Ethnobotanical survey of selected Impatiens species (Balsaminaceae) as wonder herbals from Bonacaud regions of Agasthyamala hills, Kerala

Abstract

Impatiens comprises about 1000 species, widely distributed throughout Africa, North America and Asia. The family Balsaminaceae includes the genera Hydrocera and Impatiens. Impatiens are commonly known as, Jewel weed, touch me-not, snap weed etc. The Latin word ‘impatient’ means ripe fruits burst open when touched. This genus is known for indoor landscaping due to their colorful blooms in shady environments. Some species are annuals which produce blooms from monsoon to winter, while the perennial species mostly flowers during summer or infrequently throughout the year. Most species are used by the tribals as herbal remedies for curing diverse human disorders. Ethnopharmacologically, the whole plant was used as antidote against bee stings, insect bite, poison ivy, anxiety, itching, fungal and bacterial. It was also used as natural colouring agent for hair. Many phytochemical constituents like phenols and flavanoids were isolated and fractionated from limited number of species. Thus, the aim of this survey is to document the ethnomedicinal traditional knowledge related with pharmacological features of Impatiens species from Bonacaud. Coloured floral extracts of most of the Impatiens species contain substantial level of anthocyanin and was used as curative agent against many human disorders. Future works are warranted to evaluate and correlate the biological potentialities with anthocyanin profile of the wild Impatiens.