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Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

Ethnopharmacological communication

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S.D. Jagtap a , S.S. Deokule b, , S.V. Bhosle b

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Some unique ethnomedicinal uses of plants used by the Korku

tribe of Amravati district of Maharashtra, India
Medicinal Plant Conservation Centre, Rural Communes (MPCC-RC), Pune 411037, Maharashtra, India
b Department of Botany, University of Pune, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007, Maharashtra, India
Received 27 December 2005; received in revised form 20 February 2006; accepted 3 April 2006
Available online 18 April 2006

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Abstract

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The present ethnobotanical study was carried out among the ethnic groups (Korku tribe) in the Chikhaldara, Achalpur and parts of Morshi in
Amravati district of Maharashtra, India. A field survey of the study area was carried out during 20002004 to document the medicinal utility
of plants occurring in this area by Korku tribe. Traditional uses of 66 plant species belonging to 40 families are described under this study. The
documented ethnomedicinal plants were mostly used to cure skin disorders, diarrhea, jaundice, tuberculosis, stroke, migraine, menstrual problems,
fertility problems, urinary problems, piles, wounds and poison bites. The medicinal plants used by the Korku tribe are arranged alphabetically
followed by family name, herbarium number, local name, parts used, mode of preparation and medicinal uses.
2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Keywords: Korku tribe; Ethnomedicine; Amravati district; Traditional knowledge

1. Introduction

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India has rich diversity of medicinal plants distributed in different geographical and environmental conditions. It harbors
over 8000 medicinal plants of which 2242 have been recorded
for the state of Maharashtra (Kareem Abdul, 1997). India has
the second largest tribal population in the world after Africa. As
per the 1991 census of India, the total population of tribals is
8% of countrys population of which Maharashtra has 47 scheduled tribal communities with 9.27% of the total population of
the state (Kshirsagar and Singh, 2000). The tribal people mostly
depend on forests for their livelihood. Plants and their parts are
not only used as food and medicine but also used in various
tribal rituals that are a part of their social and religious life. The
age-old knowledge of the plants is the basis for ethnobotanical
research.
The traditional medical practices are an important part of the
primary healthcare system in the developing world (Sheldon et
al., 1997). According to the World Health Organization (WHO)
as many as 80% of worlds population depends today on tradi-

Corresponding author. Tel.: 91 20 256240388.

E-mail address: chiritatml@rediffmail.com (S.S. Deokule).

0378-8741/$ see front matter 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jep.2006.04.002

tional medicine for their primary health care needs (Azaizeh et

al., 2003). Many tribal communities in India still practice use of
their traditional knowledge to cure a variety of diseases and ailments. Safe, effective and inexpensive indigenous remedies are
gaining popularity among the people of both the urban and rural
areas, especially in India and China (Katewa et al., 2004). This
plant-based traditional knowledge has become a recognized tool
in search for new sources of drugs and nutraceuticals (Sharma
and Mujumdar, 2003). There are a few surveys that reveal the
practice of herbal medicine by the Korkus (Bhogaonkar and
Devarkar, 2002a,b; Padhye et al., 1991, 1992) and other tribes of
Melghat area (Chaudhari and Hutke, 2002). Review of literature
revealed that few reports on the ethnopharmacognostic studies
and the use of some plants for antisterility and urinogenital
disorders are available (Bhogaonkar and Devarkar, 2001a,b,
2002a,b). The aim of the present study was to evaluate some
unique (new and less known) medicinal uses of the plants
utilized by the Korku tribe and encourage preservation of their
culture, traditional knowledge, conservation and sustainable
utilization of the plant wealth occurring in the study area. In
the present paper, we report for the first time some new and
less known ethnomedicinal uses in the treatment of different
ailments by the Korkus of Amravati district of Maharashtra,
India.

