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Table 1 The wild food plants collected in the study areas

From: Traditional knowledge of wild food plants in a few Tibetan communities

Plants collected in Sapi, Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, India

 

Botanical identification

Tibetan name

Part used

Use in local diet

C. index*

Arnebia euchroma (Royle ex Benth.) I.M. Johnston

‘bri mog

roots

used as spice to cook meat

+++

Artemisia gmelinii Weber ex Steckm. var. gmelinii

bur tse, mkhan pa,

leaves, flowers

mixed with wheat flour and water to prepare ferments

++++

Capparis spinosa L.

kabra

fruits

unripe fruits eaten as vegetables

++++

Chenopodium album L.

sne’u

leaves

stir-fried in oil after eliminating their bitter taste by boiling them long time in water, and are eaten with other food

++++

Delphinium brunonianum Royle

bya rgod spos

leaves, flowers

mixed with wheat flour and water to prepare ferments

+++

Hippophae rhamnoides L. subs. turkestanica Rousi

tshogs skyur, star bu

fruits

fruits eaten mainly in the past, today a juice is industrially prepared from them

+++++

Oxyria digyna Hill

chu lcum

leaves

eaten fresh as vegetable

+++

Rheum spiciforme Royle

chu rtsa

stems

petioles and young stems eaten as vegetables

+++++

Rosa sericea Lindl.

se ba

fruits

eaten by children

++++

Rosa webbiana Wallich ex Royle

se ba

fruits

eaten by children, used to prepare a kind of jam

+++++

Thymus linearis Benth.

su lu

leaves and stems

mixed with chilly are used as condiment

+++++

Urtica hyperborea Jacquem. ex Wedd.

zwa

young shoots

young shoots used to prepare soups

+++++

Plants collected in Lithang County, Sichuan, China

 

Allium macranthum Baker

byi’u sgog

bulbs

eaten fresh as vegetable and spice

+++++

Allium prattii C.H. Wright

rug sgog

bulbs

eaten fresh as vegetable and spice

+++++

Allium sp.

sha sgog

bulbs

eaten fresh as vegetable and spice

++++

Allium sp.

sgog pa

bulbs

eaten fresh as vegetable and spice

+++++

Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) Schott.

dwa ba, dwa g.yung

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

++++

Berberis sp.

skyer pa

fruits

eaten by children

+++

Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med.

sog ka pa

leaves

fresh leaves are fried with vegetables, dry leaves are eaten in local soups (thug pa)

+++++

Carum carvi L.

go snyod

seeds

the crushed seeds are used as a spice

+++++

Chenopodium album L.

sne’u

leaves

stir-fried in oil after eliminating their bitter taste by boiling them long time in water, and are eaten with other food

++++

Cirsium souliei (Franch.) Mattf.

spyang tsher

roots

eaten raw after removing the skin

++

Cynanchum sp.

dug mo nyung, pha la

roots

in the past eaten boiled

++

Galium aparine L.

zangs rtsi dkar po, phyi ‘dzin pa

stalks, leaves

stalks and leaves rubbed between hands are used as fermentation agent in the making of yoghurt.

+++

Lepidium apetalum Willd.

dar ya kan, khang phug

leaves

the leaves are cooked in water

++++

Malva verticillata L.

 

leaves

stir-fried in oil before adding other vegetables and/or meat

++++

Plantago depressa Willd.

tha ram

leaves

leaves eaten as vegetable

++++

Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) T. S. Ying

‘ol mo se, ba ma lu lu

fruits

children eat fresh fruits

++++

Polygonum macrophyllum D.Don

spang ram

roots, seeds

roots eaten fresh, flour obtained from ground seeds used as substitute for tsampa in the past

++++

Polygonum polystachyum Wallich ex Meisner

snya lo

stems

stems eaten raw after removing the skin

++++

Polygonum viviparum L.

ram bu rgod pa

roots, seeds

roots eaten fresh, flour obtained from ground seeds used as substitute for tsampa in the past

+++++

Potentilla anserina L.

gro ma

rhizomes

rhizomes eaten fresh and cooked, also during famines in the past

+++++

Potentilla sp.

ston ja

aerial portion

in the past used as a substitute for tea

++++

Quercus sp.

be do shing

acorns

flour obtained from dry acorns used in the past as substitute for tsampa (roasted barley flour)

+++++

Rheum alexandrae Batal.

chu skyur

stems

stems eaten raw after removing the skin

+++++

Rheum palmatum L.

lcum, shog sbra

stems

stems eaten raw after removing the skin

+++++

Rhododendron sp.

sur dkar

flowers and leaves

in the past used as substitute for tea

+++++

Rosa omeiensis Rolfe

se ba

fruits

fruit edible (today eaten by children)

++++

Rubus subornatus Focke

stag tsher

fruits

eaten fresh

++

Taraxacum officinale L. s.l.

khur mang, khur dkar, khur nag, nyin dgun me tog, rnag gi me tog

leaves

the leaves are fried in oil or cooked in water

+++++

Thlaspi arvense L.

bre ga, ‘dre rnga

leaves

fresh leaves are fried with vegetables, dry leaves are eaten in local soups (thug pa)

+++++

Urtica triangularis Hand. - Mazz.

zwa

young shoots

used to prepare soups

+++++

Plants collected in southern Mustang District, Nepal

 

Allium roseum L.

