Consumption of Wild Perennial Medicinal Herbs by Indigenous People of Assam
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Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(01): 1952-1959 International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 10 Number 01 (2021) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2021.1001.227 Consumption of Wild Perennial Medicinal Herbs by Indigenous People of Assam Swapnali Borah* and Nilakhi Borah College of Community Science, CAU, Tura, Meghalaya, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Assam is a state of North East India which is amidst of greenery and K e yw or ds varieties of flora and fauna. Since time immemorial the Assamese people Assamese consume various green herbs as food as well as medicinal purposes. In this community, Ethnic study, Nagaon district which is known as heart of Assam or middle Assam medicine, Wild herbs consumption was selected for the purpose. Ten housewives from ten various villages of pattern, Perennial Nagaon district of Assam were selected purposively who were involved in medicinal plant & cooking traditional food particularly. Five herbs namely Stink vine (Vedai Traditional belief Lota in Assamese), Water pennywort (Xoru manimuni in Assamese), Article Info Creeping smart weed (Moduxuleng in Assamese), Fish mint (Mosondori in Accepted: Assamese) and Racaba (Matikaduri in Assamese) also selected for the 12 December 2020 study which are grown wildly and abundantly throughout Assam Available Online: particularly during spring season. These wildly grown plants are used 10 January 2021 traditionally by Assamese community in many recipes for various ailments. Introduction effectiveness (D. K Bhattachrjee and P C Borah, 2006). In India this practice of using Human race from the very beginning have herbs goes back to the days of Vedic era. The been depending upon plant and animal Rig Veda mentioned ninety nine, Yajur Veda kingdom for food and many other purposes. mentioned eighty eight and Athrva Veda This dependency of human on plant resource mentioned 28 medicinal plants (Maiti R K et is as old as human civilization. With passing al). on time with experience they could identify Assam, being in the sub tropical humid different plants and herbs and their action on climatic region having an elevation between human health. Almost entire people of the 45 meter and 1960 meters from sea level is a world consume medicinal plants for their heaven for varieties of flora and fauna. It is in inherent medicinal properties and the moist tropical forest region, so naturally 1952 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(01): 1952-1959 Assam is a home for evergreen trees, tropical different varieties of edible herbs found in this canopy trees, deciduous trees, under story area, certain herbs are more popular and trees including shrubs, herbs, ferns and consumed more frequently than the rest. grasses. People of Assam have been using these plants for various purposes for day to Trans Himalayan indigenous people including day life for ages. For example bamboos, people Assam have some distinctive food reeds, theshing grasses for building houses, habits. Most of the people here eat vegetarian tree wood for furniture and fire, different as well as non vegetarian food. They eat edible fruits, vegetables, leaves and herbs for boiled, alkaline and sour preparation, bitter is foods. In Assam, most of the edible plants and also given a prime place in Assamese food wild vegetation grow in the kitchen garden of menu. Curry is also an indispensable item Assamese household or around their with rice. In the hot and humid climate of homestead (B. Patiri and A. Borah, 2007). Assam traditionally food is used in such a Herbs that grow in Assam and North East way that, it cools the stomach all the time. Region of India have full of nutritional and Therefore food preparations are always milder medicinal values. with less spice. Often a herbal food preparation is consumed with lunch or dinner. There are many herbs grow in Assam wildly These herbal preparations are cooked which are traditionally consumed by sometime as vegetarian and sometime with Assamese people in their day to day life such fish but rarely with meat. (Arani Saikia, 2013) as Stink vine (Vedai Lota in Assamese), Water pennywort (Xoru manimuni in Materials and Methods Assamese), Creeping smart weed (Moduxuleng in Assamese), Fish mint For the purpose of the study ten housewives (Mosondori in Assamese), Curry leaf who were involved in traditional cooking (Noroxingha in Assamese), Creep wood practices were selected purposively from ten sorrel (Tengechi in Assamese), Flame flower villages of Nagaon district of Assam, India (Pirali paleng in Assamese), Verdologo and conducted case studies by following (Malbhog xak in Assamese), Patchouli interview method. Nagaon district is situated (Xukloti in Assamese), Wild pepper (Bon on the middle of the state of Assam, India. jaluk), Mint (Podina in Assamese), Hog weed The geographic coordinates of the district (Ponounua), Chick