BULL. BOT. SURV. INDIA Vol. 47, NOS. 1-4 : pp. 121-130, 2005 SOME UNREPORTED MEDICINAL USES OF PLANTS FROM THE TRIBAL AREA OF SOUTHERN RAJASTHAN S.S. &?~~ZW*A, hJm~,B . L. ~ U D H A R YAN D hWEN GAW Laboratory of Ethnobotany and Agrostology, Department of Botany College of Science, M.L . Sukhadia University, Udaipur-313001 A B S T R A C T Hitherto unreported folk medicinal uses of 41 species of plants belonging to 29 families used by the tribals of Southern Rajasthan have been dealt in this paper. Some plants with important ethnomedicinal new uses are Aegle marmelos, Leucas aspera and Pongamia pinnata in mipine; Acacia leucophloea as contraceptive; Borassus jkbelifec Gmia orientalis and Ziziphus xylopyra in developing complete sterility in female while Cocculus villosus in male; Citrus medica in kidney stone; Crinum asiaticum in breast cancer; Cryptolepis buchanani in piles; Gardenia turgida and Luffa acutangula as antidote in animal bite; lchmcarpus fnrtescens in swollen gums; hnnea ~oromandelicain earache; Nyctanthes arbor- tn'stis in obesity; Euphorbia acadis, Grewia dumine, Xeromphis spinosa in skin diseases and Clitoris ternatea in colic. The plant part used and mode of administration in also given. The of herbal healing has very deep root in Indian culture and folklore. Even today in most of the n d a reas, people are depending on local traditional healing system for their primary health care. The tribds of remote areas of Southern Rajasthan are totally dependent on herbs for their health care as it is difficult for them to get modem medical facilities for their day-to-day health problems since the government dispensaries are far away from their abodies. Rajasthan is the largest State of the India located in the North Western part of India. Geographically it lies between 23" 3' to 30" 12' longitude and 69" 30' to 78" 17' latitude. The tribal dominated Southern part of Rajasthan harbour vast diversity of vegetation. It includes subtropical evergreen forest of Boswellia serrata, Diospyros melanoxylon, Dendrocalamus strictus, Bombax ceiba, Madhuca indica, Tectona grandis, Anogeissus latvolia and Balanites aegyptiaca. These forests are inhabited by the major tribes of the State viz. Bhil, Meena, Garasia, Damor and Kathda. The surrounding plants for these people form an integral part of their culture and the information about plants get passed on from generation to generation only though oral folklore although many times kept secret. Date of receipt : 10.12.2003. Date of acceptance : 19.04.2005. 122 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA Wol. 47 Ethnobotanical studies on tribal dominated Southern part of Rajathan have been carried out by !Mastah and Bbandari (1984, 1988), Joshi (1995), Singh and Pandey (1980, 1998), Katewa and Amra (lW), Kabwa and Guria (lw,K at,ewa and Sharma (1998) and Katewa & al. (2001,2003). A perusal of literatwe reveals that though lot of ethnomedicinal work has been done in Southern part of R a j w s till some ethnomedicinal gap exists in this w o n as reported in the present paper. 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 are passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth, a d a re guarded like secrets. Tly medicine-men collect the plant needed for a partic* applicatio~e ither directly from the forest or from the local shops. In view of secretiveness of traditional medicine-men and women it was decided to interview a number of elderly people who have a great deal of practical know-how when it comes to the plants used as medicines in the native system. Before actually launching into the fieldwork, 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 a= crucial to establishing rapport between the participants involved. Field sites were visited with the local medicinemen. 