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Table 1 Ethnobotanical inventory of Lhoba in Milin County, Tibet, China

From: Ethnobotanical study on wild plants used by Lhoba people in Milin County, Tibet

Family name

Scientific name

Local name

Habit

Part used

Local use

Adoxaceae

Sambucus adnata Wall. ex DC.

Ong na nie na san dou ba

Herb

Fruits and roots

Medicine used for treating bruises. Fruits are edible and sweet.

 

Viburnum kansuense Batal.

Ga ma mi me

Shrub

Fruits

Food.

 

Viburnum nervosum D. Don

Ji bong

Shrub

Roots

Soaked in alcohol for anti-inflammatory and relieving pain as external medicine.

Apiaceae

Angelica apaensis R. H. Shan et C. Q. Yuan

Jia na

Herb

Whole plant

Boiled, used as hypotensive drugs.

Balanophoraceae

Balanophora involucrata Hook. f.

Di du guo ya

Herb

Whole plant

Soaked in alcohol or boiled in water for aphrodisiac.

Berberidaceae

Berberis atrocarpa Schneid.

Jiu zi ca ma

Shrub

Leaves and fruits

Food (sour taste).

 

Berberis kongboensis Ahrendt

Jiu zi ca ma

Shrub

Leaves and fruits

Food (sour taste).

 

Berberis pruinosa Franch.

Sai mang

Shrub

Branches, roots and fruits

Branches and roots are boiled in water and used as medicine for treating diarrhea. Fruits are edible and sour. Fruits and roots are also used for dyeing.

 

Berberis temolaica Ahrendt

Si sen

Shrub

Roots

Dye plant.

 

Dysosma tsayuensis Ying

Dong na long dong

Herb

Fruits

Eaten directly as food or boiled in water as medicine for treating gynecological diseases or hematinics.

 

Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Ying

Dong na long dong

Herb

Fruits

Eaten directly as food or boiled in water as medicine for treating gynecological diseases or hematinics.

Bignoniaceae

Incarvillea lutea Bur. et Franch.

Di ma bu du

Herb

Roots

Medicine used for hematinics.

Clusiaceae

Hypericum bellum Li

Da bu ru ma

Herb

Fruits

Tobacco substitutes.

Compositae

Ajania tenuifolia (Jacq.) Tzvel.

Yi lin

Herb

Whole plant

Incense plant

 

Anaphalis nepalensis (Spreng.) Hand.-Mazz.

A bo

Herb

Whole plant

Tobacco substitute, kindling and fuel

 

Artemisia vestita Wall. ex Bess.

Can ba

Herb

Whole plant

An important incense plant.

 

Cirsium eriophoroides (Hook. F.) Petrak

Da ca ma

Herb

Whole plant

Medicine external used for stopping bleeding and reducing the inflammation.

 

Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz.

Ra jiang

Herb

Flowers and roots

Boiled or eaten directly, used for treating dyspepsia, headache and kidney deficiency.

 

Leontopodium dedekensii (Bur. et Franch.) Beauv.

Ba bong bin

Herb

Whole plant

Kindling and fuel.

 

Ligularia rumicifolia (Drumm.) S. W. Liu

Lang qian niu ba

Herb

Roots

Boiled liquid for treating sore throat as an anti-inflammatory medicine.

 

Senecio scandens Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don

Gang bu rong ba

Herb

Roots

Boiled for treating cold.

 

Synotis solidaginea (Hand.-Mazz.) C. Jeffrey et Y. L. Chen

Mi ji dong ba

Herb

Whole plant

Boiled liquid for treating stuffy nose and freckle.

Cupressaceae

Juniperus squamata Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don

Ba ma

Tree

Leaves and branches

Fuel, incense and timber plant.

Elaeagnaceae

Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb.

Jiu gong/Ran jia

Tree

Fruits

Food (sour and sweet taste), used for treating stomach pain.

 

Hippophae rhamnoides Linn. subsp. yunnanensis Rousi

Da guo

Tree

Fruits

Food (sour and sweet taste), dye plant.

Ericaceae

Gaultheria wardii Marq. et Airy-Shaw

Dong gou mi xi

Shrub

Fruits

Food.

 

Rhododendron cephalanthum Franch.

Da jia bu

Shrub

Leaves and branches

Incense plant.

 

Rhododendron primuliflorum Bur. et Franch.

Da jia bu

Shrub

Leaves and branches

Incense plant.

Fagaceae

Quercus aquifolioides Rehd. et Wils.

