Folk herbal medicines used in birth control and sexual diseases by tribals of southern Rajasthan, India

An ethnobotanical survey of tribal area of southern Rajasthan was carried out during the year 2001-2002 for ethmosexicological herbal medicines. The information on ethnosexicological herbs is based on the exhaustive interview with local medicine-men and -women, birth attendants and other knowledgeable persons who prescribe their own herbal preparation to check birth control, including abortion at initial stages, preventing conception or by making either member of the couple sterile and to cure various sexual diseases like leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea, menorrhagia, to regularize menses and syphilis in both the sexes. During ethnobotanical survey, 53 plants belonging to 33 families have been reported from the study area, which are used to cure sexual diseases, and for family planning. A list of plant species along with their local name, habit, flowering and fruiting period, plant part/s used and the mode of administration to cure the sexual diseases are given. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.