ETHNOMEDICINAL USES OF CELASTRUS PANICULATUS WILLD. KNOWN TO FOUR TRIBAL COMMUNITIES OF WAYANAD DISTRICT OF KERALA, INDIA

The present paper gives ethnomedicinal information pertains to Celastrus paniculatus Willd., a plant that has wider use in ayurvedic system of medicine. The study was undertaken in Wayanad plateau of Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot and a locality known for its biological and ethnic diversity richness. Ethno-medicinal information available from Wayanad, known to outside world is minimum and fragmentary. A total of 984 information-bits concerned with this plant species were recorded, based on a questionnaire survey conducted amongst four tribes of the region: Paniya, Adiya, Kattunaikka, and Kuruma. Parts such as roots, leaves, barks, seeds and seed oil of this plant species found to be useful for multiple human diseases and health disorders. The collected information was grouped into 22 major disease category based on the response of the knowledge holders who participated in this study. Plant part used and mode of administration were also tabulated. The semi-nomadic socially disadvantaged tribe Kattunaikka found to be more knowledgeable amongst the 4 tribal communities studied.