Ethnobotanical studies on coconut palm (Cocas nucifera L.) with special reference to South Kerala

摘要

Biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge exist as an indispensable component of life, culture and traditions of the people. India is a treasure house of such traditional knowledge (TK) and cultural practices. In different parts of the country, people make use of natural resources according to their needs in day-to-day life. The practices followed by the indigenous communities are generally oral in nature. Ethnomedico-botanical investigations on coconut palm have been carried out in the two southern districts, KoUam and Pathanamthitta, of Kerala. The paper enumerates the traditional use of coconut in medicinal and religious practices.