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S.D. Jagtap et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

been worked out by Patel (1968), Dhore and Joshi (1988) and
Bhogaonkar and Devarkar (1999). The forests of study area
are of dry deciduous type (Champion and Seth, 1968). Some
of the red-listed species (red list is a compilation of endangered wildlife species by the IUCN, the IUCN red list is the
worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plants and animals) documented in the study
area are Chlorophytum borivilianum, Cucumis setosus, Eulopihia ramentacea, Ceropegia bulbosa var. bulbosa, Ceropegia
bulbosa var. lushii, Ensete superbum, Haplanthodes tentaculata, Barleria prattensis and Curcuma psedomontana (Nayar
and Sastry, 1990). Among the animals found in this place are
tiger, leopard, bear, bison, wild boar, sambar, deer and various
poisonous snakes like cobra, russel viper, krait, pit viper and
non-poisonous like rat snake, wolf snake, etc.

2. Study area

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Maharashtra is situated in central western part of India,

south of Madhya Pradesh. The study area lies between latitudes
21 15 21 45 N, and longitudes 76 57 77 33 E in the Satpura ranges which harbors the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) in
Amravati district of Maharashtra, India (Fig. 1). MTR is Indias
seventh tiger reserve under Project Tiger established in 1973
and the sanctuary is developed as National Tiger Reserve from
the year 1985 with a total area of 2027.41 km2 (Bhogaonkar and
Devarkar, 1999) in the Gavilgarh hills of Satpura. It is distributed
in two talukas namely Achalpur and Chikhaldara of Amravati
district.
The area is very popular for the flora and fauna to botanists
and wildlife enthusiasts. The floristic study of this area has

Fig. 1. Location map of the study area in Amravati district, Maharashtra, India.

S.D. Jagtap et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

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There are five main tribes Korku, Gond, Nihal, Gawali and
Gavlan that reside in Amravati district, of which Korku is the
major one. Anthropologically, the Korkus are of Kolarian origin
(Anonymous, 1968) and speak Korku language which is more
identical with Kols and Santhals (Fuchs, 1908). Korku means;
Kor and Ku, where Kor means land and Ku means a
person who is walking on the land. Etymologically, Korku
means an honest person, Karo means honest. In the Korku tribe,
their surnames, village names and area names are more specific
to their locality. Korkus are very conservative in nature and a bit
lazy people with simple religion. They reside almost in all the
314 villages of the study area of Amravati district in Maharashtra
state, India.
Traditional healers in the Korku tribe are known as
Bhumkas, a group of five to seven elderly persons from the
village who play an important role in all the cultural and religious events of the community. Korkus have a deep faith in
Bhumkas and believe that these persons have the mystical
powers to heal as well as protect the village from diseases, evil
and other problems like famine, etc. Bhumkas are well aware
of different mantras and tantras. The traditional knowledge of
proper use of the medicinal plants is transferred to only select
teenagers who work as assistants to the recognized Bhumkas in
the community.
The Korkus residing in forest are still dependent on the medicinal plants for their primary healthcare and in the treatment of
various diseases. They still use the plants from forests as vegetables. They eat shoots (S), leaves (L) and in some cases, the whole
plant (WP) as a vegetable. Plants like Aerva lanata (S), Alocasia
macrorhiza (L), Ammania baccifera (L), Asparagus racemosus
(S), Celosia argentea var. cristata (L), Chlorophytum bharuchae
(L), Commelina forsskalaei (WP), Digeria muricata (L), Glinus oppositifolius (WP), Gnaphalium pulvinatum (L), etc. are
routinely used as vegetables. Korkus are socio-economically
backward and poor people. They also collect honey, bee wax
and some other minor forest produce for their livelihood.

