International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine Wild Fruits of Uttarakhand (India): Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Uses Abstract Review Article Fruit is a ripened ovary, it may either fleshy or nut and divided into cultivated as Volume 8 Issue 3 - 2017 well as wild categories. Wild fruits are worldwide distributed and mostly found in the part of earth where anthropogenic activities are no or negligible. The use of Himalayan plant species for food and medicine has been known for a long time. 1Department of Botany, Surajmal Agarwal Kanya Uttarakhand is one of these places which is suitable for wild edible fruiting plants Mahavidyalaya, India because of their difficult geography and climatic conditions and awesome taste 2Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research of fruits which are attracted by their people as a rich source of their nutrition. Institute, India Wild edible plants are very important for the well being of rural populations 3Department of Botany, College of Agriculture Science and in the region, not only as sources of supplemental food, nutritionally balanced Technology, India 4 diets, medicines, fodder and fuel,viz. Rubusbut also ellipticus, for their Fragariaincome generating × ananassa, potential. Prunus Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, India persica,Large numbers Myrica ofesculenta wild fruits along with their edible values also used in medicine and many other wild fruits *Corresponding author: etc. have high nutritive quality and used by the local Ishwar Prakash Sharma, maintenance.peoples for the different edible products. Such wild plants might be explore for Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research their nutritional and medicinal properties and need to conserve for biodiversity Institute, Haridwar-249 405, Uttarakhand, India, Tel: +91 Keywords: Received:7579095587; Email: | Published: Wild fruit; Medicine; Ethnobotany; Uttarakhand; Nutrition June 20, 2017 August 09, 2017 Introduction attracted by their people as a rich source of their nutrition [6]. Western Himalayan region is rich in diversity of wild edible Fruit is a ripened ovary of flower and may either fleshy or nut. plant species. Consumption of wild edible fruits meets the areFruits occurring are generally only in cultivated their natural as well environment. as wild, cultivated As population fruits protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamin and mineral requirement increasesare grown theby farmersareas of for plantation economical and benefits forest whileused forwild human fruits of poor rural populace in the region. Wild edible plants are very important for the well being of rural populations in the region, not only as sources of supplemental food, nutritionally balanced diets, welfare, number of plants decreases so wild plants lost their medicines, fodder and fuel, but also foro theiro income generating identity and decrease in their number. Wild fruiting plants are potentialo [7].o Uttarakhand is a part of the North-Western major in numbers in that place which are not affected by human Himalayas and is located between 28 43’-31 27’ N latitudes and interaction due to their difficult geography and climatic conditions 77 34’-81 02’ E longitudes. The river Tons separates the state which is not suitable for human survival [1]. Surveyed the from Himachal Pradesh in the north-west, whereas the river Kali ethnobotanical exploration, identification, concerns and future separates it from Nepal in the east. The greater Himalaya is the potentialities of the wild edible plants of Srinagar and Alaknanda northern boundary of the state and is also the international border valley of Garhwal Himalaya and recorded total 55 plant species with China. Most of the people of this state are dependent on their belonging to 35 families. The ethnobotanical survey of wild edible natural environment and is characterized by a rich diversity of fruits from Kolhapur district was carried out by [2]. [3] Examined ethno-botanic plant as well as rich heritage of wild edible plants the status and distribution pattern of medicinal plants in Wildlife system [8] recorded a total 102 species belonging to 48 families of Institute of Dehradun, Uttarakhand and recorded 605 plants ofethno-medicinal this information plants current from article four selected focused districts on the nutritionalof Uttarakhand and belonging to 94 families. The use of plant species of the Himalaya (Almora, Champawat, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh). On the basis as food and medicine has been known for a long time and about 1748 economically important plants have been reported from properties.medicinal values of wild fruits which are located in Uttarakhand, Indian Himalaya [4]. The unique diversity of such important which can be explore for their great nutritional