Ethnobotanical survey on plants used in Mai Municipality of Ilam district, eastern Nepal

Background: Traditional use of pteridophytes as food and medicine is a common practice around the world. Many ethnic communities hold vast knowledge about the uses of pteridophytes and the documentation of such knowledge and biodiversity of edible and medicinal pteridophytes is important for health care, food security and conservation. Although being one of the biodiversity rich countries, the detailed use of edible and medicinal pteridophytes from Nepal is not well documented and they are one of the underutilized plant resources having vast potential. Thus, the aim of this review is to compile the knowledge about the use of edible and medicinal pteridophytes in Nepal.Methods: Relevant information on traditional uses as medicinal and edible species were collected form published literatures such as research articles on ethnobotanical surveys, books, book chapters and conference proceedings.Results: The literature survey revealed that a total of 26 species of pteridophytes were used as food and 43 species were used as traditional medicines. Among 55 useful species, 14 species were used as both food and traditional medicine. Diplazium esculentum, Diplazium maximum, Dryopteris cochleata and Ophioglossum reticulatum were common edible species and Aleuritopteris albomarginata, Equisetum ramosissimum, Nephrolepis cordifolia and Tectaria coadunata were common medicinal pteridophytes. Most of species are growing in natural habitat and the potential utilization species were sold in the market which has also supported livelihood. Some of these pteridophytes were also used in preparation of ethnic foods such as fermented foods and pickles. Conclusion:Findings from the study suggested that only a few common species of pteridophytes are used as food and traditional medicines Nepal. The knowledge about the traditional uses of pteridophytes and their biodiversity is also affected by socioeconomic changes in communities, lack of sharing of traditional knowledge through generations, improper collection practices and climate change. Very few pteridophytes from Nepal have been studied in detail for their phytoconstituents and biological activities and safety. Future research activities should focus on providing scientific evidence for traditional uses as well as development of proper conservation, cultivation, and product formulation methods in a sustainable manner.

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“…A wild buckwheat species, Eskemurkerjea megacarpum (Polygonaceae), endemic to the west and central Nepal(Hara 1972), was cultivated in the study area for its medicinal value(Ghimire et al 2018). The majority of the IAPs and naturalized species were used for healing cuts and wounds(Uprety et al 2010, Badola & Pradhan 2013, Limbu & Rai 2013, Kunwar et al 2015, Ong et al 2018, Lepcha et al 2019, Bhattarai 2020, while the majority of cultivated-introduced species (for example, Saccharum officinarum) were used to treat jaundice(Namsa et al 2011, Limbu & Rai 2013, Tamang & Singh 2014, Adhikari et al 2019 (see Table1for details).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Limbu & Rai 2013, Aleem & Kabir 2018. Achyranthes aspera, Acorus calamus and Cassia fistula represented tropical elements used for treating respiratory and gastrointestinal disorders(Manandhar 2002, Kurmi & Baral 2004, Pradhan & Badola 2008, Bhattarai et al 2009, Thapa 2012, Kunwar et al 2015, Bhattarai & Khadka 2016, Uprety et al 2016, Ghimire et al 2018, Bhattarai 2020, Bhatt & Kunwar 2020). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

Bhandari¹,

Gurung

Subedi

et al. 2021

Ethnobot. Res. App.

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Background: Chyangthapu-Phalaicha located in the northeastern Panchthar District, is a biodiversity hotspot in the Eastern Himalaya. The present study was conducted to document the knowledge of the ethnomedicinal uses and practices that exist in the area before the associated socio-cultural knowledge on biological diversity is lost.Methods: Ethnomedicinal data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires. The importance of medicinal plant species was assessed using quantitative indices such as informant consensus factor, relative frequency of citation, relative importance, fidelity level and Rahman's similarity index.Results: Altogether, 140 medicinal plant species from 68 families and 127 genera were reported, which were used to treat 12 health disorder categories. The dominant families were Asteraceae and Fabaceae which contributed eight species each. Maximum informant consensus factor (0.96) was calculated for gastrointestinal disorders. The highest relative frequency of citation and fidelity level was observed for Swertia chirayita (0.83 and 100% respectively). Artemisia dubia depicted the highest relative importance (91.67). A thorough review of previous literature and analysis of field data revealed new therapeutic use reports for 41 ailments associated with 52 plant species. The Rahman's similarity index showed a high use similarity with the studies in neighbouring areas and a low similarity with the geographically distant studies.Conclusions: These findings show that the area supports significant medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge. The varied use of reported medicinal plants in the area indicates the need for phytochemical investigation, especially for those with high ethnobotanical indices.

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Ethnobotanical survey on plants used in Mai Municipality of Ilam district, eastern Nepal

Cited by 14 publications

References 36 publications

A comprehensive review on Nepalese wild vegetable food ferns

A comprehensive review on Nepalese wild vegetable food ferns

Edible and Medicinal Pteridophytes of Nepal: A Review

Traditional use of medicinal plants in the Chyangthapu-Phalaicha biological sub-corridor, Panchthar District, Kangchenjunga Landscape, Nepal

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