Review Article
Ethnobiology of the Nilgiri Hills, India
S. Rajan,
M. Sethuraman,
Pulok K. Mukherjee,
S. Rajan
Survey of Medicinal Plants and Collection Unit, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Udhagamandalam - 643 002, Tamil Nadu, India
Search for more papers by this authorM. Sethuraman
Tribal Research Center, Tamil University, Thanjavur - 613 005, India
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Pulok K. Mukherjee
Jadaveepur University, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Kolkata 700032, India
Jadaveepur University, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Kolkata 700032, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorS. Rajan,
M. Sethuraman,
Pulok K. Mukherjee,
S. Rajan
Survey of Medicinal Plants and Collection Unit, Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Udhagamandalam - 643 002, Tamil Nadu, India
Search for more papers by this authorM. Sethuraman
Tribal Research Center, Tamil University, Thanjavur - 613 005, India
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Pulok K. Mukherjee
Jadaveepur University, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Kolkata 700032, India
Jadaveepur University, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Kolkata 700032, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorAbstract
The Nilgiri is a popular massif towering high in the Western Ghats in South India with an altitude of 2623 m. Nature has been magnanimous in bestowing Nilgiri district with rich evergreen temperate to tropical forests. A high degree of biodiversity, marked by varied flora and fauna of good therapeutic potential as well as the varied number of indigenous groups of people in this area, makes it very popular among herbalists. The district has six anthropologically well defined ethnic groups namely Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Irulas, Paniyas and Kattunayakas living here possibly since 1200 B.C. The present review highlights the ethnobiological profile of six indigenous populations and their dependence on ambient flora and fauna for traditional health care needs. It has been observed that about 2700 therapeutically potent plant species are available in this hill station of which almost all have come from local medicine. Some have been explored scientifically. However, about 150 plant species are still to be explored for their therapeutic potential. The ethnography, phytochemical and therapeutic uses as well as the anthropological perspectives of the local medicines have been discussed in this review. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
REFERENCES
- Abraham Z. 1981. Ethnobotany of the Todas, the Kotas, the Irulas of the Nilgiris. In Glimpses of Indian Ethnobotany, SK Jain (ed.). Oxford & IBH Publishing Co.: New Delhi; 308–320.
- Agarwal PK, Singh AK. 1994. Structure determination of an inositol from Artemisia nilagirica by high-field NMR spectroscopic methods. Indian J Chem 33B: 803–805.
- Akhtar MS, Athar MA, Yaqub M. 1981. Effect of Mommordica charantia on blood glucose level of normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits. Planta Med 42: 205–212.
- Allchin B, Allchin R. 1968. The Birth of Indian Civilization; India and Pakistan Before 500 BC. Penguin: Harmondsworth.
- Anand R, Patnaik GK, Kulshreshtgha DK, Dhawan BN. 1994. Activity of certain fractions of Tribulus terrestris fruits against experimentally induced urolothiasis in rats. Indian J Exp Biol 32: 548–552.
- Angannan CK. 1999. The Ethnobotany of the Tribe Kurumbas in the Nilgiris, Southern India: PhD dissertation submitted to Bharathiyar University: Coimbatore.
- Anonymous. 1981. Census Report. Government of India: New Delhi.
- Anonymous, 1981–1992. Wealth of India- Raw Materials, Vols. 1–11. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research: New Delhi.
- Anonymous. 1991. Census Report. Government of India: New Delhi.
- Asima Chatterjee, Pakrashi SC. 1991–1994. The Treatise on Indian Medicinal Plants Vols. 1–3. Publication and Information Directorate: New Delhi.
- Asolkar LV, Kakkar KK, Chakre OJ. 1992. Second Supplement to Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants with Active Principles part-I (A–K) (1965–1981). Publication and Information Directorate (CSIR): New Delhi; 94–95, 166–167.
- Atal CK, Sharma ML, Khajuria A, Kaul A. 1982. Thrombopoietic activity of vasicine hydrochloride. Indian J Exp Biol 29: 704–709.
- Babu TD, Padikkala J. 1993. Anti-cancer activity of an active principle from Centella asiatica. Amala Res Bull 13: 46–49.
- Banerjee N, Kumar R. 1980. Studies on the seed oil of Aegle marmelos and its effects on some bacterial species. J Inst Chem Calcutta 52: 59–60.
- Baslas RK, Kumar P. 1980. Antibacterial and antifungal studies of essential oils of Lantana orangemene and Cuminum cyminum. J Sci Res 2: 83–84.
- Bhakuni DS, Dhar ML, Dhar MM, Dhawan BN, Mehrotra BN. 1969. Screening of Indian plants for biological activity part-II. Indian J Exp Biol 7: 250.
- Bhattacharya TK, Ghosh MN, Subramaniyan SS. 1980. A note on anti-inflammatory activity of caresterol. Fitoterapia 51: 265–267.
