Diversity, distribution and indigenous uses of wild edible plants used by the tribal community (Pangwal) in Pangi valley, Chamba of Himachal Pradesh, North- Western Himalaya

Abstract

The native communities of the Indian Himalayan Region are largely dependent on plant resources for their sustenance. Among the economically important plants, wild edibles are consumed as raw, roasted, boiled, fried, cooked or in the form of oil, spice and seasonal material i.e., jams and pickles. The local communities have rich knowledge base indigenous uses and traditional practices, but require proper documentation for their long time conservation. The present study is an attempt to assess the wild edibles of Pangi valley, located in Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh. Total 124 wild edibles, representing 68 genera and 41 families were recorded. Of these, 09 species were represented by trees, 33 shrubs, 77 herbs, 1 fern and 03 fungi. Of the total species, 63 species were native, 10 near endemic, 03 endemic and other are non-native to the Indian Himalayan Region. Various parts namely, whole plants, stem, rhizome, tuber, bark, aerial part, leaves, flowers, fruits, roots, etc. were used by tribal communities in various forms. Over utilization and habitat degradation may result in local extinction. Therefore, for the conservation of these species, studies on habitat ecology, development of conventional and in vitro propagation protocols; introduction in the natural habitats and awareness among the tribal communities have been suggested.

Karyomorphological and SEM studies in newly discovered populations of a critically endangered medicinal plant — Lilium polyphyllum D. Don ex Royle from a high altitude protected area of north‐western Himalaya

“…Among the possible reasons, the one that come into our mind is that the people do not use this species as they are unaware about its medicinal properties. However, the tribal community in the area possess good knowledge about the utilization of resources which is evident from recent ethno‐botanical publications from the area (Dutt, Nath, Chauhan, Sharma, & Sharma, 2014; Prakash, Yadava, Kumar, Dutt, & Singh, 2020; Rana, Kumar, Singhal, & Rana, 2014). As per our view, it is good from conservation point of view that people do not exploit this species and most of the locals even do not know about L. polyphyllum .…”

Indigenous Knowledge and Consumer’s Perspectives of Stinging Nettle (Urtica Simensis) in the Central and Southeastern Highlands of Oromia Regional States of Ethiopia

“…Furthermore, wide range of recent studies reported the traditional cooking methods of stinging nettle leaves for human consumption. For example, the leaves and the aerial parts of stinging nettle: fresh leaves cooked as vegetable or dried leaves added to soup, especially in winter (Demir, 2020); leaves are used to prepare saag for remedy to Anthelmintic, antiseptic, dandruff, gout, nephritis sprain (Kumar, 2021); decoction and infusion (Maria S. González, García-Barriuso and Amich, 2010;Shonte, 2017); rst boiled and then fried with onions (Yesil and Inal, 2019), frequently used as green vegetable (Prakash et al, 2020); Sauteed in oil, added to pastry, fried with egg, boiled as salad and tea (Hançer et al, 2020); eaten raw, cooked with bulgur in Iğdır Province, Turkey (Çakir, 2017); roasted and then cooked, and boiled with oil and salt Vegetable (Ding et al, 2021). Local people have good knowledge of stinging nettles, including their time of availability, processing, and cooking method as well about their traditional medicinal value.…”