Int J Ayu Pharm Chem REVIEW ARTICLE www.ijapc.com e-ISSN 2350-0204 Ethno Medico Botanical Survey Study of Tuberous Vegetables in Udupi District of Karnataka, India Ravikrishna.S1*, Shrikanth.P2 and T.Shridhara Bairy3 1-3Department of Dravyaguna, Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Ayurveda and Hospital, Kuthpady, Udupi-574118, Karnataka, India ABSTRACT Objective: An ethno medico botanical survey was under taken to collect the ethnic information of tuberous vegetables from folklore informers in Udupi District of Karnataka State during the year 2014-16. Methods: The indigenous knowledge of the folklore informers and the plants used as tuberous vegetables were collected through the questionnaire and personal interviews during the field trips. Results: The medicinal uses of 20 plants belonging to 11 families have been documented for their medicinal properties. Conclusion: Tuberous vegetables used in Udupi District form a rich source of indigenous knowledge which can function for nutritional purposes. KEYWORDS Ethno Medico Botanical Survey, Tuberous Vegetables, Folklore Informers Greentree Group Publishers Received 20/08/19 Accepted 05/11/19 Published 10/11/19 ________________________________________________________________ Ravikrishna et al. 2019 Greentree Group Publishers © IJAPC Int J Ayu Pharm Chem 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 3 www.ijapc.com 452 [e ISSN 2350-0204] INTRODUCTION highlighted by mass cultivation and Among ancient civilizations, India has been marketing. known to be rich repository of medicinal According to Acarya Vagbhata the drug, plants. The forest in India is the principal which is grown in the same region in which repository of large number of medicinal and a person lives, will be ideal for that person. aromatic plants, which are largely collected That drug which possesses properties as raw materials for manufacture of drugs similar to the properties of the land, in and perfumery products. In the Ayurvedic which a person is born, is suitable for use 1 system of medicine. Unfortunately, much even while residing in other regions . Such of the ancient knowledge and many healthy advises are included as religious valuable plants are being lost at an alarming customs and since we are not following this rate. With the rapid depletion of forests, rule and following the modern diet regimen impairing the availability of raw drugs, we are landing up in varied types of Ayurveda, like other systems of herbal disorders. medicines has reached a very critical phase Though we have lost much information because of this scarcity. about the native plants, still they are used in These plants are well understood by the rural villages of India, the folk and ethnic tribals, they are in general, special groups people are well aware about such rare, sharing common language and culture. medicinal, nutritionally rich and seasonally They are living under varying geo- available plants. They use naturally ecological setting of hills and forest areas available plants, judicially for the need of far away from modern convenience of life. diet and health with the thorough They are the economically backward ethnic knowledge about its cultivation, group. They are food gatherers, hunters, propagation, collection, processing, forest-land cultivators, and minor forest preparations and preservation. produce collectors. They live in isolation, Many vegetables are surrounded by a long near to Nature. They have vast knowledge and colorful history of symbolic meaning of plants in which they apply their daily life. and mythical tales. In the olden days, In the name of civilization, commercial people used to have the plants as it is propaganda, busy lifestyle the knowledge without baking roots and tubers but as the of the surrounding plants are declining day course of the civilization developed, it has by day and only few exotic plants are changed to delicious dishes. The ethnic ________________________________________________________________ Ravikrishna et al. 2019 Greentree Group Publishers © IJAPC Int J Ayu Pharm Chem 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 3 www.ijapc.com 453 [e ISSN 2350-0204] people use many tubers as nutritive and preservation of the plants vegetables. simultaneously. Hence this study is aimed As the knowledge of medicinally prized to gather the traditional information of plants is declining even in rural area, there tuberous vegetables available in Udupi is a emergency to accumulate all the district. possible important information about these STUDY AREA:UDUPI DISTRICT 2 plants by repeated field surveys thus it is the Udupi is one of the District of Karnataka prime work of Ayurveda scholars as they which is bounded by Northcanara district can interpret the information given by folk on the north, Shimoga and Chikmagalur informers in a