Ethnobotanical Leaflets 11: 1-5. 2007.
Plants Used in Ethnoveterinary
Practices by Koyas of Pakhal
Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh, India
E.N. Murthy1, Ch. Sudhakar Reddy2,
K.N. Reddy3 & Vatsavaya S. Raju1
1Plant Systematics
Laboratory, Department of Botany, Kakatiya University, Warangal -506 009, India
2Forestry
& Ecology Division, National Remote Sensing Agency, Balanagar,
Hyderabad -500 037, India,
3Plant Taxonomy Division, Laila Impex Research Centre,
Unit-I, Phase-III, Jawahar Autonagar, Vijayawada -520
007, India
Corresponding
author email:
vatsavayar@hotmail.com
Issued 20 January 2007
ABSTRACT
The paper deals with the 21
medicinal plant species used in ethnoveterinary
practices by Koya tribes inhabiting in the Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary, Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Key words: Ethnoveterinary,
Koyas, Pakhal Wildlife
Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh.
INTRODUCTION
Glimpses of our knowledge in
ethno-medicine are available through Vedic texts and commentaries. Yet there
is another less exploited source of information in uses which comes from
folklore passed on through generations in certain restricted and remote
habitations (Jain 1967). Sayeeduddin (1935)
recorded some important economic and medicinal plants of erstwhile Hyderabad state. Hemadri
(1990) contributed some medicinally important flora of Karimnagar
and Warangal districts of Andhra Pradesh. Hemadri (1994) stated some ethnoveterinary
plants of Kothaguda agency situated with in the
sanctuary. Reddy et al. (1999) enumerated some plants used in ethnoveterinary practices in Warangal district. Reddy (2002) recorded
some ethnnomedical plants of Warangal in part of his thesis. Reddy et
al. (2006) recorded phytotherapy methods of Gonds of Warangal district.
During our Biodiversity assessment survey (2004-05) information on medicinal
practices for various veterinary ailments was collected from Koyas of Pakhal Wildlife
Sanctuary, Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh.
STUDY AREA
Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Warangal district of Andhra
Pradesh, India
(70 km away from Warangal).
Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a
sanctuary in 1952, by G.O.MS.No.2257 as per the provisions under Hyderabad
forest Act No.2 of 1355 F and extends over an area of 839 Sq. kms. The Sanctuary is named after Pakhal
lake which is source of irrigation in Khanapur and Narsampet mandals. The lake has
rich historical importance and was constructed by Pratap
Rudra in 1213 A.D. The terrain is undulating and
hilly. The sanctuary forms partly the catchment for
two drainage systems –one draining into the Godavari
river through Laknavaram tank and the other join Krishna
river through Munner tributary. The PWD
Road from Narsampet-Pakhal-Yellandu
almost divides the sanctuary into two halves. This region is situated at a
height of 150-300 metres. The major forest type is
tropical dry deciduous with predominance of species i.e. Terminalia alata, Anogeissus
latifolia, Diospyros melanoxylon, Xylia xylocarpa and Lannea coromandelica.
The predominant
community in study area belongs to ‘Koya’ scheduled
tribe. The koyas
are one of the few multi-lingual and multi-racial tribal communities living
in India.
They are also one of the major peasant tribes of Andhra Pradesh numbering
3.60 lakhs in 1981. Physically they are classified
as Australoid. The Koyas
call themselves as “Koithur”. The land
of Koithur
or the Koya land includes the Indravati,
Godavari, Sabari, Sileru rivers and the
forested tracts, covering parts of Bastar, Koraput, Warangal,
Khammam, Karimnagar and
the East and West Godavari
districts. The Koyas speak the language called “Koyi”. It is blended with Telugu in Andhra Pradesh (Sathya Mohan, 2006).
DATA COLLECTION:
Data on ethnoveterinary
medicine, collected through frequent interviews with Koya
herbal healers. The specimens of plants used in ethnoveterinary
practices were collected and kept at Kakatiya
University Herbarium, Warangal for further reference.
ENUMERATION:
Data on 21 ethnoveterinary
medicinal plant species belonging to 18 families, arranged in alphabetic
order of scientific names of the plants followed by family name (with in the paranthesis), vernacular names in telugu
and ethnoveterinary uses.
1. Alangium salvifolium (L.f.)
Wang. (Alangiaceae)
N.V. Ooduga.
Uses: Root juice of 10 ml given
orally for cattle in case of snake bite.
2. Azima tetracantha Lam.
(Salvadoraceae)
N.V. Uppu
chekka.
Uses: Roots grinded and given with
rice soaked water for Knee pains.
3. Bauhinia racemosa
Lam. (Caesalpiniaceae)
N.V. Are.
Uses: Leaf juice is applied over
forehead to heal redness of eye.
4. Careya
arborea Roxb. (Lecythidaceae)
N.V. Buddadharmi.
Uses: Bark crushed with curd and
administered orally for debility in cattle.
