An ethnobotanical survey of herbals in Loyola college campus, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants was carried out in Loyola college campus, located at capital of Tamil Nadu state (Chennai), India. This survey was conducted based on participatory observations and field visit to all places of our college campus. A total of 105 medicinal plants species with 93 genus, were identified. The main purpose of this survey is to collect data about medicinal plants available in our college campus in-order to preserve its valuable bioresources. Plant species belonging to diverse families such as Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae etc., were found. All these plants having enormous medicinal properties including antibacterial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antifungal, antidote, anthelminthic, antianalgesic and they can cure cough, cold, ulcers, diarrhea, skin disorders, snake-bite etc. However, from the observed plant list, some of them are in vulnerable condition like Abutilon indicum and Leucas aspera. A survey reported that in Chennai 18 peoples were killed and around 12,000 trees were uprooted by a cyclone 'Vardah' in the month of December on 2016, even in Loyola college campus 130 trees uprooted and their stem, branches were broken. The day after this cyclone entire Chennai and Loyola college campus was looking like a forest. From the previous decade natural disasters like flood, cyclone and excess sunlight are often highly disturbing the normal life style and living environment of Chennai peoples. Another side global warming and pollutions are increasing. Due to these reasons some precious plants which are sensitive to these hazards are getting a place in the list of 'an endangered plants'. After few decades some valuable plants may be disappeared in our college campus because of those risks, so we hope that this survey will be helpful to the upcoming batches of Loyolites, through this they can get some ideas and information about medicinal plants of Loyola college campus.