Ethno-Medicinal Plants in Sacred Groves in East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Aims: An ethnobotanical study was conducted to document traditional medicinal plants used by indigenous people around the four sacred groves (protected forest patches) of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted around the four sacred groves (protected forest patches) of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India from 2011-2015.

Methodology: The ethnomedicinal knowledge was gathered through interviews of tribal physicians. Data collected were processed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The data was analyzed using the fidelity level (FL) of each species determined.

Results: The study revealed therapeutic applications of 87 plant species belonging to 76 genera and 45 families. These plants are used to cure various ailments such as malaria, jaundice, diabetes, bronchitis, fevers etc. The majority of remedies were taken orally in the form of juice extracted from freshly collected plant parts harvested from the wild. Plants that has the highest FL values are Gymnema sylvestre (100%) and Andrographis paniculata (100%), followed by Phyllanthus amarus (91%). The lowest is Woodfordia fruticosa (46%). The most used plant parts are leaves. Over-exploitation and deforestation and Podu-cultivation are main threats for medicinal plant vulnerability.

Conclusion: The documented information regarding therapeutic uses provides basic data for further studies on pharmacological studies and conservation of the most important medicinal plant species.