Ethnobotanical survey of malaria prophylactic remedies in Odisha, India.

AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate the plants traditionally used for prevention of malaria in Cuttack, Gajapati and Koraput districts of Odisha state, eastern India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among 20 traditional healers who were sampled based on recommendations of local elders and local non-government organizations. Data were collected through semi-structured interview. RESULTS: The study revealed the use of 16 traditional plant species belonging to 12 families for prevention of malaria. Andrographis paniculata, Azadirachta indica, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Ocimum sanctum, Piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale were the most commonly reported plants for their malaria prophylactic use by the healers of three districts of Odisha. Most of the remedies were used in decoction form. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study provide a lead to explore traditional plants for malaria preventive potential through further pre-clinical and clinical studies.