‘dzim bu

bulbs

eaten fresh as vegetable and spice, kept to be consumed in winter

+++++

Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) Schott.

dwa ba, dwa g.yung

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

+++++

Arisaema jacquemontii Blume

dwa ba, dwa g.yung

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

+++++

Carum carvi L.

go snyod

seeds

the crushed seeds are used as a spice

+++++

Chenopodium album L.

sne’u

leaves

stir-fried in oil after eliminating their bitter taste by boiling them long time in water, and are eaten with other food

++++

Fragaria nubicola Lindl. ex Lacaita

‘bri ta sa ‘dzin

fruits

children eat fresh fruits

++++

Hippophae tibetana Schlecht.

to ra, star bu

fruits

used to prepare a juice, fruits mainly eaten in the past

+++++

Malva verticillata L.

lcam pa, bod lcam

leaves

young leaves are eaten as vegetables, or stir-fried in oil before adding other vegetables and/or meat; leaves used to prepare a herbal tea

++++

Polygonatum verticillatum (L.) All.

ra mnye

leaves, roots

leaves eaten cooked, roots edible.

+++

Polygonum vaccinifolia Wallich ex Meisner

ram bu

roots, seeds

roots eaten fresh, flour obtained from ground seeds used as substitute for tsampa in the past

+++++

Polygonum viviparum L.

ram bu

roots, seeds

roots eaten fresh, flour obtained from ground seeds used as substitute for tsampa in the past

+++++

Rhododendron anthopogon D. Don

ba lu, ba lu dkar po

flowers and leaves

in the past used as substitute for tea

+++++

Rosa macrophylla Lindl.

se ba

fruits

fruits eaten fresh in the past, today by children

++++

Rumex hastatus D. Don

sho mang, sha sna

leaves

eaten as vegetables

++++

Salvia hians Royle ex Benth.

‘jib rtsi, ‘jib rtsi sngon po

stalks

stalks are eaten as vegetables

+++

Stachys recta L.

bya pho rtse

leaves

young leaves are eaten fresh as vegetables

+++

Thymus linearis Benth.

smag tog pa

leaves

mixed with chilly are used as condiment; used to prepare herbal tea

+++++

Urtica dioica L.

zwa

young shoots

used to prepare soups

+++++

Plants collected in Dhorpatan, Baglung District, Nepal

 

Arisaema jacquemontii Blume

dwa ba, dwa g.yung, kha tsha ba

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

++++

Arisaema nepenthoides (Wall.) Mart.

dwa ba, dwa rgod, kha tsha ba

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

++++

Arisaema utile Hook. f. ex Schott

dwa ba, dwa g.yung, kha tsha ba

tubers

eaten after being crushed and boiled

++++

Berberis angulosa Wallich ex Hook. f. & Thoms.

skyer pa, skyer nag

fruits

eaten by children

+++

Berberis aristata DC.

skyer pa, skyer dkar

fruits

eaten by children

+++

Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Med.

sog ka pa

leaves

fresh leaves are fried with vegetables, dry leaves are eaten in local soups (thug pa)

++++

Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke

‘bri ta sa ‘dzin

fruits

fruits eaten fresh

+++

Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) T.S.Ying

‘ol mo se

fruits

children (maily in the past) eat fruits

++++

Polygonum macrophyllum D. Don var. macrophyllum

spang ram, spang ram dmar po

seeds, roots

roots eaten fresh, flour obtained from ground seeds used as substitute for tsampa in the past.

++++

Rhododendron anthopogon D. Don

sur dkar, balu, ba lu dkar po

flowers and leaves

in the past used as substitute for tea

+++++

Rosa macrophylla Lindl.

se ba

fruits

fruits eaten mainly in the past, today by children

++++

Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wigger s.l.

khur mang, ‘o ma me tog

leaves

the leaves are fried in oil or cooked in water

++++

Urtica dioica L.

zwa

young shoots

young tender shoots are used to prepare a soup

+++++

  1. *Consensus index. Indicates citation by % of informants. +: ≤10%; ++: 11-25%; +++: 26-50%; ++++: 51-75%; +++++: ≥76%.