had taken treatment from the Bhumkas for various health problems. The collected data were confirmed and compiled after
frequent visits in the different areas. Another way of collecting the information was active participation in their different
ceremonies like marriages, social events, festivals, etc., which
was really a great opportunity for observing the lifestyle and
plant relationships of the Korku tribe. However, only specific
and reliable information cross-checked with the informants has
been incorporated in the present study.
Many of the Korkus accompanied in the field for collection of
the voucher specimens that helped getting the maximum knowledge of each plant used by them. The Korkus are not aware of any
botanical names but are fully aware of the efficacy and therapeutic values of the plants that they use in their traditional medicine.
The information of medicinal plants and their properties was
confirmed by referring previous literature on medicinal plants,
ethnobotany (Anonymous, 19481992; Dey, 1973; Husain et al.,
1992; Jain, 1991; Jain and De Filipps, 1991; Jain and Rao, 1983;
Kirtikar and Basu, 1975) and ethnoveterinary plants (Jain and
Srivastava, 1999). The identification of the collected plants was
confirmed by using Forest Flora of Melghat (Patel, 1968), Flora
of Melghat Tiger Reserve (Dhore and Joshi, 1988) and Additions
to the Flora of Melghat (Bhogaonkar and Devarkar, 1999).
The identification of unidentified specimens and confirmation of the identified specimens was done in Herbaria of Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Western Circle, Pune and by referring
The Flora of The Presidency of Bombay (Cooke, 1958), Flora of
Maharashtra State, Monocotyledons (Sharma et al., 1996) and
Flora of Maharashtra State, Dicotyledons, Vol. 1 and 2 (Singh
and Karthikeyan, 2000; Singh et al., 2001). The specimens are
deposited in herbarium of Medicinal Plant Conservation CentreRural Communes (MPCC-RC), Pune, and in the Department of
Botany, University of Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India. The enumeration includes botanical name, authority, herbarium number,
family, local name and use of plants.

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3. Korku tribals

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4. Methodology

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Efforts were made to organize frequent season wise field

visits from February 2000 to May 2004 in the different villages of the study area. During the field visits, attempts were
made for developing a good relation with the Korkus by offering
gifts, fruits, eatables, bidies, etc. and also attending their local
cultural events. The local, efficient, knowledgeable individuals
cum mediators were identified in order to understand and collect the traditional information of the medicinal plants from the
Bhumkas who are traditional medical practitioners. Information was collected through interview with Bhumkas who are the
traditional healers among the Korku tribe. Similar use of a particular plant or plant part that was told by at least three Bhumkas
in the study area was taken into consideration and cross-checked
by interviewing eight elder persons aged between 55 and 77
years, who had traditional knowledge of plants and also interviewing a minimum of two and maximum of five patients who

5. Results and discussion

The present investigation revealed that the Korkus of Amravati district are using 66 species of plants belonging to 40
families (Table 1 ) for medicinal use. Out of the total 66 plants, 29
were herbs, 13 were shrubs, 2 were small trees, 18 were big trees,
3 were climbers and 1 was grass. They are using these plants to
cure diseases like skin disorders, diarrhea, jaundice, tuberculosis, stroke, migraine, menstrual problems, fertility problems,
urinary problems, piles, wounds, poison (snake and scorpion)
bites, etc. In addition, two plants are being used in ethnoveterinary practices in the treatment of fracture and prolapse in cattle.
The preparations are usually made by using a single plant part
or a combination of several plant parts. Sometimes combination
of two or more different plant species is also used. In some treatments, animal part/extract/waste is used along with the plant.
Medical administration includes inhalation, oral administration,
paste/applying and rubbing/massage. Most of the ailments such
as stomachache, menstrual problems, fertility problems, urinary
problems, jaundice and diarrhea can be cured by oral absorption while most of the skin diseases, wounds, body swelling,

466

S.D. Jagtap et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

Family

Herbarium no.

Local name

Parts used, mode of preparation, ethnomedical uses and some other

plants used as ingredients

Abelmoschus culneus (L.)

Wight and Arn.

Malvaceae

MPCC 3544

Jangli Bhendi

Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.

Simaroubaceae

MPCC 2613

Maharukho

Alectra parasitica A. Rich.

Scrophulariaceae

MPCC 936

Nirguda

Annona squamosa L.

Annonaceae

MPCC 3555

Sitaphal

Bauhinia racemosa Lam.

