Abstract

ETHNOMEDICO AND ETHNOECONOMIC STUDIES OF GRASSES UTILIZATION BY PALIYAR’S TRIBAL IN SADHURAGIRI HILLS, A PART OF WESTERN GHATS, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Aadhan Kamatchi* and Anand Subramaniam Parvathi

ABSTRACT

In the present paper an Ethnomedico and Ethnoeconamic study among the Paliyar tribals Sadhuragiri hills, a part of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Grass species utilized as a total of 86 species of grasses belonging to 52 genera were recorded which were being used by tribe inhabitants for various purposes such as animal fodder dominant (74%) followed by tribe traditional food (8%), human medicine like stomach problem, blood pressure, diabetes, wounds, fever, diuretic etc., (7%), roof thatching (6%), soil binder (5%), veterinary medicines (3%), cosmetics uses (2%) for other purpose like making huts, brooms, baskets, ropes, mats, paper industry and green manure etc., (1%). Grasses play an important ethnomedico and ethnoeconomic part in the study area as most of the species are used as fodder for the animals.

Keywords: Grasses, Ethnomedico, Ethnoeconomic, Paliyar‘s, Sadhuragiri hills, a part of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India.