Ethnobotanical survey in the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala

Abstract

Ethnobotany refers to the field of study that examines the interaction between human societies and the plant kingdom, especially how indigenous people perceive, manage and utilize the plants around them. Ethnobotanical documentation can be seen as a model to preserve the oral traditional knowledge and a way to make it available for the present and future generations, thereby providing an opportunity to reflect the conservation status of biodiversity in their ancestral domain. Knowledge of indigenous cultures about medicinal or other uses of local plants is an important input for understanding traditional utilization of biological resources, for promoting community healthcare practices and also for developing modern plant-based drugs. The importance and urgency of scientific documentation of such traditional wisdom on medicinal properties or fodder utility of plants, much of which is restricted to local cultures and transmitted only orally, has been realized through this study as it is irreversibly eroding due to negligence of traditional cultures. The present study focus on ethnobotanical aspects of Thiruvananthapuram district. The information gathered from the contact persons were recorded and decoded relevant photographs and herbarium specimens were collected for authentication.