Herbal remedies for eye infections used by the tribals of Nallamala forests, Andhra Pradesh.
The Nallamalais forests form a series of parallel hill ranges oriented North-south towards the eastern portion of the peninsular India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Nallamalais is situated between 15°30’-16°30’ N latitudes and 78°30’-80°10’ E longitudes. It passes across the Kurnool, Mahaboob Nagar, Prakasam, Guntur and some parts in Kadapa district. Nallamalais have several religious centers, among them Gundlabrahmeswaram plateau is the highest, situated at about 800m descending into the plains of Velgode and Nandyal, and ascending precipitously towards East. The Gundlabrahmeswaram is said to be the nucleus of Nallamalais in Eastern Ghats. Nallamalais are congenial to the tribals, due to enormous floral and faunal wealth, for their survival. However, the predominant tribal community, Chenchus lives in groups called gudems amidst the forests. They are nomads, wandering from one forest to another. The area received good research attention mostly concentrated on skin diseases, women ailments, insect bites and bone factures however; there is no particular data on traditional uses for eye infections 1-6 . Hence, the survey has been carried. Methodology The folklore information on eye infections was recorded from the elders or gudem leaders. Generally, two types of interviews were taken, firstly of individuals and secondly of groups. In case of individuals, persons were randomly interviewed on the way or entering a hut. Information was authenticated by comparing the data from different informants. The information was cross-checked with other communities to confirm the use and application of the drugs. The voucher specimens were collected based on the recorded information and identified with the help of floras and confirmed by comparing with the authenticated specimens housed at Sri Krishnadevaraya University Herbarium (SKU), Anantapur, Madras Herbarium (MH), Coimbatore and Central National Herbarium (CAL), Kolkata 7-9 . The voucher specimens were deposited at Sri Krishnadevaraya University Herbarium, Anantapur.