SURVEY ON ETHNO-MEDICINAL PLANTS USED FOR CUTS, WOUNDS AND INFLAMMATIONS BY MALAPANDARAM TRIBAL COMMUNITY OF ADICHIPUZHA, PATHANAMTHITTA, KERALA.

Plants have a crucial role in maintaining fitness of human beings in one way or other. These medicinal plants with complicated secondary metabolites provide medicinal and curative properties. Medicines based on plant and plant products, is the tradition of Kerala, which is now used as the basis of many of the modern medicaments. There are many plants, which are used by folklore for the treatment of cuts, wounds and burns that promote the repair mechanisms in the natural way. Since our traditional knowledge is on the verge of extinction, the present study was undertaken to document some of the medicinal plants used by Malapandaram tribal community settled at Adichipuzha, near Ranni to treat cuts and wounds.