Sen nie ya ye

Tree

Fruits and branches

Unshelled and crushed fruits are used for making flat cake. Branches are used for making agriculture tools, weaving tools and fuel.

Grossulariaceae

Ribes himalense Royle ex Decaisne

Ong m li

Shrub

Fruits

Food (sour and sweet taste)

 

Ribes laciniatum J. D. Hooder et Thomson

Ong m li

Shrub

Fruits

Food (sour and sweet taste)

Lamiaceae

Elsholtzia ciliata (Thunb.) Hyland.

Bong ga da nang

Herb

Whole plant

Spice plant for making blood sausages.

 

Elsholtzia densa Benth.

Bong ga da nang

Herb

Whole plant

Spice plant for making blood sausages.

 

Elsholtzia strobilifera Benth.

Bong ga da nang

Herb

Whole plant

Spice plant for making blood sausages.

 

Phlomis milingensis C. Y. Wu et H. W. Li

Ou mu ba wa

Herb

Flowers

Nectar

 

Salvia przewalskii Maxim.

Re nie

Herb

Flowers

Nectar

Lauraceae

Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers.

De yi

Tree

Fruits

Medicine used for treating stomach disorder and diarrhea. Fruits are fried with pepper as substitute of spices.

 

Litsea pungens Hemsl.

Ta er

Tree

Fruits

Fried with pepper as spices substitutes.

Melanthiaceae

Paris polyphylla Smith

Da bi ri sen

Herb

Roots

Medicine used as a kind of inflammation-relieving hemostatic medicine.

Pinaceae

Abies forrestii C. C. Rogers

Song

Tree

Branches

Fuel, used for making barrel and other living appliances

Plantaginaceae

Veronica anagallis- aquatica Linn.

Bong ga neng bong

Herb

Whole plant

Food (a kind of vegetable). Medicine used for treating sore throat.

Poaceae

Fargesia macclureana Yi

La rang

Herb

Branches

Fuel, thatching, weaving basket and other instruments of labor.

Polygonaceae

Polygonum hydropiper Linn.

A er

Herb

Aboveground part

Dye plant

 

Polygonum tortuosum D. Don.

Ya rong

Herb

Whole plant

Boiled roots used for treating diarrhea. Fodder.

Primulaceae

Primula sikkimensis Hook.

Qiu dong ba

Herb

Roots

Boiled for treating diarrhea.

Pteridiaceae

Pteridium aquilinum (Linn.) Kuhn var. latiusculum (Desv.) Underw. ex Heller

Da wang

Herb

Burgeens

Food (a kind of vegetable)

Ranunculaceae

Aconitum kongboense Lauener

Ao mo mu ji

Herb

Roots

Poison for hunting. Grinding roots into power and stick on arrowhead with water to make the arrow poison. Medicine used for paretic analgesia.

 

Batrachium bungei (Steud.) L. Liou

Xi jiao

Herb

Leaves

Medicine used to wash hair for hair healthy.

 

Coptis teeta Franch.

Meng ba

Herb

Roots

Medicine used in wound care for stopping bleeding, relieving pain, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties.

Rhamnaceae

Berchemia yunnanensis Franch.

Guo lang

Tree

Fruits

Medicine used for stomach pain

Rosaceae

Fragaria vesca Linn.

Yi gei ba qi

Herb

Fruits

Food (sweet taste)

 

Potentilla anserina Linn.

Ba xi

Herb

whole plant

Incense plant. Roots are cooked with other food material for nutritional supplement.

 

Rosa omeiensis Rolfe

Ha ji ba bu

Shrub

Fruits

Food (sweet taste) used for treating dysentery and cold.

 

Rubus biflorus Buch.-Ham. ex Smith

Yi na/Zi ga

Shrub

Fruits

Food (sweet taste), good for kidney.

 

Sorbus thibetica (Card.) Hand.-Mazz.

Bo lang

Tree

Fruits

Food (sour and sweet taste),eaten after frost for replenishing strength.

Rubiaceae

Rubia cordifolia Linn.

Da min

Herb

Whole plant

Dye plant

Rutaceae

Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim.

Ye ma

Shrub

Fruits

Spices

Usneaceae

Usnea spp.

Bi ba beng suo

Herb

Whole plant

Soaked in water, used to wash feet for treating beriberi.

Zygnemataceae

Spirogyra spp.

Ni a ji

Herb

Whole plant

Food (making soup)

  1. (Ranked by family names alphabetically, followed by generic and species names).