Evaluation of Nutritional and Medicinal values of Wild Tuber Crops (Dioscorea spp.) from Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Forest, Odisha, India

Sanjeet Kumar, Prakash Kumar Tripathy and Padan Kumar Jena. Evaluation of nutritional and medicinal values of Wild Tuber Crops (Dioscorea spp.) from Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Forest, Odisha, India. Proceeding of 37^th Annual Conference and P. Parija Memorial National Conference on “Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology”. 22-23 December 2012. Pp. 41-42.

Sanjeet Kumar*, P.K.Tripathy, P.K.Jena

* Department of Botany, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, India
sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com



Simlipal Biosphere Reserve Forest

Simlipal Biosphere reserve Forest (SBR) is located in the centre part of the district Mayurbhanj of the state, close to the interstate boundary with West Bengal in the North-East direction and Jharkhand in the North-West. It is having a compact mass of natural forests as rolling hills with semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, Sal forest, grass land and Savanna spread over an area of 5,569 Km² lying between 21° 10'to 22° 12' N and 85° 58' to 86° 42' E, ranging between 300 meter to 1,180 meter above sea level. In Eastern Ghats particularly in SBR, several tribal community such as Kharia, Mankadia, Kolho etc. depend on wild plants using their Fruits, flowers, leaves, bulbils, tubers etc,, as food and medicine for their daily food and medicine requirement  and also during the periods of food shortage and famine. In such critical conditions, wild tubers particularly Dioscorea species play an important role and give a Safety Net for surviving.



Dioscorea bulbifera

                                                                                For SBR, wild tuber crops means particularly we know as Dioscorea species among other wild tuber crops as per consumption among different tribal community of SBR. Dioscorea species locally known as “Bān Aālu” or “Sānga”. They are perennial herbaceous or shrubby climbers with well developed tuber or rhizomes containing good amount of carbohydrate, fiber and other nutrients as well as anti-nutritional compounds with different types of bio-active which revels the anti-microbial and other pharmacological activity. Dioscorea species is also used traditionally as antiseptic, for Ulcers and other microbial infections among tribal community of SBR. Tribal community of Sanuski village of SBR use the root and tuber of Dioscorea bulbifera to cure toothache and aphthae, also the aqueous extract of whole plant is used for secondary syphilis and psoriasis. Tubers of Dioscorea puber are edible mostly in off agricultural season among the tribal community of SBR. They have been eaten as an energy supplement. Many informants such as Sahu Bari, Jambira Bari (Sanoski village), Gunjeram Badra and Sarma alda (Kolha village) of Kolhoo tribal community, Charan Lohar (Ratuda village) of Lohar community  told us that this tuber is eaten once in morning than there is no need of other food till night. It indicate that it has some unknown ingredients has ability to give more energy, which could be future supplement food to eradicate malnutrition and food security crisis. According to Budhi Ram Lohar, an herbal practicenr (Vedh) of Sanoski village of SBR, tuber of Dioscorea puber are eaten as tonic for health but not good in cough. Tuber (s) of Dioscorea oppositifolia stimulates the stomach and spleen. Tuber (s) is also eaten for the treatment of poor appetite, asthma and cough. It has anti-ulcer activity.

Me with School Boys of SBR

                                      The leaves, flowers, tender shoots, are used for cooling and demulcent. Leaf paste is used to cure leprosy. The leaves are antiseptic; the paste is applied on ulcers and abscesses. The whole plant is used in application for oedematous tumours and the ash extract of flowering twigs along with tender leaves cure cancer. The whole plant extract is also used for secondary syphilis and Psorasis. Sliced tuber of Dioscorea pentaphylla, Dioscorea bulbifera are soaked in running water, and used as a common vegetable in SBR. It is most important tuber crops used in famine. It is frequently present in Kasipani (22º 04’ 13” N, 86º 18’ 25” E) of Bisoi range of SBR. Leaves of Dioscorea pentaphylla are used for poor appetite.It is also helpful in case of indigestion. Tubers have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial activity. Tubers of Dioscorea hispida are used to birth-control among women due to containing Dioscorine a lactonic alkaloids which is also used to manufacture birt-contro pills. Tuber (s) of Dioscorea species have different type of bioactive compounds such as steroids, triterpene, sugar, tannin and amino acid. Felex et al., 2009 reported in Methanol extracts of tubers of different Dioscorea species shows the presence of sugar, alkaloid, phenolic group, flavone, catachin, tannin and amino acid and Benzene and chloroform extracts show the presence of steroid, sugar and steroid, triterpene, sugar respectively. In distilled water extract shows the presence of steroid, triterpene, sugar and tannin. The nutritional content (quantitative) of four commonly available Dioscorea species, Dioscorea puber, Dioscorea hispida, Dioscorea pentaphylla and Dioscorea bulbifera were studied in the terms of Protein, Fat, Carbohydrate, Fibre and Energy in Kcl also calcium and Magnesium was studied with anti-nutritional factor Tannin.

Entry Gate, SBR

                                              The protein % of Dioscorea pentaphylla was high among other, Fat % was high in Dioscorea puber, Carbohydrate % was high in Dioscorea puber, Fibre % was high in Dioscorea pentaphylla and anti-nutritional factor Tannin % was high in Dioscorea hispida. The micronutrients Calcium % was high in Dioscorea bulbifera and Magnesium % was high in Dioscorea pentaphylla. As per availability, ethnobotanical importance and nutrational values of Dioscorea species from SBR, therefore need further more scientific documentation as Food and study of anti-microbial compounds for the development of new drugs.