weed (Morolia in Assam head quarter which is also Nagaon is 26 ese), Racaba (Matikaduri in Assamese), degree North latitude and 92 degree east Water spinach (Kolmou in Assamese), Leucus longitude. Its elevation is 52 meters from the plant (Durun bon in Assamese), Indian Pivet sea level. The topography is filled with hills, (Posotia in Assamese), Lamb squarter plain alluvial river valleys and lots of water (Jhilmil in Assamese), Rosselle (Tengamora bodies including ponds, streams, rivers, in Assamese), Brahmi (Brahmi in Assamese wetlands etc. Nagaon receives an average too) etc. Apart from these herbs, there are annual rainfall of around 2036 mm. It is many more edible herbs growing in these placed in Agro Climatic Zone of Eastern region. In the time of Bohag Bihu, a spring Himalaya Region as per Planning festival of Assam celebrated in the month of Commission and Central Brahmaputra Valley April, there is a tradition of having a cuisine Zone as per NARP (India). Due to its natural made of hundred and one different varieties of geographical location Nagaon is very rich in herbs grown wildly during onset of early natural resources. Entire topography is almost monsoon in Assam. Though there are green with natural vegetations which include 1953 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(01): 1952-1959 different trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses. 2013). In Nagaon district of Assam also Stink Among various edible herbs, five most vine is consumed for different purposes, in popular and easily available herbs i.e. 1) Stink post child delivery care of women it is Vine or Skunk Vine (English)/ Bhebeli Lota extensively used as food. For this purpose or Bhedai Lota (Assamese), 2) Lawn Marsh Stink vine paste is prepared from tender Pennywort or Water Pennywort (English)/ leaves and cooked with some indigenous fish Soru Manimuni (Assamese), 3) Creeping species like Climbing Perch or Kawai Fish in smartweed, Chinese knotweed (English), Assamese (Anabus testudineus) Cat Fish or Modhuxuleng (Assamese), 4) Fish mint, Magur Fish in Assamese (Clarius butrachus), (English), Masundori (Assamese), and 5) Snakehead fish or Sol Fish in Assamese Racaba (English), Matikaduri (Assamese) (Channa striatus) or lentil balls and spices were selected for this study. like black pepper etc. and served with steamed rice (Table.1) When there is gastro Results and Discussion intestinal problem like loss of appetite and indigestion Stink vine tender leaves and Stink Vine or Skunk Vine (English)/ Garlic chutney is consumed to increase Bhebeli Lota or Bhedai Lota (Assamese): appetite and digestion. More over different preparations of Stink vines are consumed to The scientific name of this herb is known as boost general immunity. Stink vine deep fried Paederia foetida which is a very popular and balls made with rice flour or lentil flour is a widely consumed herb by the ethnic people of popular preparation in Nagaon, Assam and Assam. Belonging to the Rubiaceae family of throughout Assam. Tribes of Tripura prepare plant kingdom, it is a climber found up to the Berma bauti or Gudak using dry fish and elevation of nearly 1800 meter from the sea leaves of Stink vine (Das 1997). level in Bihar, Orissa, Bengal and Assam (Nadkarni 1982). It grows up to 6-7 meter Lawn Marsh Pennywort or Water long and climb on other trees for support. It is Pennywort (English)/ Soru Manimuni also available in some other parts of North (Assamese) East India like Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and The Scientific Name of this Lawn Marsh Tripura. The unique character of this plant is Pennywort is Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, the stink smell it produces when the leaf or which is a small dicotyledonous plant found stem is crushed. in the Southeast Asian countries. It is traditionally falls in the family of Apiaceae Traditionally the people of Assam and North but recently suggested to place in Araliaceae East India consume this plant in various forms (Chandler 2004) of the plant kingdom. Size of according to their need and ailment. For the leaves are .5 to 2 cm wide and shape is medicinal purpose decoction of the whole round or kidney shaped. Edges of the leaves plant or leaf juice is prepared. Tender leaves are scalloped. Color of flowers is light yellow are used to prepare different cuisine for food. with some purple spots. Stems grow up to 8- Stink vine gives various therapeutic effects 10 cm long. (B. Patiri, A. Borah 2007) mainly gastrointestinal tract disorders including ulcer. Other therapeutic properties Lawn marsh pennywort believed to have very are hepatoprotective, anti inflammatory, good medicinal properties, it contains antitussive, anti arthritics, antioxidant, different minerals, iron and vitamin C. analgesic, and others. (Silpi Chanda et al., Traditionally in Assamese society this herb is 1954 Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2021) 10(01): 1952-1959 used for flu, fever cough, gastrointestinal also prepared from its leaves with salt, sugar disorder etc.