Ethnomedicobotany of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka State

In India, Western Ghat is one of the biodiversity hotspots. The total number of flowering plants in this area is estimated to be more than 3500. Many of these plants are having important healing properties, which are unknown to the modem world. However, the rich knowledge of traditional herbal medicine has been preserved by many of the tribal and rural communities of this locality. The present work is focused on ethnomedical knowledge of different communities of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka state which is situated in the heart of Western Ghats. In all, thirty plants, having highest utilization in folk medicines are described here. These plants are used to treat wide range of discomforts ranging from cough and cold, leprosy, jaundice, and cancer. Among these plants Calotropis gigantea (43 claims), Tinospora cordifolia (42 claims), Sida rhombifolia (42 claims) and Ficus glomerata (39 claims) are the most widely used plants in native medicine.