and medicinal plants in the region is manifested by the presence of a number of Wild Fruits and their Ethnobotanical Uses native (31%), endemic (13.5%) and threatened (14%) of total red data book species of Indian Himalayan region [5]. Uttarakhand is one of these places which is suitable for All botanical information regarding these plants which are wild edible fruiting plants because of their difficult geography included in this review article is taken from The Plant List website. and climatic conditions and awesome taste of fruits which is Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Int J Complement Alt Med 2017, 8(3): 00260 Copyright: Wild Fruits of Uttarakhand (India): Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Uses ©2017 Sharma et al. 2/8 Hisalu Darim Rubus ellipticus Punica granatum Botanical name: Sm Botanical name: L. Local name: Yellow Himalayan raspberry, Hisalu, Ashilo Local name: Darim Family: Rosaceae Family: Lythraceae Ethnobotanical uses: It plays a major role to providing free Ethnobotanical uses: It having a good amount of minerals, energy packets for the people who are travelling mountains and phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. Pomegranate fruit juice is theyStrawberry can be finding them everywhere [9,10]. known as a delicacy and is made into excellent sherbet which has Fragaria × ananassa diuretic and cooling effect and having glucose, fructose, tannins, oxalic acid, and reduces thirst in cases of fevers, supplies the Botanical name: (Duchesne ex Weston) required minerals and helps the liver to preserve vit- A. The rind Duchesne ex Rozier of the fruit and the bark are used as a traditional remedy against diarrhea,Berbrise dysentery and intestinal parasites [20]. Local name: Strawberry Berberis asiatica Family: Rosaceae Botanical name: Roxb. ex DC. indicatorEthnobotanical due to the uses: different Used incolor prepared of the foods, conjugate flavored acid usedand in to dairy products, pigment extract used as a natural acid/base Local name: Chutro, Marpyashi, Daruharidra, Darbi. Family -Berberidaceae conjugate base of the pigment. This fruit is a great source of iron [11-13].Plum Ethnobotanical uses: In Ayurvedic medicinal system it is Prunus persica named as ‘Daruharidra” or Wood Turmeric due to similar properties as of turmeric [21] which is used in antimicrobial, Botanical name: (L.) Batsch wound healing, hepatoprotective and cytotoxicity etc. [22-24]. The plant yields fairly large quantity of alkaloids in which isoquinoline Local name: Plum type alkaloids like berberine, palmatine, jetrorrhizine, and Makoi Family: Rosaceae columbamine are the most studied phytoconstituents [25]. Solanum nigrum Ethnobotanical uses: Plums are used widely in the preparation of jellies, jams and desserts. People even use dry plums as dry Botanical name: L. fruit.Kafal Medicinally it is use in wound healing [14]. Local name: Black Nightshade Myrica esculenta Family: Solanaceae Botanical name: Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don Ehanobotanical uses- It has expectorant, analgesic, sedative, Local name: Kafal or Kaphal diaphoretic properties. Its external application cures skin Family: Myricaceae diseases and gives relief in burns, itching, pain etc. As per Ayurveda, this plant is hot is potency and balances tridosha. Ethnobotanical uses: Besides being useful in a wide range The juice of leaves is used as ear drop to get relief from pain in of ailments specified decoctions of fruits, the stone and also its ears. It also contains polyphenolic compounds such as gallic acid, bark are claimed to be beneficial in cardiac debility, edema and catechin, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, epicatechin, rutin, and haemoptysis. A wax covering on the fruit is extracted by scalding naringeninGhigharu [26-30]. the fruit with boiling water. Among the local inhabitants it is said Pyracantha crenulata toBedu be used as an application for ulcer healing [15-18]. Ficus palmata Botanical name: (Roxb. ex D.Don) M.Roem. Botanical name: Forssk. Local name: Ghigharu Local name: Khemri (Hindi); Pheru (Jaunsar); Bedu (Kumaun), Indian Fig (English); Bendu (Nepali); Anjir. Family: Rosaceae Family: Moraceae Local name: Chhota seb, Nepal firethorn Ethnobotanical uses: The Bedu fruit is very juicy and contain Ehanobotanical uses: Fruits can be made into a preservative. 45 percent of juice. The fruit is beneficial in the disease of lungs Medicinally it has cardio-tonic, coronary vasodilator and and the bladder. It is a source of minerals, phosphorus and a small hypertensive properties. It has been used for cardiac failure, amount of Vit. C [19]. myocardial weakness, paroxysmal tachycardia, hypertension, arteriosclerosis and Burgor’s disease. The anti-oxidants present Citation: Sharma IP, Kanta C, Semwal SC, Goswami N (2017) Wild Fruits of Uttarakhand (India): Ethnobotanical