Diversity of plants used for non-medicinal purposes by the traditional communities of Coastal Karnataka, India

Abstract

Abstract. Bhandary JM. 2021. Diversity of plants used for non-medicinal purposes by the traditional communities of Coastal Karnataka, India. Asian J Ethnobiol 4: 106-114. The Coastal Karnataka region of India, comprising of two districts called Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, is ethnobotanically prosperous owing to its floristic and cultural diversity. This is justified because many ethnobotanical studies have been reported from this area. However, all these studies are concerned only with documentation of traditional knowledge and medicinal plant diversity; the various non-medicinal uses of plants have not received any scientific attention so far. Therefore, this study was undertaken to document the diversity of plants used for edible, piscicidal, and fodder purposes and make different household materials. Plant specimens and associated traditional information were gathered from the knowledgeable elders from other areas’ different indigenous tribal and non-tribal communities. Prior-informed, open-ended interviews, and discussions were conducted with 32 purposively chosen informants in the field during different seasons of the study period. The botanical identity of the plants mentioned as applicable by informants was confirmed with the help of local flora, and enumeration of plant species was done based on the user category. A total of 125 species of angiosperm plants used for non-medicinal purposes by different traditional and tribal communities were documented during the present study. Among them, 116 species were used for any of the above four studied purposes, and only nine species were used for two different purposes. As many as 76 species were used for edible purposes, 18 species as piscicides, 21 species as fodder plants, and 19 species used to make baskets, mats, and other traditional artifacts used in daily lives. This study confirmed that the traditional communities of the study locality have considerable traditional knowledge about non-medicinal uses of local plants. However, the practical use of wild plants for the studied traditional purposes has gradually decreased due to a lack of interest in the newer generation and the availability of modern alternatives.

Ethnobotanical study of the non-medicinal plant by village communities in the karst area of Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia

“…Data were collected using survey techniques and open interviews using the snowball sampling method to obtain 40 informants. The interview technique was carried out with direct questions regarding the use of various nonmedicinal plants, local names of plants used, plant parts used, and methods of using plants (Bhandary 2021). The conversations were recorded during the interview, and the information was well-written.…”

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants by indigenous community of Aek Guo Village, Mandailing Natal District, Indonesia

“…This invaluable traditional wisdom, transmitted orally across generations without written records, is at risk of permanent loss. Therefore, the exploration and documentation of local traditional knowledge is essential (Bhandary 2021). The decrease in ethnobotanical knowledge marks the onset of forest degradation, signaling a reduced role of local institutions in ensuring sustainable forest use (Pei 2013).…”

Perception of malaria and cultural diversity of antimalarial plants in three sympatric communities: Agni, Akyé and Gwa in the District of Alépé, Côte d’Ivoire

“…Measuring the knowledge provides information about the level of consensus and the variation in medicinal plants used by the different communities through the same geographical area and distant but culturally similar communities (De Boer et al 2012;Bhandary 2021). On the other hand, the differences and similarities in traditional knowledge among different cultural communities living in the same area can explain how cultural reflection evolved (Amjad et al 2020).…”