Caesalpiniaceae

MPCC 903

Bhosai

Buchanania cochinchinensis
(Lour.) Almeida
Caesalpinina decapetala
(Roth.)
Cajanus scarabaeoides (L.)
du-Petit-Thours

Anacardiaceae

MPCC 2023

Torab

Caesalpiniaceae

MPCC 3443

Khailaia

Fabaceae

MPCC 2649

Dongar tuli

Capparis decidua (Forssk.)

Edgew.
Cardiospermum helicacabum
L.
Cassia tora L.

Capparaceae

MPCC 3565

Yelya haran

Fresh root is crushed and put in 2 cup of boiling water, mixture

is heated till it remains half the original quantity from which 10 ml
decoction is taken twice a day for 7 days in calcium deficiency
Root is crushed in a glass of water and given to drink, while root
paste is applied on bitten area to cure scorpion bite
Bark powder mixed with bark powder of Madhuca longifolia var.
latifolia, root powder of Sterculia urens and leaf powder of Vitex
negundo boiled in water which is used for bathing and 10 g of
mixture taken with water to reduce body swelling
Half a cup of bark decoction taken once a day for 1012 days to
clear the uterus.
Whole plant is crushed and boiled in water which is used for
bathing, and a cup of fresh plant juice is taken to cure stroke
Fresh leaves are crushed, mixed in hot food oil and the steam is
given at bitten place, mixture after cooling applied on bitten area to
cure scorpion bite
Stem bark is kept in house as snake repellent
Leaves are chewed by two people and air is blown in patients ear,
after which a glass of water is given to drink to cure scorpion bite
Paste of dry seeds prepared in milk and applied externally to treat
skin diseases
Root powder mixed with root powder of Piper betle in a cup of
water and taken once a day for 6 days to induce sterility
Paste of whole plant and some red soil is mixed in hens egg and
the mixture is applied at site of fracture and tied with
Dendrocalamus strictus (bamboo) strips to accelerate healing of the
bone fracture of cattlea
Decoction of young branches is taken to cure migraine

Sapindaceae

MPCC 2628

Kapalphodi

Fresh bark is chewed to cure stomachache

Casesalpiniaceae

MPCC 2235

Tarota

Catunaregam spinosa
(Thunb.) Tirveng

Rubiaceae

MPCC 3566

Gheta, Bheta

Celastrus paniculatus Willd.

Celastraceae

MPCC 958

Pingvel

Chlorophytum borivilianum
Sant. and Fernandez

Liliaceae

Citrullus colocynthis (L.)

Schard.
Cleome viscosa L.

Dry fruit powder taken with a cup of milk once a day for 3 days to
cure stroke
Bark of Catunaregam spinosa, leaves of Allium sativum and whole
plant of Cajanus scarabaeoides burned and smoke is given once in
a day for 21 days to treat piles
Pickle of flowers is eaten twice a day to cure stroke
Half a cup of leaf decoction is taken for 10 days to cure menstrual
disorders
Dry tuber powder is mixed in ghee prepared from cows milk along
with coconut pulp and 20 g of the mixture is taken daily to cure
stroke
Seeds are crushed in coconut oil and the paste is applied on
forehead for peaceful sleep
Root paste in cows urine applied thrice a day for 3 days on skin to
reduce body heatb
5 g of gum is taken once a day for 15 days to stop white discharge
from the vagina
100 g powder of stem bark taken with a glass of water to cure
menstrual disorders
Seed paste taken with lump sugar once in day for 40 days to get
relief from insanity
Powder of dry leaves is inhaled to get relief from headache
Half-cup fresh juice is taken twice with a gap of 3 h in a day to cure
stomachache
Paste of tuber applied externally to cure tonsils
Seed powder mixed with calyx powder of Gossypium herbaceum
boiled in water and a cup of it is taken once a day for 3 days to cure
menstrual disorders
Fresh or dry fruit eaten with some water to drink to cure snakebite
Fresh root is crushed in a cup of water and taken to get relief from
stomachache

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Turshi

Cucurbitaceae

MPCC 706

Ratagaulan

Capparaceae

MPCC 915

Torthan

Cochlospermaceae

MPCC 3570

Phangra

Boraginaceae

MPCC 2637

Chilu, Silu

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MPCC 3651

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Cochlospermum religiosum
(L.) Alst.
Cordia dichotoma Forst. F.