better way. districts on the east, Southcanara on the So there is a definite requirement of south and Arabian Sea on the west as shown documentation of the ethnic information in Figure 1. related to the plants to encourage the utility Figure 1 Map of Study area Physiographically, this area can be divided 2. Vegetation along the Coastal Belt and in into 2 regions1. The sandy low land the Inland Plateau. We can classify the soil adjoining the coast.2. An undulating of Udupi district into 3 types - 1. Red soil, plateau which covers more than 2/3 of area. 2. Laterite soil, 3. Coastal sands:Population The climate in general is of a humid tropical and density: Udupi had a population of type. Mean maximum temperature in 11,77,908 where Males constituted 49% of summer is about 350C.Minimum the population and females 51%.The temperature in winter is about 25 0C. The average literacy rate was 83%, higher than weather is hot and humid in most of the the national average of 59.5%; male literacy time of the year. Two types of vegetation was 86% and female literacy 81%. seen 1. Coastal and Mangrove vegetation. ________________________________________________________________ Ravikrishna et al. 2019 Greentree Group Publishers © IJAPC Int J Ayu Pharm Chem 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 3 www.ijapc.com 454 [e ISSN 2350-0204] An ethno medico botanical survey was Collected information is confirmed by under taken to collect the ethnic cross-checking with other folklore information of tuberous vegetables from informers andauthentification of plants was folklore informers in Udupi District of done by the help of renowned taxonomist. Karnataka State during the year 2014-16. The plant information was compared with The indigenous knowledge of the folklore already existing literature. informers and the plants used as tuberous vegetables were collected through the DISCUSSION & RESULTS questionnaire and personal interviews Repeated field surveys were carried out in during the field trips. Udupi, Kundapura and Karkala taluks of udupi District, met the folk informers and MATERIALS AND METHODS collected the detailed information as per the The survey was conducted in 3Taluk of pre prepared proforma. Then the plants Udupi district of Karnataka. Where were identified with the help of botanist and prominent and well-experienced 20 local systematically documented all the ethno Vaidyas and folklore informers (tribal medico botanical information of the medicine men without any formal training tuberous vegetable plants and correlate in any codified system of medicine) them classically. statements were recorded by filling the During the survey gathered the information questionnaire in pre prepared proformas. of uses of 20 plants belonging to 11 families For each plant the following information has been documented for their medicinal was requested. properties. 1. Local name of plant and habitat Among the collected twenty tuberous 2. Preparation vegetables 12 are Among them 12 tuberous 3. Dosage vegetables are seen in cultivation out of 4. Administration which Alocasia macrorrizos (L.) G.Don 5. Precaution Figure 2. and Dioscorea esculenta (Lour) 6. Storage condition (if any) Burkill. Figure 3. are recently seen in markets 7. Period of collection of plant of Udupi District, but the rest 8 tubers like 8. Method of collection Amorphophallus commutatus (Schott) Engl , 9. Medicinal / culinary Uses of the plant. Cissus elongata Roxb, Figure 4. 10. Cultivation techniques. ________________________________________________________________ Ravikrishna et al. 2019 Greentree Group Publishers © IJAPC Int J Ayu Pharm Chem 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 3 www.ijapc.com 455 [e ISSN 2350-0204] Figure 2 Plant and tubers of Alocasia macrorrizos (L.) G.Don Figure 3 Plant and tubers of Dioscorea esculanta(Lour) Burkill4 Figure 4 Plant and tubers of Cissus elongata Roxb Dioscorea alata L. Figure 5., Dioscorea hispida Dennst., Flemingia tuberose Dalzell. bulbifera L., Dioscorea oppositifolia L. Figure and Brachystelma edule Collett &Helmsi. are 6., Dioscorea pentaphylla L., Dioscorea collected from wild itself. ________________________________________________________________ Ravikrishna et al. 2019 Greentree Group Publishers © IJAPC Int J Ayu Pharm Chem 2019 Vol. 11 Issue 3 www.ijapc.com 456 [e ISSN 2350-0204] Figure 5 Plant and tubers of Dioscorea alata L. Figure 6 Plant and tubers of Dioscorea oppositifolia L. Utility of these 8 species are not much plants The Species like Cissus elongata explored, hence these plants need Roxb., Dioscorea hispida Dennst, encouragement for their cultivation and Flemingia tuberose Dalzell. Brachystelma propagation. Out of the eight which are edule Collett &Helmsi are becoming very collected from wild are not known by much rare because of deforestation. The of the people