- Bratati D, Bisset NG. 1991. Separation of Strychnos nux-vomica alkaloids by high performance liquid chromatography. J Chromatogr 587: 318–320.
- Bredon M, Quero AM, German A. 1982. Tobacco smoke influence on mice resistance to different viral diseases. Ann Pharm France 40: 153–165.
- Breeks JW. 1873. An Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilgiris. W. H. Allen: London.
- Chagnon M. 1984. General pharmacological inventory of medicinal plants Rwanda. J Ethnopharmacol 12: 239–251.
- Chandra R, Deepak D, Khare A. 1994. Pregnane glycosides from Hemidesmus indicus. Phytochemistry 35: 1545–1548.
- Chattopadhyay RR. 1993. Hypoglycaemic effect of Ocimum sanctum leaf extract in normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats. Indian J Exp Biol 31: 891–893.
- Chaudhuri PK. 1993. Colchicine from Gloriosa superba L.: a substitute of Colchicum autumnale L. Indian Drugs 33: 529–530.
- Chopra RN, Nayer SL, Chopra IC. 1980. (repr. ed.). Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific & Industrial Research: New Delhi.
- Chowdhury AAK, Sushanta KC, Khan AAK. 1982. Anti-fertility activity of Plumbago zeylanica Linn. Root. Indian J Med Res 76: 99–101.
- Cyril Nayagam M. 1998. Ethnobotanical Studies of Kattunayakas of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. PhD dissertation submitted to Bharathiyar University: Coimbatore.
- Das RP. 1980. Effect of Papaya seeds on the genital organs and fertility of male rats. J Econ Tax Bot 18: 408–409.
- Dhanasekaran S, Suresh B, Sethuraman M, Rajan S, Dubey R. 1993. Antifertility of Ailanthus excelsa L. in female albino rats. Indian J Exp Biol 31: 384–385.
- Dhar ML, Dhar MM, Dhawan BN, Mehrotra BN, Ray C. 1968. Screening of Indian plants for biological activity. Part-I. Indian J Exp Biol 6: 232–243.
- Dhar ML, Dhawan CR, Prasad CR, Rastogi RP, Singh KK, Tandon JS. 1974. Screening of Indian plants for biological activity part- V. Indian J Exp Biol 12: 512.
- Diwan PV, Tillo LD, Kulkarni DR. 1982. Influence of Tridax procumbens on wound healing. Indian J Med Res 75: 460–464.
- Dixit VP, Gupta RS. 1982. Anti-spermatogenic and anti-androgenic activity of Sapindus trifoliatus fruit extract in intact and castrated male gerbils. Planta Med 46: 242–264.
- Eilert U, Wolters B, Nahrstedt A. 1981. The antibiotic principle of seeds of Moringa oleifera and M. stenopetala. Planta Med 42: 55–61.
- Ezmirly ST, Wilson SR. 1980. Saudi Arabian plants:I. Ruta chalepensis. J Chem Soc Pak 2: 55–57.
- FerroLuzzi EG. 1980. Food avoidances at puberty and menstruation in Tamil Nadu. In Food, Ecology and Culture, JRK Robson (ed.). Gorden and Breach: New York; 93–117.
- Foushee DB, Ruffin J, Banerjee U. 1982. Garlic as a natural agent for the treatment of hypertension: A preliminary report. Cytobios 34: 145–152.
- Galvez J, Zarzuelo A, Crespo ME, Lorente MD, Ocete MA, Jimenez J. 1993. Anti- diarrhoeic activity of Euphorbia hirta extract and isolation of an active flavonoid constituent. Planta Med 59: 333–336.
- Gardner PM. 1976. India's changing tribes: Identity and interaction in crisis. In In Main Currents in Indian Sociology, GR Gupta (ed.). Vikas Publishing house: New Delhi; 289–318.
- Ghosh TK, Sen T, Das A, Dutta AS, Chaudhuri AK. 1993. Anti-diarrhoea activity of the methanolic fraction of the extract of unripe fruits of Psidium guajava Linn. Phytother Res 7: 431–433.
- Gujral ML, Varma DR, Sareen KN. 1960. Oral contraceptives part-I. Preliminary observations on the anti-fertility effect of some indigenous drugs. Indian J Med Res 48: 46–58.
- Gulati OD, Pandey DC. 1982. Anti-inflammatory activity of Tinospora cordifolia. Rheumatism 17: 76–83.
- Gupta PN. 1981. Antileprotic action of an extract from ‘Anantamul’ (Hemidesmus indicus R. Br.). Lepr India 53: 353–359.
- Gupta RK, Krishnamurthy M, Parthasarathi J. 1980. Purpurin a new flavanone from Tephrosia purpurea seeds. Phytochemistry 19: 1264.
