Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 4(3), July 2005, pp. 291-297 Some phytotherapeutic claims by tribals of southern Rajasthan Anita Jain*, S S Katewa and P K Galav Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Agrostology, Department of Botany, College of Science, M L Sukhadia University, Udaipur 313 001, Rajasthan Received 23 June 2004, revised 19 July 2004 A floristic survey of ethnomedicinal plants occurring in the tribal areas of southern Rajasthan was conducted to assess the potentiality of plant resources for modern system of medicine The survey is based on the exhaustive interviews with local physicians practicing Indigenous System of Medicine, village headmen, priests and tribal folks. Many tribes like Bhil, Garasia, Damor and Kathodia inhabit the southern part of Rajasthan. These people especially belongings to primitive or aboriginal culture possess a good deal of information about properties and medicinal uses of plants. In the present paper an attempt has been made to document the traditional phytotherapeutic uses prevalent amongst the aboriginals of southern part of Rajasthan. A list of plant species along with their plant part/s used and the mode of administration for effective control of different ailments is given. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Folk medicine, Phytotherapeutic uses, Tribals, Southern Rajasthan, Ethnomedicine IPC Int. Cl. 7 : A61K35/78; A61P01/04; A61P01/16; A61P11/00; A61P13/02; A61P15/00; A61P17/02; A61P35/02 The art of herbal healing is deep rooted in Indian culture and folklore. Even today in most of the rural areas, people depend on local traditional healing system for their primary healthcare. The tribals of remote areas of southern Rajasthan are totally dependent on herbs for their healthcare. Rajasthan is one of the largest states of the India located in the North western part of India (Fig. 1). Geographically it lies between 23º3′ to 30º12′ longitudes and 69º 30′ to 78º 17′ latitudes. The tribal dominated southern part of Rajasthan harbours vast diversity of vegetation. It includes sub-tropical evergreen forest of Boswellia serrata Roxb., Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb., Dendrocalamus strictus Nees, Bombax ceiba Linn., Madhuca indica J.F.Gmel., Tectona grandis Linn.f., Anogeissus latifolia Wall. ex Bedd. and Balanites aegyptiaca (Linn.) Delile. The major tribes of the state, viz. Bhil, Meena, Garasia, Damor and Kathodia inhabit these forests. The surrounding plants for these people form an integral part of their culture and the information about plants gets passed on from generation to generation only through oral folklore, although many times kept secret. Ethnobotanical studies on tribal dominated southern part of Rajasthan (Fig. 1) have been carried out 1-8 , still some ethnomedicinal gap exists in this region. Methodology The traditional knowledge of plant based remedies for the treatment of ailments rests with the medicine men, all of which belong to one family of hereditary indigenous practitioners. Skills and experience were passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth and are guarded like secrets. The medicine men collect the plants needed for a particular application either directly from the forest or from the local shops. Before launching the field work, rapport was established with one or two persons preferably the chief, guidance sought and contact was then established with other tribals of the locality. The linguistic fluency, personality and social standing are crucial in establishing rapport between the participants involved. Field sites were visited with the local medicine men. Generally, the herbalists do not want to give all the information about a plant. For this reason, selection of informants is an important aspect of ethnobotanical study in the field. Experienced people, such as elders, healers, medicine men, birth attendants, wood cutter, shepherds, headmen and Bhopa provide important information on useful plants. A discussion about a particular herb with different informants from different places tends to be more helpful to record various queries about the herbal drug. Also, personal observations are helpful __________ *Corresponding author