Ethnobotanical Plants of Phumdi, Loktak Lake, Manipur, India

Abstract

Loktak is the largest natural freshwater lake in the North-Eastern region of India playing an important role in the ecological and economic security of the region. It is also known for “Phumdi,” a heterogeneous mass of soil, vegetation and organic matter at various stages of decomposition. For the fishing purposes, local communities make a ring with “Phumdi” mass called “Athaphum” measuring 500 ft in diameter, a traditional practice popular since last 200 years. It is further interesting to report that these also harbor a rich flora of medicinal herbs. Keeping the importance of its medicinal wealth, an attempt was made to survey 20 different “Athaphum” of the lake to explore and document the diversity of medicinal plants of the fresh water lake. Extensive floristic survey in the study area revealed the occurrence of over 89 plant species in and around “Athaphum” and “Phumdis.” Among them, five plants (Blumea mollis, Ludwigia repens, Rumex nepalensis, Oenanthe javanica, and Carex riparia) were selected for phytochemical screening to validate their therapeutic claims. All the selected plants were found to be enriched with phenolic compounds. On the basis of their ethnobotanical claims and results of phytochemical analysis, R. nepalensis and O. javanica could be recommended as potential nutraceutical for being a popular food plant among the local inhabitants.