Scientists of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) who had been studying the origin and evolution of the vanishing tribes in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, also found clues to the treatment of diseases affecting the tribals using medicinal plants.

Briefing newsmen on some of the path-breaking findings on the origin of the native tribals in Andamans, Dr Lalji Singh, Director of CCMB, said the tribals made extensive use of medicinal plants found on the group of islands to cure a number of diseases like malaria, cold and fever. Though a few members of the tribes visited the clinics set up in the forest by the government, all others used medicinal plants to treat themselves.

According to Dr V R Rao, Deputy Director, Anthropological Survey of India, Nagpur, who also addressed the press, the Onges smeared themselves with the paste of a plant, which helped prevent malaria. They also used medicines derived from plants to treat fever and gastro-intestinal disorders.

Some of the institutes working on the islands had been testing various plants used by the tribals for medicinal purposes. Of particular interest is the plant used by the Onges to fight malaria. If the active ingredients of the plant could be isolated, it would help millions of people across the world.

Asked if CCMB could analyse the medicinal properties of various plants being used by the tribes, Dr Lalji Singh said it could be done if plant saplings could be carefully transported from the islands to the laboratory in the city.

He said these tribes were immune to diseases like measles. Studying their genotype will help understand if the larger population contracted various diseases due to the susceptibility of genes to the environment they live in, while this may not be common among the tribals.

"It will be feasible to differentiate genetic factors from risk-factors for diseases like diabetes and heart problems, as environmental risk factors are known to be prevalent with urban lifestyles," Dr Singh said.