Kani is a tribe living in the
Western Ghats area of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
, India.
Background
Their use of the forest plant
arogyapacha (''
Trichopus zeylanicus'') as a key ingredient in a herbal remedy called Jeevani was noted by visiting scientists in the 1980s. The formula was eventually developed as a commercial enterprise by Arya Vaidya Pharmacy, with the tribe's Kerala Kani Welfare Trust receiving license fees and royalties. Members have been encouraged to cultivate the plant. A recently discovered species of tree-dwelling
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...
has been named ''
Kani maranjandu''
after the tribe.
References
Social groups of Kerala
Scheduled Tribes of India
Ethnic groups in India
Hindu ethnic groups
Indian castes
South Indian communities
{{India-ethno-stub