Ethnobotanical Wild Edible Plants Used by the Tribes of Sahebganj District, Jharkhand

Abstract

The Wild edible plants form an important Constituent of traditional diets of the tribal Community .Most of the rural populations residing in different parts of the country depend on plants and their parts to fulfill their daily needs and have developed unique knowledge about their utilization. The Present study has been conducted to document the indigenous knowledge related to the diversity and uses of wild edible weeds in day- to- day life of tribals of Sahibganj District. A total of 51 different herbs, 7 shrubs, 26 trees and 41 Climbing herbs belonging to 48 families were recorded in the present investigation out. The diversity of wild edible plants in Sahibganj district was also found to be depleting due to their over exploitation and unsustainable harvesting for foods, medicines as well as because of various other biotic interferences including grazing, herbivory and anthropogenic fire. Therefore, there is an urgent need to conserve these valuable wild edible plants and use it in a sustainable manner to ensure future demand.