~ 885 ~ The Pharma Innovation Journal 2019; 8(4): 885-888 ISSN (E): 2277- 7695 ISSN (P): 2349-8242 NAAS Rating: 5.03 TPI 2019; 8(4): 885-888 © 2019 TPI www.thepharmajournal.com Received: 09-02-2019 Accepted: 13-03-2019 S Sarguna Sundaram Research, Department of Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan College, Perungudi, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India K Suresh Research, Department of Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan College, Perungudi, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India Correspondence S Sarguna Sundaram Research, Department of Botany, Saraswathi Narayanan College, Perungudi, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India Hepatoprotective effect of medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Alagar hills of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India S Sarguna Sundaram and K Suresh Abstract The study was carried out to investigate medicinal plants used as Hepatoprotective in Alagar Hills of Madurai District, Tamil Nadu, India. It has been shown that 27 medicinal plants of 16 families used by traditional healer to cure Hepatomegaly. The Traditional knowledge of people who have been using the native plants for the preparation of drugs and methods of their administration along with doses were recorded, Collected through questionnaire as well as informal personal interviews during field trips. The practical knowledge of people in herbal medicines reveals that they are capable of treating Liver diseases. Keywords: hepato protective, traditional knowledge, medicinal plants 1. Introduction The use of plants to alleviate human suffering is as old as the evolution of human suffering. As many as 4000 plants are collectively mentioned in these early works. India also possesses a great heritage of other ancient systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy. Nearly 2500 Species of plants are used in one way or other by some of these systems. In addition to these traditional systems, these also exists in india a vast knowledge of tribal and folk medicine which utilize around 7500 species of plants as medicinal. According to the World Health Organization, over 80% of the world’s populations rely upon such traditional plant based systems of medicine to provide them with primary health care (Calixto, 2005) [1] . During the last few decades, there has been an increased interest in the study of medicinal plants and their traditional use in different parts of the world. The traditional uses of plants and plant products are the bases for human survival on the earth. The traditional healers are dwindling in number and there is a great danger of traditional knowledge disappearing soon. Wild economic plants constitute of large portion of food consumed by local inhabitant in tribal and hilly areas (Maheswari, 1988; Maheswari, 1990). Increase in population and the awareness of side effects of several synthetic drugs have encouraged the usage of traditional medicine in developing countries. Hence, there is no need to promote the usage of traditional medicine (Lampert et al. 1997). Enlargement of liver (hepatomegaly) can occur due to increased accumulation of blood in liver, inflammation, pathogenic infection, cysts and increased size of hepatocytes, infiltrative disorders or microhepatic causes. Increased ammonia level in brain causes hepatic encephalopathy. When normal hepatic parenchyma is replaced by fibrosis or regenerative nodules, cirrhosis is formed. This may occur due to alcoholism or viral hepatitis. The findings of the present investigation was made to record the Utilization of medicinal plants used as hepatoprotective. 2. Experimental Methods 2.1 Geographical details of the study sites The study area of Alagar hills has a tropical forest cover which extend from Alagar kovil in the south to Natham in the north. The Alagar hills lies approximately 77°30 and 78°20 longitude and 10°05’-10°09’ latitude. 2.2 Weather details As all the study sites selected for this present investigation were located within the distance of 10 km in total, there is no any fluctuations in temperature and rainfall of the study sites. The temperature of the study area ranges from 20 o C during winter and about 39 o C during summer. The average rainfall reaches 700 mm per year.