Ethnomedicobotany of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India-plants in treatment of skin diseases

Present paper deals with the herbal remedies for skin diseases in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka-a Southern State in India, which is located in the hearts of Western Ghats. In an ethnobotanical exploration of this area 52 herbal preparations from 31 plants belonging to 21 families have been recorded. This also includes 17 new claims to the ethnomedical knowledge. The parts used and methods of preparation are discussed along with the family and local name for all the plants. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.