ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants have been used to treat various ailments from ancient times, and ethnobotanical surveys had a major role in drug discovery. The present study was executed among the Malayali tribal people in the Kolli hills of the Eastern Ghats with the aim to collect traditional knowledge of medicinally important pteridophytes used by them. The field survey was carried out, and ethnomedicinal information was acquired through interviews and discussions. A questionnaire was designed to collect information about the plants used in ethnobotanical practice, viz., local name of the plant used, useful plant part(s), preparation method, and medicinal uses of specific plants. In total, 46 species of pteridophytes were recorded during the study period, representing 28 families and 36 genera. The fronds of pteridophytes were frequently used parts, while powder, decoction, and paste were the most used methods for herbal preparations. Species with more citations are Adiantum incisum, Blechnum orientale, Dicranopteris linearis, Drynaria quercifolia, Equisetum ramosissimum, and Marsilea minuta, which are considered as highly utilized plants for the preparation of herbal medicines. Plants with a high number of citations by the Malayalis were suggested for study for their associated pharmacological activities in developing active biomolecules, since most of these plants were not yet studied in phytochemical and ethnopharmacological aspects.
