Common tribal communities of Similipal biosphere reserve

Sanjeet Kumar

sanjeet.biotech@gamil.com

Similipal Biosphere Reserve is covered with dense forest. Its frosted field tracks are the homeland of tribal communities. The tribes present in and around SBR are HO, Kolho, Santhal, Bathudi, Bhumijo, Mahali ,Saunti, Munda, Gond, Huria, Bhuiyan etc. Among the tribal groups, Hill-Kharia and Mankirdias are considered as the primitive tribal groups (PTGs). In SBR, there are about 61 villages present inside the buffer zones and about 1200 villages inside the peripheral zone. The forest loving tribal communities have maintained their primitive culture, traditional skills and rituals. The main occupations of the tribal groups are hunting and traditional farming along with collection of forest products.

Rice, maize and millets are the main cultivation of tribal communities of SBR. In addition to, they also grow vegetables such as pumpkin, brinjal, pea, onion etc. Rice is the principal food among them. Besides vegetables they also eat fish, red ant, termites, crabs, meat of different birds and animals. Apart from their main occupation, they used to collect different forest products as honey, sal resins, arrowroot etc. along with wild medicinal plants as per their requirement. They also collect the wild cucurbits as optional food and traditional medicines.

Anti-nutritional factors & Wild Cucurbits

Sanjeet Kumar

sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com

Anti-nutritional factors are natural or synthetic compounds that interfere with the absorption of nutrients. The most common anti-nutritional factors are phytic acid, oxalic acid, lectin, tannin, saponin etc.  They are found in low to high concentration in edible parts of the plant. They reduce the palatability of the many wild edible plants. Many traditional methods of food preparations such as fermentation, cooking, and malting increases the nutritive quality of plant foods by reducing anti-nutritional factors. Such processing methods are widely used in many rural and wild societies. Janie et al. (2007) reported some bitter cucurbits are edible after treating with vinegar. Nagarani et al. (2014) documented that Momordica species are soaked with salt water before cooking to reduce bitterness. Sarkar et al. (2015) reported that the bitterness of M. charantia can be reduced by steaming. Kumar et al. (2010) documented that fruits of M. charantia when boiled reduces bitterness. Osuagwa and Edeoga (2014) reported that some wild cucurbits are edible when cut into small pieces and dried. The above all anti-nutritional factors are found also in edible cucurbits. Some species are bitter in taste, might be due to saponin and tannin. Franca (2012) reported the tannin, oxalate, cyanogenic glycosides and trypsin inhibitor in T. cucumerina, Cucurbita pepo and C. moschata. Addis et al., (2013) reported the anti-nutritional factors of C. grandis. Elinge et al., (2012) reported the phytate, oxalate, hydrocyanic acid and nitrate in C. pepo. Elemo et al., (2011) reported the peroxidase, urease, trypsin inhibitor and Saponin in L.aegyptica. Ndamitro et al., (2014) reported the cyanide, phytates, saponin in C. melo, C. maschata and C. lanatus. Fekadu (2014) reported the phytate, oxalate, tannin and cyanide from C. abyssinica. 

Wild cucurbits : sources of optional food

Sanjeet Kumar

sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com

 

Nutrition is the science of food. The nutrient and other substances there in, their action, interaction and balance is related to health and diseases. Nutrient are grouped into six classes namely carbohydrate, fats, proteins, vitamins, mineral and water. These all are essential things which are found in plant and animal sources. Plants are the principal source for getting such important components. Human beings have been obtaining these food components of plant and animal sources from early civilization, and also learned the process of consuming them called “Traditional food systems”. Some edible plant parts are very palatable but some are toxic, tannic or bitter. In this context they developed natural detoxification process to make them edible. Among the edible plant species, wild cucurbits are important and common in remote areas. In Odisha, there are numbers of wild cucurbits are available which are used as food by rural and tribal communities. The most common edible wild cucurbits are C. grandis, T. cucumerina, L. acutungala, L. cylendricca, C. melo, S. amplexculis etc. All the edible parts of plant contain rich nutritional values.  Misra and Misra (2014) reported the edible root of S. amplexicaulis used in Odisha whereas Prusti and Behera (2007) documented the traditional food values of Cucumis species of Sundargarh district of Odisha. Pani et al. (2010) documented that cucurbits of Odisha is used specially L. actungula, T. diocea, M. charchantia, M. diocea are used as food in different parts of Odisha. 

Mahakaal

Ethnobotanical values of wild Cucurbits

Sanjeet Kumar

sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com

The cucurbitaceae have cultural and economic values among many wild societies of the world. Numerous studies have been developed in the taxonomy, ethnobotany, economic values, medicinal properties and pharmacological values and domestication of the species of this family but very less or few scientific documentation was done on wild species. Wild species have very sound traditional therapeutic values and abundant in the forest edges. They are mostly found in and around of the rural and tribal villages. Tribal communities use mostly their fruits for healing. They used the parts of wild cucurbits as juice, paste, and other formulations. Rout et al. (2013) reported the ethnobotanical values of M. charantia used by the local inhabitants of Koraput district of Odisha. Murthy et al. (2013) reported the traditional medicinal systems of some wild cucurbits from the Eastern Ghats of Odisha. Mallik et al. (2012) documented the therapeutic values of C. grandis leaf to cure cough & cold and M. charantia fruits is used to enhance the appetite of domestic animals. Shadangi et al. (2005) documented that Trichosanthus species is used to cure ear problems. Panda et al. (2011) reported that C. grandis is used to cure jaundice and M. diocea is used in diabetes. Mohanty et al. (2013) reported that the raw fruits of C. grandis are eaten to reduce cough.  Now-a-days the knowledge are going to decline on wild cucurbits, therefore present study highlights the ethnobotanical values gathering the information/ claims from literature and documented in the Table.