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Botanical name

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Table 1
Ethnomedicinal plants, local name, mode of preparation and uses by Korku tribe

Cordia macleodii (Griff.)

Hook. f.

Boraginaceae

MPCC 103

Kassamar

Costus speciosus (Koen.) J.

E. Sm.

Zingiberaceae

MPCC 1974

Pewo

Crotalaria juncea L.

Fabaceae

MPCC 40

San

Cucumis melo L.

Cucurbitaceae

MPCC 3401

Tanman Ghogari

S.D. Jagtap et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

467

Table 1 (Continued )
Family

Herbarium no.

Local name

Parts used, mode of preparation, ethnomedical uses and some other

plants used as ingredients

Curcuma pseudomontana
Grah.
Cymbopogon martinii
(Roxb.) Wats.
Datura inoxia Mill.

Zingiberaceae

MPCC 412

Kukus-Mukus

Fresh tubers are eaten for blood purification

Poaceae

MPCC-2647

Tikhadi zara

Oil extracted from plant is applied on head to promote hair growth

Solanaceae

MPCC 3589

Pulum datura

Datura metel L.

Solanaceae

MPCC 3580

Kende datura

Dendrocalamus strictus
(Roxb.) Ness

Poaceae

MPCC 255

Math

Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f)

Etting
Eclipta prostrata (L.) L.

Loranthaceae

MPCC 258

Amri banda

Asteraceae

MPCC2714

Maka

Ensete superbum Cheesm.

Musaceae

MPCC 3584

Jangli kela

Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L.

Ficus benghalensis L.

Convolvulaceae
Moraceae

MPCC 2508
MPCC 3590

Pochiku lutur
Wada

Ficus racemosa L.

Moraceae

MPCC 3671

Gloriosa superba L.

Liliaceae

MPCC 1523

Hemidesmus indicus (L.)

Schult.
Hymenodictyon orixense
(Roxb.) Mabb.
Ipomoea pes-tigridis L.
Lagerstroemia parviora
Roxb.
Leea macrophylla Roxb.ex
Horn.
Litsea glutinosa (Lour.)
C.B.Robinson
Madhuca longifolia var.
latifolia (Roxb.) Chev.
Mallotus philippensis (Lam.)
Muell.-Arg.
Maytenus senegalensis
(Lam.) Excell.
Ocimum basilicum L.

Asclepiadaceae

MPCC 658

Chajali

Rubiaceae

MPCC 1972

Borsal

Convolvulaceae
Lythraceae

MPCC 122
MPCC 265

Kidamari
Chekre

Ash of tender shoots is mixed with fats extracted from body of

Varanus bengalensis to make paste and applied externally to treat
tumorsb
Paste is prepared by crushing fresh leaves with 1/4 parts of jagaree,
little lime and applied externally to cure throat swelling
Fresh leaf juice is mixed with 50 ml of cows milk and taken thrice
a day for 7 days to cure severe stomachache
Gum is soaked in water and 2-3 drops are put in ear at night for 7
days to get relief from ear ache
2 g of gum powder is taken with a glass of water twice a day to cure
tuberculosis
Half cup decoction of whole plant is taken for 21 days to get relief
in joint pains
23 drops of whole plant juice is dropped in nose twice in a day for
four days to cure rhinitis
Fresh root juice is applied to body thrice after every 15 min to facilitate easy delivery
Half a spoon of seed powder is taken with cows milk once a day
for 7 days to increase the semen production, hot and salty food is
avoided during this period
3 spoons of fresh leaf juice taken in morning to cure urinary problems
35 drops of latex is put on lump sugar and taken in morning for 21
days as aphrodisiac
Bark powder applied to teeth for strengthening of gums
Powder of mature fruit is given with cows milk to increase fertility
Half a cup of fresh leaf juice is given orally to cure scorpion bite
Root is crushed and applied on mayang of cattle to treat prolapsea
Tuber paste is applied externally to cure tumor
5 g of root powder is given with tea to pregnant women for getting a
fair offspring
Glass of bark decoction is given for 40 days for de-addiction of
liquor/wine
Whole plant eaten raw along with roti for healing of wounds
Fresh leaf juice is taken till vomiting and the leaf paste is applied on
bitten part to cure snakebite
Tuber is eaten raw to cure diarrhea

