Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants in Yelagiri Hills of Tamil Nadu

An ethno botanical survey was conducted in Yelagiri hills, located in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu (State), India. The purpose of this study is to collect data about medicinal plants available in yelagiri hills in order to preserve its rich bio resources through documentation since there is scarce information about the existence of medicinal plants in this region. This survey was conducted based on semi structured interviews, field visits and participatory observations. A total of 28 medicinal plants were identified and confirmed in herbarium of university of madras, Chennai. Plant species belonging to diverse families like Lilaceae, Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae followed by Lamiaceae, apocyanaceae were found. These plants have medicinal properties including anticancer, antidiabetic, antidote, antibacterial, anthelminthic, antispasmodic, antianalgesic, cure for epilepsy, diarrhea, weaknesses etc. However, certain medicinal plants were found to be in vulnerable condition like Ocimum sanctum and Leucas aspera. This could be due to growth of herbicide parthenium species. The presence of this herbicide has led to the decline of certain medicinal plants in this area. Further investigation is required to preserve the bioresources that is slowly declining in this region.