5. Casearia
elliptica Willd. (Flacourtiaceae)
N.V. Kannubisiri.
Uses: Bark extract is used for cattles and goats to control dysentery.
6. Chloroxylon swietenia DC.
(Flindersiacaeae)
N.V. Billudu.
Uses: Wood ash mixed with coconut oil, is applied over cattle
necks.
7.
Cissus setosa Roxb. (Vitaceae)
N.V.
Barrebatchali teega.
Uses: Leaves used for washing
cattle and vessels.
8. Cissus
qudrangularis L. (Vitaceae)
N.V. Nalleda.
Uses: Succulent stem crushed with
onion and mirch powder, given orally a 1 liter of
extract for asthma.
9. Cocculus
hirsutus (L.) Diels (Menispermaceae)
N.V. Dusary teega.
Uses: Leaves crushed with shugar administered with water to control blood motions.
10. Dillenia
pentagyna Roxb. (Dilleniaceae)
N.V. Kallinga.
Uses: Bark pounded with tubers of Pueraria tuberosa,
later fermented with rice soaked water and administered half a liter per day
as nervic tonic and anti helminthes.
11. Diospyros montana Roxb. (Ebenaceae)
N.V. Illintha.
Uses: Bark grinded with salt and
applied over wounds.
12.
Gardenia gummifera L.f. (Rubiaceae)
N.V. Bikki.
Uses: Bark paste is applied over
the body to get relieve from pains.
13.
Garuga pinnata Roxb.
(Anacardiaceae)
N.V. Garugu
chettu.
Uses: Bark fermented with water
given with red onion and chilli powder for
dysentery.
14.
Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Verbenaceae)
N.V. Gummadi
Teku.
Uses: Bark boiled with water
applied on tumors.
15.
Lannea coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr. (Anacardiaceae)
N.V. Dumpidi.
Uses: Crushed bark used as a
bandage on wounds and cuts.
16.
Plumbago zeylanica L. (Plumbaginaceae)
N.V.
Chitramulam.
Uses: Root paste is applied on
tumors and warts.
17.
Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC. (Papilionaceae)
N.V. Nelagummadi.
Uses: Tubers grinded with Cissus quandrangularis,
red onion and Ginger and fermented in water for three days later given with
rice soaked water one liter per day for tuberculosis and motions.
18.
Semecarpus anacardium L.f. (Anacardiaceae)
N.V. Jeedi.
Uses: Young bark grinded with water
and a juice of 250 ml is given orally, three times in a day.
19.
Soymida febrifuga (Roxb.)
A.Juss. (Meliaceae)
N.V. Somidi.
Uses: Bark crushed with water and administered
for cough and dysentery.
20. Strychnos
potatorum L.f. (Loganiaceae)
N.V. Chilla.
Uses: Seeds are used as nervic tonic and sexual stimulant.
21.
Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. (Combretaceae)
N.V. Tani.
Uses: Paste of bark applied on tumors
and warts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
One of us (E.N.
Murthy) is thankful to the Head, Department of Botany, Kakatiya University, Warangal, for facilities, Dr. P.S. Roy, Project Director
: Biodiversity Characterisation Project at Landscape level and Deputy
Director, NRSA and Dr. M.S.R. Murthy, Head, Ecology and Forestry Division,
NRSA, Hyderabad, for financial assistance.
REFERENCES:
Hemadri, K. 1990. Contribution to the
medicinal flora of Karimnagar and Warangal disitricts,
Andhra Pradesh. Indian Medicine 2:16-28.
Hemadri, K. 1994. Shastravettalanu
Akarshistunna Girijana Vaidyam (Tribal Pharmacopoia)
Tribal cultural Research and Training Institure, Hyderabad.
( In Telugu)
Reddy, C.S. 2002. Floristic studies in Warangal district, Andhra
Pradesh, India.
Ph.D., Thesis. Kakatiya
University, Warangal, India.
Reddy, C.S., Gopalakrishna,
P. & Raju, V.S. 2006. Phytotherapy
from Gonds of Warangal
district, Andhra Pradesh, India. Fitoterapia. (in press)
Reddy, C.S., Nagesh,
K., Reddy, K.N. & Raju, V.S. 2003. Plants used
in Ethnoveterinary practice by Gonds
of Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh. J. Econ.
Taxon. Bot. 27:631-634.
Reddy, K.N., Bhanja, M.R. & Raju, V.S. 1999. Plants used in ethnoveterinary
practices in Warangal
district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Ethnobotany 10:75-84.
Sayeeduddin, M.1935. Some of the common
flowering plants of the Hyderabad
state : their distribution, economic and medicinal
importance. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal Sci. 1:
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Sathya Mohan. 2006. The Koya. The Peoples of The World Foundation. Retrieved December 26, 2006, from The
Peoples of The World Foundation.
http://www.peoplesoftheworld.org/hosted/koya.
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