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Lava

MPCC 1971

Dupu

Lauraceae

MPCC 2327

Lenja

Sapotaceae

MPCC 20

Mu

Euphorbiaceae

MPCC 1879

Shendri

Celastraceae

MPCC 2051

Bharati, Bhorati

Lamiaceae

Mirkuta

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Leeaceae

MPCC 1114

Ocimum tenuiorum L.

Lamiaceae

MPCC 3681

Tulas

Orthosiphon rubicundus (D.

Don) Bth.
Ougeinia oojeinensis (Roxb.)
Hochr.
Plumbago zeylanica L.

Lamiaceae

MPCC 677

Fabaceae

MPCC 2905

Ruthu

Plumbaginaceae

MPCC 2620

Chitur

Polygonum plebeium R.Br.

Polygonaceae

MPCC 2733

Pueraria tuberosa (Roxb. ex

Willd.) DC.

Fabaceae

MPCC 2911

Bharda

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Botanical name

Fresh bark crushed along with tuber of Curcuma amada and applied
to heal muscular, non-bleeding injuries
Flower powder mixed with oil of Sesamum orientale, and 50 g paste
is taken daily for 12 months to cure stroke
Fresh leaves crushed in hens egg and the paste applied on eyes to
cure vertigob
Half-cup fresh leaf juice taken with a glass of curd milk in morning
for 7 days to stop white discharge from the vagina
Seeds crushed in water and half a cup taken twice a day for 7 days
to cure jaundice
Two spoons of fresh leaf juice is taken twice a day to get relief from
stroke
Tuber powder with little water is taken for 7 days to cure urinary
problems
Bark powder is applied on wounds to facilitate quick healing
Root paste with tuber of Arisaema murrayi and bone of Egretta
gazetta (Cattle erget) is applied to cure tumorb
Decoction of leaves with rhizome of Zingiber ofcinale and seeds of
Piper nigrum taken once in a day for 5 days to generalise swelling
Root powder mixed in coconut oil and the paste is applied twice a
day for wound healing

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S.D. Jagtap et al. / Journal of Ethnopharmacology 107 (2006) 463469

Table 1 (Continued )
Botanical name

Family

Herbarium no.

Local name

Parts used, mode of preparation, ethnomedical uses and some other

plants used as ingredients

Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

MPCC 3687

Dalimb

Radermachera xylocarpa
(Roxb.) K.Schum.
Ricinus communis L.
Ruta chalepensis L. Mant.

Bignoniaceae

MPCC 3625

Tetu

Fruit bark along with stem bark of Azadirachta indica are soaked in
4 l water overnight, boiled till 1/4 quantity remains from which half
cup is taken once in a day for 21 days to cure asthma
Pulp of seeds with little water is taken to cure snakebite

Euphorbiaceae
Rutaceae

MPCC 2906
MPCC 3689

Erandi
Satap

Semecarpus anacardium L. f.
Sida acuta Burm.f.
Sterculia urens Roxb.
Tacca leontopetaloides (L.)
O. Ktze.
Tephrosia purpurea (L.) Pers.

