MEDICINAL PLANTS AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF TAMIL NADU

India has a long tradition of codified healing systems like the Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani etc., whichare still popular amongst the people. The Siddha system of healing originated in Tamil Nadu and it is surmised that about1500 plant species are used in its various formulations.

The World Health Organisation estimates that nearly 65% of the rural population across the world depend on local healing knowledge to combat ailments, at least at the Primary Health Care level. Apart from the codified forms of healing, largely such usage of the bioresources stem from the Traditional Knowledge (TK) that is passed on orally within communities across generations.Often thein-depth knowledge of TK is rooted in the culture of closed ethnic communities like tribes and is largely ecosystem based.

There are 36 Scheduled Tribe communities in Tamil Nadu and over 85% of them live either in forests or in the peripheries of forests. Their traditional forms of livelihoods include settled and shifting cultivation, pastoralism, artisanal and food gathering. Of these,six are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, who reside on the upper and lower slopes of hilly regions of the state.

TK based on primary livelihoods include the agricultural practices of Malayaliswho possess knowledge of conserving and cultivating traditional varieties of crops like paddy or minor millets etc. It alsoencompasses knowledge of the forests and uncultivated landscapes that communities like Irulas, Kaatunayakkans, Kurumbas, Paliyans inhabit, which include their snake catching skills or honey, medicinal plants and minor forest producecollection. Hunter-gatherer groups depend on wild uncultivated food plants like many Dioscorea species, wild relatives of crops etc.

Many tribal communities due to their proximity to forests and other wild spaces are experts in treating poisonous including venomous bites using multiple plants such as Abrus precatorius, Andrographis paniculata, Corallacarpus epigeous Rauvolfia tetraphylla and Strychnos nux-vomicaetc. Their TK on healing includes treatment for wide variety of ailments with accurate knowledge of herbs.

The traditional knowledge amongst tribal groups of Tamil Nadu indicates the invaluable understanding of the ecosystem and its components. TNBB is facilitating the BMCs to capture the Traditional Knowledge of all stakeholders consisting of the traditional, indigenous and tribal communities of Tamil Nadu to fulfil the vision of the Peoples Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) through which their livelihoods and intellectual property rights could be protected.