Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and perception of managing disease among the Yanadi Tribe of Veyi Lingala Kona

BACKGROUND: Inspite of advances of medical sciences and availability of treatment options in remote places of India, there are few inaccessible places which are devoid of the basic healthcare facilities. One among them is the Yanadi tribe of Veyi Lingala Kona who are still reliant on traditional medicinal knowledge till date. AIM: To understand how the Yanadis cope with some common illnesses given the geographical isolation and conviction of dependence on the traditional knowledge. MATERIALS & METHODS: The study was conducted over a period of 28 days and recorded actual healing procedures of different health problems suffered by the Yanadi people during this period. Most of the ethno-botanical studies in India use ‘recall method' (retrieval of information from the past or experience or repository of oral knowledge). Real life observation of treatment procedures is chance determined and hence studies adopt ‘quick' techniques. The study was specifically conducted to observe and record the actual incidences of health problems suffered and actual treatment procedures administered by the Yanadi during the period of the study. The chief methods used were interview and observation. The interviewees were interacted to gain information on the nature of health problem, decisions on choosing a specific plant and mode of treatment of administering plant medicine. Yanadi medical practitioners, patients and elderly people were interviewed to elicit data on the use of plant species in curing common illnesses. RESULTS: The study was conducted in an inaccessible place devoid of communication facilities and health care services. Fourteen individuals were found to be suffering from various illness or crippled health conditions during the study period. They were under treatment of using plant medicines. Fourteen plants were identified with the help of key informants. Data was also collected on the method of usage of plants. Some crucial issues are identified in the nature of ethno-medicine of the Yanadi and its prospective future. It was observed that the Yanadis of the study area were reluctant to undergo allopathic treatment. Herbal medicine is more comfortable for those ailments about which some etiological knowledge is known. They inherit this knowledge from their ancestors and transmit this to the successive generations. CONCLUSION: The traditional knowledge is closely interlinked with bio resources. Medicinal plants for health care are derived by continuous access to and observation of the natural resources. They have rich indigenous traditional knowledge on medicinal plants to cure various diseases by using various plants parts.