Anacardiaceae
Malvaceae
Sterculiaceae
Taccaceae

MPCC 863
MPCC 32
MPCC 3692
MPCC 3635

Choso
Bhola
Teklej
Suran kanda

Fabaceae

MPCC 299

Unhali

Thespesia lampas (Cav.)

Dalz. and Gibs.

Malvaceae

MPCC 2734

Jangli kapas

Thespesia populnea (L.)

Soland. ex Corr.
Trichosanthes tricuspidata
Lour.
Tridax procumbens L.

Malvaceae

MPCC 3637

Cucurbitaceae

MPCC 925

Gawlan

Asteraceae

MPCC 1884

Mambar modi

Ventilago denticulata Willd.

Rhamnaceae

MPCC 931

Raktapiti/Ragatpiti

Vitex negundo L.

Verbenaceae

MPCC 2624

Samalu

Ziziphus xylopyra (Retz.)

Willd.

Rhamnaceae

MPCC 157

Ghati ber

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Leaf juice taken with fruit of Musa paradisiaca twice a day for 3
days for relieving burning micturition
Mixture (20 g) of root powder with root powder of Cochlospermum
religiosum and Phoenix sylvestris taken with a glass of water thrice
a day for 2 months to cure jaundice
A cup of bark juice is taken once a day to cure stroke
Two and a half seeds are eaten in leaf of Piper betle thrice after
10 min interval to relieve stomachache
Leaves are burned to ash, mixed with salt and Cocus nucifera
(Coconut) oil to make paste and applied externally to get rid of
ringworms
Fresh bark crushed with flour of Cicer arietinum with little water to
extract juice and a cup of it is taken twice a day for 8 days to get
relief from loose motions
Stem bark crushed in a glass of water with lump sugar and taken
once a day for 3 days to stop red discharge from the vagina
Leaves (50 g) with equal amount of Azadirachta indica leaves are
boiled in water and legs are warmed in that water to cure encephalitis
Fresh fruits crushed in a glass of water and taken twice a day to get
relief from urinary problems

Ethnoveterinary use.
Use of animal part/extract/waste.

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Root paste is applied on palms and soles to stop heavy perspiration

Pests on plant are collected and fried in edible oil, two to three drops
of this mixture is dropped in nostrils once in a day for 30 days to
cure sinus
Leaf juice applied to entire body to cure pneumonia
Pickle of flowers is eaten with food to cure stroke
Leaf powder is given to cure tuberculosis
The foot is rubbed on bark of the plant to heal foot cracks
Tuber is rubbed in cows urine and applied to cure pilesb

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o

tonsils, hair growth, tumors, pneumonia, piles and encephalitis,

can be cured by external application. Some of the ailments may
be cured by both the external as well as internal application such
as animal bites and muscular problems.
The commercial exploitation of important species like Celastrus paniculatus, Chlorophytum borivilianum, Dendrocalamus
strictus, Gloriosa superba and Listea glutinosa is restricted
because the area is a tiger reserve. However, these species are
regularly utilized by the Korkus. So, an attempt was made to
convince and explain the importance of such species which need
to be conserved, leading to their sustainable utilization by the
Korkus. The study revealed that medicinal plants still play a
vital role in primary healthcare of the Korkus and the knowledge received from them will be very useful for researchers in
ethnobotany and pharmacology. Other very important finding of
our study is the first time report of Mucuna championii Benth.
for India, and eight plants were additions to The Flora of Melghat (Amravati) by Dhore and Joshi (1988) and Bhogaonkar
and Devarkar (1999), which are useful for further researchers in
the field of Taxonomy. The observations from the present study

need to be sustained with pharmaco-chemical studies in order

to evaluate their effectiveness.
Acknowledgements
Authors are grateful to the authorities of Medicinal Plant
Conservation Centre-Rural Communes (MPCC-RC) for their
constant support and encouragement, Head of the Department
of Botany, University of Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India, for
providing necessary laboratory facilities and all the Korku tribe
for their help and co-operation during the entire study and field
work.
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