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 some elders, healere, msdicibemen, birth-attendant, woodcutter, shepherds, headmen and Bhopa can 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. A)so, paruwal obscnation is helpful for verification of the data provided by the informants at different places. To b authentkity of information collected during fieldwork, repeated verification of data fmm diffezmt infmants and in different times was done. Thus, only the specific and reliable inf6matiun ercm-checked with at least 13 infinynants has been incorporated in the present study. During the ethmrnedicinal survey some interesting herbal medicines have come to light, which are rn mentimed in impatant ebomedicinal herbal literature. The collected herbs were identified up to species level at the Herbarium of Farest Research Institute, llehradun (India). All the collected specimens were deposited in the Herbarium of Laboratory of EthnobotanY and Agrostology, Department of Botany, College of Science, M. LoS ukhadia University, Udaipur (India) for authentication of infixmation and further ~fereflce.N un~berso f ~~uchseprec imens are also provided, The information about the ethnomedicinal propeties of plants are given by mentioning their Botanical name, local name, period of flowering and fruiting, habit, parts used and the mode of their administration. 20051 KATEWA & AL. : SOME UNREPROTED MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM S. RAJASTHAN 123 ENUMERATION Acacia leucophbea (Roxb.) Willd. (MMOSACEAE) *EA 47 m: Khar, Safed-Kikar, Rijua Habit: Tree Fl. & FK: August-February Ethnomedtcinal Uses: Decoction of one teaspoon back powder is taken daily as contraceptive, half an hour before intercourse. Aegle marmelos (L.) Cox (RUTACEAE) EA 63 h:B e1 Habit: Deciduous tree FI. & FK : January-July Ethnomedicinal Uses: (1) Decoction of apical stem bud is made with jaggery and taken in sexual debility by both men and women for 7 days. (2) Bark extract of this plant is massaged on forehead, twice a day for 3 days in migraine. The bark is collected for this purpose early in the morning before sunrise. (3) Juice of fruits is mixed with of Cannabis sativa leaves extract and is given to boost up immune system and to cure general debility. It acts as analgesic and sedative too. Borassus flabelifer L. (ARECACEAE) EA 312 Ln.: Tad Habit: Tree Ethnomedicinal Uses: Decoctions of two inches root powder is given to women to develop complete sterility and it acts as contraceptive. Bridelia rettisa (L.) Spreng. (EwHoRBIACEAE) EA 200 Ln.: Lapano Habit: Trees Fl. & FK:J uly December Ethnornedicinal Uses: Powder of bark of Bauhinia racemosa and Bridelia retusa is mixed and given to women to develop sterility and it acts as contraceptive. C&a auriculata L. (CAESALPINLACEAE) EA 125 Ln.: Anwal, Tarwan Habit: Bushy shrub FL & FK: August-November Ethnomedicinal Uses: Two teaspoon decoction made from bark of Cassia auriculata, bulbletes of Allium sativum, powder of rhizomes of Curcuma tonga, Syzygium aromaticum and Jaggery is given twice a day for 6-7 days to cure asthma, bronchitis, cold and cough. Cissus repanda Vahl (VITACEAE) EA 367 Ln.: Pani-vala, Sanadudi Habit: A small herb Fl. & FK: September-December Ethnomedicinal Uses: Root extract is given to animals orally to prevent abortion and also as * EA Ethnobotany and Agrostology Herbarium Number; Ln = Local name BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA . antidysentric Citrus medica L. (RUTACEAE) EA208 La: Limbu Habit: Shrub Fl. & Fr.: Throughout the year Ethnomedicinal Uses: A molluscan shell is put in the fruit juice of lemon and kept it over night. This mixture is taken early in the morning by the patient suffering from asthma as well as kidney stone. Clitoria ternatea L. (FABACEAE) EA 335 Ln.: Vardia Habit: Twining herb Fl. & Fr.: Most part of the year Ethnomedicinal Uses: Tribals crush 114th part of seed with water and given to child in colic. Cocculus h t u s ( L.) Diels (MENISPERMACEAE) EA 127 h:T ikri-Be1 Habit: Climber Fl. & Fr.: September-April Ethnomedicinal Uses: (1) Extract of whole plant is taken early in the morning for 5 days in asthma and bronchitis. (2) Vegetable of leaves is eaten by the tribals in gastric complaints. Root decoction is used in urinary tract inflammation. Cocculus villosus (Lam.) DC. (MENISPERMACEAE) EAU)9 Ln. : Khangrao Habit: Climber FI. & Fz: September-April Ethnomedicinal Uses: The leaves are put in water for 24 hrs. and taken orally to develop sterility in men. Corchorus depressus (L.) Stocks (TILIACEAE) EA 299 Ln.: Baphuli Habit: Prostrate, perennial hubs Fl. & Fr: August March Ethnomedicinal Uses: Powder of whole plant is taken daily with fresh goat milk for a month as a tonic to gain sexual vitality in male. Crateva magna &our.) DC. (CAPPARACEAE) EA303 Ln.: Vaivana Habit: Deciduous trees FI. & Fz: February-June Ethnomedicinal Uses: lbig of stem is put inside the vagina for abortion, which occur within 2-3 hours. Crinum asiatkwn L. (AMARYLLIDACEAE) EA 322 Ln. :J ahari Kanda Habit: A bulbous herb Fl. & Fz: August-November Ethnomedicinal Uses: Poultice of crushed bulb is tied locally on breast cancer, carbuncles, tumour and warts for early cure. Cryptdepb buchananii Roem. & Schult. (PERLPLOCACEAE) EA 2.24) 20051 KATEWA & AL. : SOME UNREPROTED MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM S. RAJASTHAN 125 Ln.: Tikari-Bel, Karnala-Ki-Be1 Habit: Twining shrubs Fl. & FK: May-August Ethnomedicinal Uses: 20 gm leaf powder is taken early in the morning for 4-5 days in piles. Datura metal L. (SOLANACEAE) EA 179 Ln.: Dhatura, Kala -Dhatura Habit: Shrub FI. & FK: September-December Ethnornedicinal Uses: 20 rnl wine prepared' from whole plant is mixed with 10 rnl water and taken twice a day, 1 hour after taking meal to cure asthma. It acts as bronchiodilater. Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f.) Etting (LORANTHACEAE) EA 327 h:S alar-Be1 Habit: An epiphytic F1. & FK: August- February Ethnomedicinal Uses: Leaf extract is taken by the tribals orally in gastritis. Ehretia laevis Roxb. (EHRETIACEAE) EA 223 Ln.: Tarnboliya, Luni, Tarnbol Habit: Deciduous tree FI. & Fr.: March-May Ethnomedicinal Uses: The bark of various plants (Ehretia leavis, Butea monosperma, Terminalia bellirica, Mangifera indica, Lannea c~~omandelicanad Ziziphus rugosa) are mixed together in equal amount. The decoction prepared from this mixture is given to children in dysentery and diarrhoea, twice a day for one day. Enicostema verticillatum (L.) Engl. (GENTIANACEAE) EA 187 Ln.: Naarne, Nahli, Kadava Habit: Annual herb Fl. & FK:A ugust-December Ethnomedicinal Uses: Extract of whole plant is given orally in dysuria. Euphorbia acaulis (Roxb.) Buch. -Ham. (EUPHORBIACEAE) EA 330 h.:Ja ngli Palak Habit: Annual herb F1. & FK: September- November Ethnomedicinal Uses: Latex of tuber 'is applied on tumours and boils only for 10-15 minutes then washed gently with water for fast recovery. Gardenia turgida Roxb. (RUBIACEAE) EA 328 Ln.: Padairi, Padatatu Habit: Small deciduous tree Fl. & FK: April-June Ethnomedicinal Uses: One cup of root bark extract is taken orally as antidote in snake bite and the paste of root bark is also applied externally. Grewia damine Gaertn. (TILIACEAE) EA 228 Ln.: Gangestri Habit: Shrub F1. & FK: January- October 126 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA [Vol. 47 Ethnomedicinal Uses: Poultice of roots and leaves is applied locally to cure leucoderma. Ln.: Gengchi Habit: Shrub Fl. & Fx: August- November Ethnomedicinal Uses: Half teaspoon root powder is taken orally with water for 7 days (after completion of menses period) to develop sterility in women. Holarrhena 811tMysenterh Wall. (APOCYNACEAE) EA 137 Ln.: Kadi, Kodaya, Hadadiyo Habit: Shrub F1. & FK:M ay-September Ethnomedicinal Uses: Two teaspoon decoction of mixture of bark of Holarrhena antidysenterica, leaves of Ampelocissus latifolia, whole aerial part of Lucas aspera, pods of Cassia fistula and bulb lets of Allium sativum are given orally twice a