- Gupta S, Ali M, Pillai KK, Aam MS. 1993. Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of some constituents of Lawsonia innermis. Fitoterapia 64: 365–366.
- Hedberg I, Hedberg O, Madati PJ, Mshigeni KE, Mshiu EN, Samuelsson G. 1983. Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Tanzania II: plants families Dilleniaceae – Opiliaceae. J Ethnopharmacol 9: 105–127.
- Hockings P. 1975. Paikara: An Iron age burial in south India. Asian Perspect 18: 26–50.
- P Hockings. (ed.). 1989. Blue Mountains: The Ethnography and Biogeography of a South Indian Region. Oxford University Press: New Delhi.
- Hosagouder VB, Henry AN. 1996. Ethnobotany of tribes, Irular, Kurumban and Paniyan of Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, Southern India. J Econ Tax Bot Addl Ser 12: 272–283.
- Johnson J. 1991. Ethnobotany of the Kota Tribes of the Nilgiris. PhD dissertation submitted to Bharathiyar University: Coimbatore.
- Kandhaswamy R. 1995. Ethnobotanical Studies of Toda in Nilgiris. MPhil dissertation submitted to the Bharathiyar University: Coimbatore.
- Kawai T, Kinoshita K, Koyama K, Takahashi K. 1994. Anti-emetic principles of Magnolia obovata bark and Zingiber officinale rhizome. Planta Med 60: 17–20.
- Khanna AK, Chander R, Kapoor NK, Singh C, Srivastava AK. 1993. Hypolipidemic activity of Terminalia chebula in rtas. Fitoterapia 64: 351–356.
- Krishnamurthy GV, Natarajan CP. 1982. Papaya—a commercial crop for the production of papain and pectin. In Cultivation and Utilization of Medicinal Plants, CK Atal, BM Kapur (ed.). Council of Scientific & Industrial Research: New Delhi; 436–443.
- Krishnaswamy M, Purushothaman KK. 1980. Antifertility properties of Embelia ribes: Embelin. Indian J Exp Biol 18: 1359–1360.
- Kunjthapadam S. 1982. Utilization of various raw materials for the production of steroids. In Cultivation and Utilization of Medicinal Plants, CK Atal, BM Kapur (eds.). Council of Scientific & Industrial Research: New Delhi; 51–63.
- Lincoln RJ, Boxshall GA, Clark PF. 1982. A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematic. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
- Matsuo T, Hanamure N, Shimoi K, Nakamura Y, Tomita I. 1994. Identification of ( + ) gallocatechin as a bio-antimutagenic compound in Psidium gujava leaves. Phytochemistry 36: 1027–1029.
- Monsereenusorn Y. 1980. Effect of Capsicum annum on blood glucose level. Quart J Crude Drug Res 18: 1–7.
- Mukerji B, Ghosh SK. 1945. Lobelia nicotianifolia Heyne as substitute for Lobelia inflata Linn. B.P. Curr Sci 14: 198–201.
- Naik VR, Agshikar NV, Abraham GJS. 1981. Cucumis trigonus Roxb. II. Diuretic activity. J Ethnopharmacol 3: 15–19.
- Narayana K, Sastry KNV. 1975. Hypoglycaemic effect of Murraya koenigii Spreng. in normal and alloxan diabetic dogs. Mysore J Agric Sci 9: 312.
- Nisteswar K, Dhyani SC, Baxi AJ. 1982. Preliminary studies on the action of Acalypha indica Linn. a folklore drug. Nagarjun 26: 62–63.
- Okpanyi SN, Ezeukwu GC. 1981. Anti-inflammatory and anti-pyretic activities of Azadirachta indica. Planta Med 41: 34–39.
- Pandey BL, Goel RK, Pathak NKR, Biswar M, Das PK. 1982. Effect of Tectona grandis L. (common teak tree) on experimental ulcers and gastric secretion. Indian J Med Res 76: 89–94.
- Prabhakar E, Nandakumar NV. 1994. Spasmodic effect of Datura metel root extract on rat uterus and rectum smooth muscles. Phytother Res 8: 52–54.
- Raffauf RF. 1970. A Handbook of Alkaloids and Alkaloid Containing Plants. John Wiley: New York.
- K Raghunathan (ed.). 1976. Tribal Pockets of Nilgiris Recordings of the Field Study of Medicinal Flora and Health Practices. Central Council for Research in Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy: Hyderabad.
- Rajan S. 2001. Medico-ethno-biological Studies on the Irulas and Paniyas in the Nilgiri district, of Tamil Nadu, India. PhD dissertation Submitted to Tamil University: Thanjavur.
- Rajan S, Sethuraman M. 1991. Plants used in folk medicine by the Kotas of Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu. Ancient Sci Life 10: 223–230.
- Rajan S, Sethuraman M. 1992. Mahonia leschenaultii—A Toda plant. Ancient Sci Life 12: 242–244.
