ABSTRACT
Background: India is rich in ethanobotanical knowledge which is inherited from generation to generation among tribal people since ancient time. But the traditional knowledge system in India is rapidly neglecting and there is an urgent need to record all ethnobotanical information from the diverse ethnic communities before they completely lost. An ethno-botanical survey was carried out in some part of Thane now Palghar district, Maharashtra to procure endogenous knowledge from local and tribal people about their medicinal uses.
Material and Methods: The indigenous knowledge of aborigine people was documented through questionnaires and personal conversation. Plants were identified and arranged as botanical name, family name, local name, useful part and formulation used to cure various ailments.
Results: During the study 51 plant species belongs to 37 families used to cure various ailments were recorded. They are being used to cure various common diseases like jaundice, body pain, loss of appetite, asthma, fever, headache, wound healing, vomiting, skin diseases, scorpion bite, cough, cold, to stop bleeding, piles, dental problems, liver disease, hair problems, etc.
Conclusion: Documentation of ethno-medicinal knowledge from aborigine or tribal people may help for the formulation of new drugs to cure different ailments.
Key words: Ethanobotany, ailments, jaundice, piles, Palghar, tribes.