Govindaraj et al. JOURNAL OF BIOSCIENCES RESEARCH 2(4):249-254 249 J. Biosci. Res. , 2011.Vol. 2(4):249-254 Beneficial usage of weeds in the tea fields of Pandalur village, Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu *RAMAR GOVINDARAJ 1 , GANAPATHY PANDIARAJAN 2 , BALAKUMAR MAKESHKUMAR 2 , KARUPPASAMY SANKARASIVARAMAN 3 1 Department of Botany, UPASI Tea Research Foundation, Valparai, Tamil nadu 2 Department of Plant Biology & Plant Biotechnology, GVN College, Kovilpatti, TN 3 Post Graduate Department of Botany, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi Abstract An ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect the information from traditional healers based on the uses of medicinal plants among the people living in and around the tea fields of Pandalur village of Gudalur Taluk, The Nilgiris District, Tamil Nadu during various seasons between 2010-2011. The investigation reveals that the traditional healers used for 19 plant species against various human disorders. The documented medicinal plants were mostly used to cure the human pathogenic diseases. In this study shows that many people in the study region still used and depended on medicinal plants at least for the treatment of their primary healthcare. But the traditional system has decreased and the traditional knowledge has disappeared since the younger generations are not interested to carry on this tradition. The proper documentation of traditional knowledge from the old people may be helpful to promote further research in the field of ethnobotany. Key words: Ethnobotany, Nilgiris, traditional medicine, survey For correspondence: govindablossom@gmail.com Introduction Plants are vital for existence of life on earth. The plants around the habitats of the rural populations not only provide for living organisms, but also provide different chemicals necessary for human health. These plants may be used both for medicines and food. It is difficult to draw a line between these two groups. Food may be medicine and vice versa (Pieroni et al., 2002a). Since time immemorial, the human society has developed in a close association with the plant life (De, 1980). The relationship between the indigenous people and their surrounding plants forms the subject of ethno botany, a science (De, 1968) which includes a study of the plants used by the tribals for food, medicine and cloths (Jain and De, 1966). This science showed healthy relationship between humans and nature, it provides possibilities of finding new uses for medicinal plants and can be used to discover new medicines derived from plants (Heinrich, 2000). In recent years researchers in the field of ethno botany in India especially in Tamil Nadu have shifted their focus merely documenting locally used medicinal, food and other valuable plants to be more ISSN 0976-2272