Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 9 (2), April 2010, pp. 264-270 Traditional medicinal plant wealth of Pachalur and Periyur hamlets Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu J Karunyal Samuel* & B Andrews Department of Botany, The American College, Madurai 625 002, Tamil Nadu E-mail: karunyalsco@yahoo.co.in Received 6 November 2007; revised 26 August 2008 Traditional medicinal practices by the tribal communities living in various hamlets of Pachalur and Periyur were documented by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise and interview schedules. A collection of 82 medicinal plant species belonging to 44 families, used to treat 44 human ailments are described. The communities inhabiting the study area include Paliyans, Pulayans Doobies, Parayars, Asariars, Mannadiars, Sakiliyars and Chettiars. Keywords: Ethnomedicine, Medicinal plants, Traditional knowledge, Tamil Nadu, Paliyans, Pulayans Doobies, Parayars, Asariars, Mannadiars, Sakiliyars, Chettiars IPC Int. Cl. 7 : A61K35/78, A61P1/04, A61P1/06, A61P1/10, A61P1/16, A61P9/14, A61P11/00, A61P11/06, A61P15/00, A61P27/16, A61P29/00, A61P35/00, A61P39/02 Plants have traditionally served as man’s novel weapons against different ailments 1 . Besides the modern medical practices existing today, about 65% of the Indian population depends on the traditional medical systems for their primary healthcare. Regions with rich biodiversity, with its traditional ethnic people, are the biggest source for the plant resources and its hidden knowledge 2 . The traditional knowledge of medicinal plants has been recorded in numerous literature 3,4 . In Tamil Nadu, a lot work has been done on the ethnomedicinal plants used for various ailments by different ethnic communities 5 . However, not much work has been done in the hamlets of Pachalur and Periyur. The study is an attempt to document the traditional medicinal practices and plant wealth extensively used by the tribal communities of Pachalur & Periyur. Pachalur and Periyur are located 34 km away from Oddanchatram at an elevation of 1,500 m from the sea level (Fig. 1). Lower Palani Hills of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu is situated between 10°22N latitude and 77°59 longitudes. Palani Hills is a spur of Western Ghats, which is one of the internationally recognized Hot Spots known for its richness and uniqueness of plant wealth 6 . The study areas, Pachalur and Periyur cover many individual hamlets belonging to various communities, such as Paliyans, Pulayans, Doobies, Parayars, Asariars, Mannadiars, Sakiliyars and Chettiars, which include tribal communities and the life of tribal people is woven around forest ecology and forest resources. There are seven hamlets in Pachalur, named as Boodhamalai, Sudalaiparai, Neelanparai, Karadiparai, Nadanakalvai, Kadaisikadu and Kuranginiparai. The other areas covered in the analysis of the investigation include Karuvelam- patti, Pattiyakadu, Koodudurai, Sembarankulam, Pethuparai, Sulonia, Vadakavungi, Perumpalam, Aalangioodai, Kallakinaru, Pulayankalvai, Nallurkadu valavu, Paraipatti, Kombuvalavu, Kothinooroodai, Mandravayal, Malligaiparai, Oothupatti, Poosaripatty, Kavuchi Kombuvalavu, Pallathukalvai and Thalayuthu. The communities residing in various villages of Pachalur & Periyur including the tribal communities have been documented (Table 1). Methodology The traditional knowledge of plant based remedies remains with the local healers and they maintain it as a closely guarded secret within the family. The written document of the information does not exist _________ *Corresponding author