A survey of plant crude drugs of Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh, India.

An ethnobotanical survey of Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh was carried out during 1985-1988. One hundred and thirty-one useful plants currently used by the tribal and non-tribal inhabitants for treating different ailments are presented. Most of the uses of the plants reported by herbalists appear not to have been recorded hitherto. The study reveals some interesting information about the mode of plant use in various ailments either singly or in combination. It has been observed that though the tribes studied live under the same environment and use the same plant species for treating diseases, their prescriptions are quite different. This indicates that these tribes still retain their own traditions so far as treatments are concerned.