day for 5-7 days in bronchitis, hiccough, asthma, cold and other lung complaints. IchnocPrplls htewens (L.) R. Br. (APOCYNACEAE) EA 348 LA: Nankimala Habit: Tkvining shrub Fl. & FK: September- February Ethnodiciml Uses: Decoction of leaves is massaged on teeth and swollen gums in pyorrhoea for early cure. Ln.: Adusa Habit: Shrub FI. & Fx: October- March Ethnornedicinal Uses: Powder of whole plant of Justicia adhatoda and Tinospora cordifolia is mixed. It is boiled with water and sugar at least for an hour. This mixture is cooled and then root powder of Piper longum is added. Two teaspoon of this decoction is taken twice a day for 15 days to cure bronchitis and asthma. It acts as expectorant. k e a c mnmmdeiica (Houtt.) Merrill (ANACARDIACEAE) EA 251 La: Godal Habit: Deciduous tree F1. & FK: January-July Ethnomedicinal Uses: Warmed bark extract is poured in ear in earache and to stop pus formation. Leucas aspem (Willd.) Link (LAMLACEAE) EA 147 Ln.: Piyari Habit: Densely hairy herb Fl. & Fz: Throughout the year Ethnornedicinal Uses: Extract of Inflorescence is massaged on fore-head in headache and migrarne. I,* acuhquh (Linn.) Roxb. (CUCURBITACEAE) EA 91 Ln.: J angli Turoii Habit: Extensive climber Fl. & FK:J uly-October Ethnomedicinal Uses: Fruits are crushed and given orally in dog bite as antidote. NyCtanthes ~ t r k dLsinn . (OLEACEAE) EA 207 20051 KATEWA & AL. : SOME UNREPROTED MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM S. RAJASTHAN 127 Ln. : Harsinger Habit: Shrub FI. & Fr.: August-November Ethnomedicinal Uses: 75 gm leaf power in taken orally with milk for 15 days in rheumatism while herbal tea prepared from leaves is taken in obesity. h:K ewra Habit: Much branched small tree Fl. & FK: April-July Ethnomedicinal Uses: Extract of roots and fruits is taken orally by the tribals to stop shivering by enhancing the body temperature. Phoenix sylvestris (Linn.) Roxb. (ARACACEAE) Ln.: Khajoor, Tar, Tari Habit: Usually unbranched palms Fl. & FK: Feb.-August Ethnomedicinal Uses: Juice of apical shoot is given in diabetes as tonic. It is also given to cure diarrhoea twice a day for two days. Phyllanthus fraternus Webst. (EUPHORBIACEAE) EA 145 Ln.: B hui-amla Habit: Glabrous herb F1. & Fr.: August-December Ethnomedicinal Uses: Whole plant is fried in butter and pallets are made which are taken orally once a day for a month in jaundice as liver tonic. Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre. (FABACEAE) Ln.: Karanj, Kavja, Safed Chitrak Habit: Tree F1. & FK:M arch-June Ethnomedicinal Uses: Extract of leaf is massaged on the forehead in migraine. Porana panicdata Roxb. (CONVOLVULACEAE) Ln.: Hirohiravala Habit: Perennial, woody twiners Fl. & Fr.; October-March Ethnomedicinal Uses: Half cup leaf and bark extract is given to women and one teaspoon to newborn child suffering from jaundice just after delivery for 3 to 7 days twice a day. s-temma viminale (L.) R. Br. (ASCLEPIADACEAE) EA 95 Ln.: Hamar-bel, Khir-khirnp Habit: Leafless, succulent straggling shrub Fl. & Fr.: June-Oct. Ethnornedicinal Uses: One teaspoon decoction of whole plant is given orally in rheumatism once a day for 7 days by the tribals. Before and after taking this decoction nothing is to be eaten at least for one hour. F~~lanurvnir ginianum L. (SOLANACEAE) EA340 h.: Datur, B huringni, Ringnin Habit: Perennial herb Fl. & FK: Most part of the year Ethnomedicinal Uses: (1) Smoke treatment of fruits is taken by the tribals to cure piles, for this purpose affected part is fumigated. 