- Rajan S, Sethuraman M. 1993a. Indigenous folk practices among Nilgiri Irulas. Indigenous Knowl Devel Monitor 1: 19–20.
- Rajan S, Sethuraman M. 1993b. Hepatoprotective plants in the Nilgiri district: A survey. J Res Educat Indian Med. 12: 37–42.
- Rajan S, Sethuraman M, Suresh Baburaj D. 1997. Plants from the traditional medical system of the Nilgiri tribes. Ancient Sci Life 16: 360–365.
- Rajan S, Suresh Baburaj D, Sethuraman M, Parimala S. 2001. Stem and stem bark used medicinally by the tribals Irulas and Paniyas of Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu. J Nat Remedies 1: 49–54.
- Rao TS, Basu N, Siddiqui HH. 1981. Anti-inflammatory activity of curcumin analogues. Indian J Med Res 75: 574–578.
- Rao VV, Dwivedi SK, Swarup D. 1994. Hypoglycaemic effect of Caesalpinia bounducella in rabbits. Fitoterapia 65: 245–247.
- Rastogi P and Mehrotra BN. 1990–1995. Compendium of Indian Medicinal Plants Vols. 1–4. Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow and Publication and Information Directorate: New Delhi.
- Rathi AN, Viswanathan A, Shanmugasundaram KR. 1981. Studies on protein-bound polysaccharide components and glycosaminoglycans in experimental diabetes—effect of Gymnema sylvestre R. Br. Indian J Exp Biol 19: 715–721.
- Reddy MB, Reddy KR, Reddy MN. 1989. A survey of plant crude drugs of Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Int J Crude Drug Res 27: 145–155.
- Sarin YK. 1982. Indian raw materials for the production of tropane alkaloids. In Cultivation and Utilization of Medicinal Plants, CK Atal, BM Kapur (eds). Council of Scientific & Industrial Research: New Delhi; 251–258.
- Sharma VN, Sogani RK, Arora RB. 1960. Some observations on hypoglycaemic activity of Momordica charantia. Indian J Med Res 48: 471.
- Sheehan EW, Zemaitis MA, Slatkin DJ, Schiff PL. 1983. A constituent of Pterocarpus marsupium ( − ) epicate chin, as a potential anti-diabetic agent. J Nat Prod 46: 232–234.
- Singh SP, Singh K. 1992. Anti-implantation effect of Carica papaya seed powder in female albino rats. Indian J Physical Natural Sci 11, 12A: 22–24.
- Singh YN. 1986. Traditional medicine in Fiji: some herbal folk cures used by Fiji Indians. J Ethnopharmacol 15: 57–88.
- Singhal PC, Gupta RK, Joshi LD. 1982. Hypochloesterolaemic effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum (methi). Curr Sci 51: 136–137.
- Srivastava Y, Jhala CI, Nigam SK, Kumar A, Bhatt HV. 1981. Experimental evaluation of hypoglycaemic effect of Gymnema sylvestre R. Br. In alloxan diabetic Charles Foster rats. J Diabetic Assoc India 21: 139–142.
- Swarnalakshmi T, Gomathi K, Sulochana N, Basker EA, Permar NS. 1981. Anti- inflammatory activity of ( − ) epicatechin, a biflavonoid isolated from Anacardium occidentale Linn. J Phar Sci 43: 205–208.
- Tarafdar CR. 1983. Ethnogynaecology in relation to plants, part-II Plants used for abortion. J Econ Tax Bot 4: 507–515.
- Trease GE, Evans WC. 1978. Pharmacognosy. Cassel & Colleir Macmillan: New York.
- Udupa SL, Udupa AL, Kulkarni DR. 1994. Studies of the anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties of Moringa oleifera & Aegle marmelos. Fitoterapia 65: 119–123.
- Ulubelen A, Ertugrul L, Birman H, Yigit R, Erseve G, Olgac V. 1994. Antifertility effects of some coumarins isolated from Ruta chalepensis and R. chalepensis var. latifolia in rodents. Phytother Res 8: 233–236.
- Vatsala TM, Singh M. 1982. Effects of onion induced atherosclerosis in rabbits. II: reduction of lipid levels in the eye. Curr Sci 51: 230–232.
- Vedavathy S, Sudhakas A, Mrdula V. 1997. Tribal medicines of Chittoor district. Ancient Sci Life 26: 307–331.
- Verma HN, Awasthi P. 1980. Occurrence of a highly antiviral agent in plant treated with Boerhaavia diffusa inhibitor. Can J Bot 58: 2141–2144.
- Yun Cheung Kong, Jing-Xi Xie, Paul Pui-Hay But. 1986. Fertility regulating agents from traditional Chinese medicine. J Ethnopharmacol 15: 1–44.
Citing Literature
