Wild vegetables, the future food crops: Use of wild plants as food and medicine by tribal mountainous communities of the northern Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract

Food is a basic human need and a prerequisite for a healthy life, so strong connection between food and health is increasingly recognized. The goal of this study was to record the medicinally important wild edible vegetables and their medicinal uses in different villages of northern Balochistan, The data was obtained through structured questionnaires, free interviews and informal conversations about 60 wild edible plants and their medicinal uses belonging to 21 families and 45 genera. From 228 informants. The Use report (UR), use value (UV), family importance value (FIV) and informants consensus factor (FIC) were calculated for the quantitative study of ethnomedicinal data. Brassicaceae was the dominant botanical family with the largest number of cited species (11) and (13.6 FIV). Leaves are highly utilized (42%) plant part, while decoction of plant parts (34%) as medicine was common mode of recipes. Mostly the plants are consumed in cooked form, while as medicine these plants are often used orally. Highest ICF value (1) was recorded for antidote category. The highest use value was reported for the Amaranthus viridis (0.67) highest use report were calculated in Apium graveolens, Lepidium sativum, Malvaneglecta, and Mentha longifolia, seven use reports for each. The actual cooking practices with traditional vegetables need to be investigated and a nutritional, dietary requirements, essential and toxic components in conventional food resources; pharmacological applications of edible wild plants need to be done to determine their actual nutrient contribution and promote for future cultivation.