met in Congo Brazzaville in 1976, sought to define traditional African medicine as the sum total of practices, measures, ingredients and procedures of all kinds whether material or not, which from time imme­morial has enabled the African to guard against diseases, to alleviate his/her suffering and to cure him/herself.

Traditional medical knowledge of medicinal plants and their use by indigenous cultures are not only useful for con­servation of cultural traditions and biodiversity but also for community healthcare and drug develop­ment in the present and future.

Ethno botany is not new to India because of its rich ethnic diversity. Jain printed out that there are over 400 different tribal and other ethnic groups in India. The tribals constitute about 7.5 per cent of India’s population.

During the last few decades there has been an increasing interest in the study of medicinal plants and their tradi­tional use in different parts of India and there are many reports on the use of plants in traditional healing by either tribal people or indigenous com­munities of India.

Apart from the tribal groups, many other forest dwellers and rural people also posses’ unique knowledge about plants.

There has been a resurgence in the consump­tion and demand for medicinal plants. These plants are finding use as pharmaceuticals, neutraceuticals, cosmetics and food supplements. Even as traditional source of medicines and they continue to play pivotal rule. Modern pharmaco­poeia contains at least 25% drugs derived from plants.

Many other are synthetic analogues built on prototype compounds isolated from plants. Demand for medicinal plant is increasing in both developing and developed countries due to grow­ing recognition of natural products, being non­toxic, having no side-effects, easily available at affordable prices.

Medicinal plant sector has tra­ditionally occupied an important position in the socio cultural, spiritual and medicinal arena of rural and tribal lives of Tamil Nadu. Millions of rural households use medicinal plants in a self-help mode. Over 20,000 practitioners of the Indi­an System of Medicine in the oral and codified streams use medicinal plants in preventive, pro­-motive and curative applications in Tamil Nadu.

There are estimated to be about 1000 manufac­turing units in Tamil Nadu. In recent years, the growing demand for herbal product has led to a quantum jump in volume of plant materials trad­ed within and across the countries. An estimate of the EXIM Bank puts the international market of medicinal plants related trade at US$ 60 billion per year growing at the rate of 7% only.

Though India has a rich biodiversity, the growing demand is putting a heavy strain on the existing resources. While the demand for medicinal plants is grow­ing, some of them are increasingly being threat­ened in their natural habitat. For meeting the fu­ture needs cultivation of medicinal plant has to be encouraged.

According to an all India ethno biological survey carried out by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, there are over 8000 species of plants being used by the people of India. Analysis of habits of me­dicinal plants indicates that they are distributed across various habitats. One third is trees and an equal portion shrub and the remaining one-third herbs, grasses and climbers.

A very small propor­tion of the medicinal plants are lower plants like lichens, ferns algae, etc. Majority of the medici­nal plant are higher flowering plants. The State of Tamil Nadu is endowed with a very rich flora. Due to the various physiographic features and physiognomic factors, different types of vegeta­tion exists in the state 1. Coastal vegetation; 2. Island vegetation; 3. Vegetation of hills and moun­tains comprising of;

(1) Dry deciduous forests

(2) Moist deciduous forests

(3) Semi-evergreen forests

(4) Wet evergreen forests

(5) Sholas (Southern montane wet temperate for­ests)

The altitude varies from sea level to 2637 m including the well-known mountain ranges—the Nilgiri, the Anamalais and the Cardamom hills which harbours different types of ecological nich­es, ecosystem and innumerable medicinal plants.

A few ethnic tribes like the Irular, Kaanikkara, Karumpar, Palliyan, Paniyar, Sholagar, Thodarand others dwell in these ecosystems and still depend on naturally occurring or cultivated from the state.

Out of this, it is found that 1474 are medicinal plants. A total number are found to be used in Siddha system of medicine which is commonly practiced throughout the state.

Tampcol has two medicinal farms, one in Chennai city at Arumbakkam and at Valavandinadu, Kolli hills, Namakkal district.

In Chennai farm six varieties of medicinal plants are cultivat­ed in five acres to meet the fresh herb require­ments for the production of herbal hair tonic, oth­er medicated oils and also supplied to pharmacy at Arignar Anna Govt. Hospital for Indian medi­cine and Homoeopathy, Chennai. Another 150 varieties of medicinal plants are maintained in the parts as reference material.

The farm is also visit­ed by the students of all systems of Indian Medi­cine. Leading practitioners of Indian Medicine also make use of this farm as their reference for me­dicinal plants. This farm is very popular and has contributed for herbal awareness in Chennai city. The farm participates in the exhibitions conduct­ed by Educational Institutions, Trade fairs and sem­inars/conferences in the city.

The public are also encouraged to buy the medicinal plants at low prices to enhance the importance and awareness of herbal medicines. The Kolli Hills medicinal farm is situated in Valavandinadu at the altitude of 3600 ft. The land is undulating with rocky slopes.

Out of 105 acres year-marked, the corporation has developed 55 acres and cultivating a dozen spe­cies of medicinal plants on large scale and anoth­er 50 varieties which includes trees, climbers and perennials are cultivated on bunds, hedges, fence line etc. as per suitability of the species.

Further, the farm has a large nursery in which seedlings/ saplings/cuttings/grafting’s are raised for own cul­tivation and to supply to the government institu­tions concerned and also to progressive farmers in the state and outside.