Diversity of medicinally important leafy vegetables used by the tribes in Balasore district of Odisha, India

Abstract

With an increase in the incidence and outbreak of several new diseases, plant-based medications are becoming increasingly popular owing to their low cost and fewer adverse effects. In this context, the leafy vegetables being enriched in nutritional and therapeutic value are in focus in order to uncover their hidden potential for human welfare. In this backdrop, the present study was undertaken in the Balasore district of Odisha, India to document the ethnomedicinally significant leafy vegetables consumed by the local tribes of the region. A total of 72 leafy vegetables belonging to 35 families under 69 genera were reported with ethnomedicinal uses. The data on information related to their uses was collected through scientifically structured questionnaires, interviews and close interactions with 192 informants. The results also included the determination of fidelity level (FL) along with factor informant consensus value (Fic). Nyctanthes arbor-tristis L., with a fidelity level of 98.77%, is the most commonly used medicinally potent leafy vegetable. Diabetes had a higher Factor Informant Consensus value (Fic) of 0.994, similar to the common cold and cough disease. The findings of the present study suggested that most of the underutilised leafy vegetables under study possessed curative values and needed further investigation to prove their efficacy against specific diseases reported. Furthermore, these leafy vegetables need immediate attention for their conservation and sustainable utilization and efforts should be made to safeguard the traditional knowledge of tribal communities, which is under threat of extinction.