128 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA [Vol. 47 (2) Quarter cup decoction of root made with jaggary is given to women in acbolis and for the abortion of foetus upto 5 months, more quantity will be poisonous. This decoction is also taken by the women to set up menstrual 'disorders. Ln.: Kajda Habit: Tree Ethnomedicinal Uses: Seed oil is applied externally on various skin diseases like eczema and sores. Vitex trifolia L.f. (VERBENACEAE) Ln. : Tal-patiay, Tapdi, Tinpostia Habit: Herb F1. & FK: August-November Ethnomedicinal Uses: The paste of tuber is applied externally for early cure of throat sore by the tribals. Vitis vitiginea Haines (VITACEAE) EA 2 3 Ln.: Jangli Angoor Habit: Weak climber Fl. & FK: August-November Ethnomedicinal Uses: Half cup extract of tubers of this plant is taken by the tribals in stomachache and liver complaints. Xeromphis spin058 (Thunb.) Keay (RUBIACEAE) EA 281 h.:M andol, Gadli Habit: Spreading shrub F1. & FK:M arch-June Ethnomedicinal Uses: Roots extract is given in flatulence by the tribal and also applied locally on wart, allergy, eczema and other skin diseases. Ziziphus xylopyra (Retz.) Wid. (RHAMNACEAE) h:G atori, Ghat-bor Habit: Shrub Fl. & FK:D ecember-January Ethnomedicinal Uses: Crushed fruit powder is dipped in water and kept overnight. This infusion is taken by the women early in the morning for 7 days to check oogenesis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS As a result of this study the ethnomedicinal uses of 41 plants belonging to 29 families have been documented for their therapeutic properties for various ailments. The knowledge of tribals on abortifacient and female contraceptive, which is one of the important informal innovation of them is quite relevant to the present day situation. In this context Acacia leucophloea, Zizyphus xylopyra, Grewia orientalis, Crateva magna and Solanum v i r - n a a re used by the tribals of Southern Raja sthan. As per earlier report fresh leaves of Clitoria ternatea are used to cure congestion of liver and 20051 KATEWA & AL. :S OME UNREPROTED MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM S. RAJASTHAN 129 biliousness and roots are used to cure hydrophobia. However, the present study reveals that the seeds of this plant are used in the treatment of colic. The present study aids to the earlier knowledge of Corchorus depressus used in the weakness of heart by adding the use of plant to regain sexual vitality. In the present study ethnomedicinal value of plants such as Crinum asiaticum, Euphorbia acaulis, Strychnos nux-vomica and Xeromphis spinosa have been reported for the first time to cure various skin diseases, which are not mentioned by the earlier workers (Singh and Pandey, 1980, 1998 & Joshi, 1995). Among the total plants described in this paper, the use of 3 plants i.e. Aegle marmelos, Leucas aspara and Pongamia pinnata have been reported for the first time in the treatment of migraine by the tribals of the study area. Hence the role of ethnomedicinal survey and field work is of crucial importance as some miraculous medicines are known to the tribes and aboriginals and much acquired knowledge through the age is usually passed on from generation to generation as a guarded secret of certain families. Therefore, it is necessary to popularize the identity and utility of these medicinal plants. These highly interesting findings require further research, while efficacy of the various indigenous ethomedicinal practices will need to be subjected to pharmacological validation. One of the authors (Dr. Anita Jain) is thankful to the CSIR, New Delhi (India) for providing financial assistance and to the authorities of Forest Research Institute, Dehradun (India) for consulting herbarium for final identification of herbal plants. The authors also thankfully acknowledge the cooperation received from the tribals and forest officials of Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur districts. REFERENCES Jos~r,P . Ethnobotany of the Primitive Tribes in Rajasthan, Printwell, Jaipur. 1995. KATEWSA. S. AND A. ARORAS. ome plants in folk medicine of Udaipur district (Rajasthan), Ethnobotany 9, 48-51. 1997. AND B.D. Gum. Ethnomedicinal observation on certain wild plants trom Southern Aravalli hills of Rajasthan. Vasundhara 2, 85-88. 1997. ---- AND R. 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