Ethnomedicinal plants used by primitive tribes of Parvathipuram Manyam District, Andhra Pradesh, India

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out from Parvathipuram Manyam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. For documentation of important ethnomedicinal plants and information from local primitive community about their medicinal uses. The traditional knowledge of primitive tribes traditional uses were collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during field trips. The identification and nomenclature of the listed plants were based on the Flora of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 150 plants species belong to 123 genera and 65 families were identified by taxonomic description and locally by ethnomedicinal knowledge of people existing in the region.


Introduction
India is a treasure of biodiversity which host a large variety of plants and ranks tenth among plant rich countries of the world and fourth among the Asian countries.India is the largest producer of medicinal plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World".In India, 45,000 plant species have been identified, out of which about 15-20,000 plants are of good medicinal value.About 2,500 plant species belonging to more than 1,000 genera are used by traditional healers.Ethnobotanical investigations have led to the documentation of a large number of wild plants used by tribals for meeting their multifarious requirements [1].
In India, organized study on ethnobotany is of recent origin.Studies on ethnobotany were initiated by Janaki Ammal as an official programme in the Economic Botany Section of Botanical Survey of India (Howrah).She published a paper on subsistence economy of India [2].From 1960, Jain started intensive field studies among tribal areas of central India [3][4][5][6][7][8][9].Ramarao Naidu et al. [10] dealt with ethnomedicobotany of Srikakulam district and reported 25 plant species belonging to 18 families used by the tribals for curing dental disorders.Rao and Reddi [11] reported 35 tuberous medicinal plant species used for a variety of ailments by certain tribal people of Visakhapatnam district.Pragada et al., [12] reported 40 medicinal plants used for dysentery by tribal people of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh.The main objectives of the present investigation are collection, identification and documentation of the plants used by tribal community, taxonomic analysis and systematic evaluation of drug yielding plants.

Study area
Ethnomedicinal information collected from Parvathipuram Manyam District, Andhra Prdaesh, which is belong to Eastern Ghats are located between 11° 31' and 22° N latitude and 76° 50' and 86° 30' E, longitude in a North-East to South-West strike.The Ghats cover an area of about 75,000 Sq.Km within average width of 200 Km in the North and 100 Km in the South.The tribal region of the district comprises mainly of Jatapu, Savara, Gadaba, Konda Dora and Muka dora tribes among which the Jatapu and Savaras were predominant.They practice podu cultivation followed via horticulture and minor forest produce collection.

Methodology
The collected specimens ware identified only after a critical examination with the help of different floras like Flora of the Presidency of the Madras [13], Flora of Visakhapatnam District [14], and Flora of Vizianagaram District [15].The voucher specimens were deposited at the Botany Department Herbarium (BDH), Andhra University, and Visakhapatnam.Data on ethnomedicine is arranged alphabetically by botanical names, family names, vernacular names, habits, useful parts, and diseases (Table 1).

Results and discussion
The present investigation reveals that a total of 150 species belonging to 123 genera and 65 families were used for various purposes.The family-wise analysis of ethnomedicinal data revealed that of the 65 families the dominant were Fabaceae represented by

Conclusion
The new generation is not very much interested in the indigenous methods of treating diseases.They are even not very concern about the importance of these herbal plants and its medicinal value.The growing disinterest in the use of the folk medicinal plants and its significance among the younger generation of the primitive tribals will lead to the disappearance of this practice.In the future, it is, therefore, very important to pursue steps that do not deviate from shifting the view of tribal people toward their indigenous belief in the treatment of healing to develop successful drugs or to discover new potential sources of drugs.

Table 1
(18)pecies followed by Euphorbiaceae with 8 species, Araceae and Apocynaceae with 6 species, Mimosaceae, Combretaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Amaranthaceae and Acanthaceae with 5 species each, Verbenaceae, Rutaceae, Moraceae, Menispermaceae, Malvaceae and Asclepiadiaceae with 4 species, Zingiberaceae, Rubiaceae, Liliaceae and Asteraceae with 3 species each.Sterculiaceae, Sapotaceae, Oxalidacea, Nyctaginaceae, Melastomataceae, Loganiaceae, Leguminosae, Lamiaceae, Convolvulaceae, Capparidaceae, Annonaceae and Anacardeaceae with 2 species each and remaining 33 families each one has single species (In the present study ethnomedicinal plants were used to cure 60 different ailments.The most common ailments are Rheumatism, Dysentery, Diahhroea, Cough, Snake Bite, Fever, Stomach ache, Skin diseas, Eye problem etc,.The common diseases prevailing in tribal group habitations are ascertained in consultation with local doctors.Similar type of work done by Sudhakar and Vedavathy(16)reported 67 edible plants belonging to 59 genera and 41 families used by the tribals of Chittoor district.Rao and Reddy(17)studied about traditional medicine for the treatment of bone fracture for human beings and cattle with the paste of leaves of Pupalia lappacea in Ranga Reddy district.Shanmukha Rao(18)studied about ethnobotany of Pathapatnam Mandal, Srikakulam district.He reported 158 species belonging to 68 genera and 54 families.