Table: Ethno-botanical values of selected wild cucurbits

Plant Name	Parts	Uses	Sources
Cucumis melo	Seeds	Seeds are diuretic promotes the production of urine	Murthy et al. (2013)
C. melo	Leaves	Used to treat the skin infection	Khalid et al. (2010)
C. melo	Fruits	Used in stomach ache	Maryam et al. (2011)
C. melo	Leaves	Used to treat the skin infection	Khalid et al. (2010)
C. melo	Fruits	Used in stomach ache	Maryam arshad et al. (2011)
Diplocyclos palmatus	Leaves	Paste and juice is used for the treatment of scorpion bite, used against fever. Leaf juice is given for fever.	Murthy et al. (2013)
D. palmatus	Fruits	Skin infection	Joanne et al. (2012)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Seed extract is taken during dysentery	Kamble  et al. (2008)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Powder of seeds and roots is given twice a day in empty stomach to induce fertility.	Gupta et el. (2010)
D. palmatus	Leaves	Leaf paste is mixed with fruit powder in equal quantities is taken with a cup of local wine prepared by Madhuca indica flowers at morning without any food for three months to cure hysteria.	Neelima et al. (2011)
D. palmatus	Leaves	Leaves are used against inflammation	Chopra et al. (1956)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Used in asthma, cholera and promotes fertility in women	Sing et al. (2012)
D. palmatus	Leaf	Paste is applied externally to reduce rheumatic pain	Subramanyam et al. (2008)
D. palmatus	Leaf	Used in burning and diarrhoea	Radha et al. (2012)
D. palmatus	Fruits	Used in hysteria and Jaundice	Radha et al.  (2012)
D. palmatus	Fruits	Used as health tonic and for indigestion	Arun  et al. (2011)
D. palmatus	Seed	Powder in quarter spoon is administrated with milk to break sterility.	Padal et al. (2013)
D. palmatus	Leaves	Young leaves are used in joint pain	Sasi et al. (2011)
D. palmatus	Fruits	Fruits are used to reduce fever	Padal et al. (2010)
D. palmatus	Leaf	Leaves are used for fertility	Padal et al. (2010)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Seeds of shivlingi , sonth, kalimirch, putrajivi and root bark of vat is made in powder. 2-5 gm of powder is taken with water or milk at night. Once daily for 21 days. After completion or beginning of menstrual cycle.	Srivastava  (2013)
D. palmatus	Roots	Roots are used in teeth decay	Padal et al. (2013)
D. palmatus	Leaf	Paste is applied externally on join to cure pain in the morning once in three days for one month.	Karunyal et al. (2010)
D. palmatus	Seed	Seed powder is put in water and ½ cup full of water is taken, seed powder mixed in ½ cup milk is taken by women.	Kamblet et al. (2011)
D. palmatus	Leaves	Paste and juice is used for the treatment of scorpion bite, used against fever. Leaf juice is given for fever.	Murthy et al. (2013)
D. palmatus	Fruits	Skin infection	Joanne et al. (2012)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Seed extract is taken during dysentery	Kamble  et al. (2008)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Powder of seeds and roots is given twice a day in empty stomach to induce fertility.	Gupta et al.  (2010)
D. palmatus	Seeds	Seeds are given to women for conception	Patel et al. (2013)
D. palmatus	Leaves	Used in colic , fever, paralysis of tongue, piles	Patel et al. (2013)
Trichosanthes cucumerina	Fruits	Fruits are used against stomach worm	Murthy et al. (2013)
T.cucumerina	Leaves	Used in snake bite	Jain et al. (2008)
T.cucumerina	Root	Used to reduce colic pain	Jain et al. (2008)
T.cucumerina	Seed	Seed powder mixed with jiggery and alcohol (dabar) is given for the treatment of asthma	Sudeep et al. (2011)
T.tricuspidata	Roots	Used against skin infections	Murthy et al. (2013)
T.tricuspidata	Leaf	Juice of leaves extract applied to relieve joint pain	Bharatha et al. (2010)
T.tricuspidata	Leaves	Used in ear pain	Padal et al. (2010)
T.tricuspidata	Root	Used against snake bite	Shreekar et al. (2010)
T.tricuspidata	Fruits	Fruits is smoked in asthma	Jadhav et al.  (2011)
T.tricuspidata	Fruits	Used in asthma and ear pain	Ganeshan et al. (2006)
T.tricuspidata	Root	Roots and stems are powdered and taken with hot water twice a day for the treatment of dysentery by Nyshi tribe	Srivastava  et al. (2010)
T.tricuspidata	Flowers	Used for blood related problems. Flowers are taken during night once in 2 days for one month	Karanyalet et al.  (2010)
T.tricuspidata	Seed	Seed powder mixed with water is given once a day for conjugative 5 days after manse.	Kamble et al.  (2011)